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• 1 2019-07-30T08:04:16-07:00 Tom Thomas 1 Professor of Art plain 2019-07-30T08:04:16-07:00
  
  Thomas J. Thomas (1945-2009) was a faculty member at Indiana University East from 1975 through 2009. He taught art courses at the university, managed the Indiana University East Galleries, and started the Whitewater Valley Annual Art Competition to exhibit the area’s top art institutes and artists. Tom has several pieces of his work on display throughout the East campus. There is at least one in each building.

  Thomas graduated from Miami University in 1968 and then taught art at Union County High School in Liberty, IN, also coaching cross country and track at that school. He attended Miami University again to earn his M.A.T. in education in 1972, student taught at Eaton High School, and received his graduate assistantship and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1975. He started teaching at IU East that same year. He helped develop the fine arts program at IU East, as well as the WVAC (Whitewater Valley Art Competition). Thomas wanted the WVAC to be interactive for artists and worked to incorporate judge feedback as face-to-face.

  Achievements, awards, and art:

  • Served as a coordinator for WVAC
  • Received Indiana University faculty awards: W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service in 1998, Amoco Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching 
  • Member of Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) 
  • Some paintings displayed at IUE, others displayed in California, New York, Indiana, and Florida art galleries 
  • Work seen in first/second editions of Contemporary American Painting and the following magazines: Gulf Shores, End, Foyer, Naples Illustrated, Florida Design 
  • Tom Thomas Gallery is a permanent part of IUE 
  • Faculty Research Grant Indiana University East "Metal Printing", 1991 
  • Indiana Arts Commission Grant for all campus exhibition at Indiana State Museum
  • Involved in designing and participating in several TV/radio broadcasts 

  Exhibitions since 1995:

  • Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
  • Longstreth Goldberg Galleries, Naples FL
  • Eckhart Fine Arts, Naples FL (2004-2005)
  • Design Consultants, Cincinnati OH 
  • Artizen Art Galleries, Dallas TX
  • Jan Abrams Fine Art, New York NY 

  Tom Thomas in the student news:
  
  
  
  
  Examples of Tom's work: