Virginia Commonwealth University professor Reni Gower will receive the College Art Association’s prestigious Distinguished Teaching of Art Award at their annual conference in Chicago this February.
The award brings national attention to a professor who has dedicated her entire career to art and art education, an accomplishment for which she refuses to take full credit.
“I believe in being generous,” Gower said. “I was fortunate to have great mentors as a young student and I feel like I try to emulate that for another generation.”
Professor Richard Roth, former chair of the Painting and Printmaking department at VCU, understands why she deserves the national recognition as well as her modest reaction to the praise.
“Professor Gower is a selfless teacher who puts students and their artistic life and development first,” Roth said. “She has inspired and mentored countless art students.”
Reni Gower moved to Richmond to start her teaching career at VCU in 1981. She has been hard at work ever since transforming students into working artists through her professional practice senior seminar course, now a graduation requirement for the department.
“The class teaches the student how to function in the real world after graduation,” Gower said. “The course didn’t exist when I was in school, you know, it’s just all trial and error.”
According to Ruth Bolduan, an Associate Professor in the Painting and Printmaking department, the seminar is invaluable to students that pass through their program.
“It’s [the course] that the alums look back on and really remember as an important class for them,” Bolduan said. “It’s the one that, once they graduate, they’re going to keep using.”
Jorge Benitez, a Communication Arts professor at VCU, is one of many former students who have been touched by Gower’s devotion to education.
“She is extremely patient,” Benitez said. “But what makes it interesting is that she is so knowledgeable about art, that she can approach you as an artist without any preconceptions.”
In addition to her passion for teaching students at VCU, Gower has also served as a professional mentor for many years at CAA Career Development Workshops.
“She has a significant record of service at the national level based on her expertise and work in mentoring and the issues that surround professional development,” Roth said.
It takes an incredible effort to maintain a nationally-ranked art school and Professor Bolduan respects the work ethic that Gower brings to the department.
“Reni is rigorous and methodical, and she brings that aspect of her studio practice into her teaching as well,” Bolduan said.
Gower’s professional legacy spans three decades and stems from her dedication to helping her students grow as artists, both personally and professionally.
“I like everything about [teaching],” Gower said. “It’s always something new, you know. It’s challenging to be current for them and to help them develop their own voice.”
Michael S. Melkonian
https://twitter.com/mikle_melkonian
Further Reading:
http://www.collegeart.org/awards/2014awards
http://arts.vcu.edu/paintingprintmaking/portfolio/reni-gower/
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Michael Suren Melkonian 