Funderburk’s art presented and awarded in national and international venues in 2018
Colorful creations by Mississippi State University’s William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Art are featured this spring in multiple national and international exhibitions.
Brent Funderburk, a longtime faculty member and former head of the MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design’s Department of Art, received a “Judge’s Recognition Award” in the recent 11th Biennial National Art Exhibit at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, Florida.
(photo) Mississippi State University William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus Brent Funderburk with the watercolor painting “Oaxaca” in a recent museum exhibit.
His watercolor work “Today” was selected by juror Steven J. Levin as one of 136 works out of 547 entries from 35 states and four countries. Biennial prizes totaled nearly $8,000 in a show considered one of the nation’s most prestigious exhibitions. Levin noted in the exhibition awards program that Funderburk’s work presented “an unusual concept enhanced by wonderfully vibrant color.”
Also, Funderburk’s painting “Montem Somnia” appears in the 42nd Annual Transparent Watercolor Society of America’s National Exhibition. Chosen by juror John Salminen, the work is available for viewing May 5-Aug. 5 at the Kenosha Public Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Oaxaca
One of more than 7,100 submitted entries, Funderburk’s watercolor painting “Oaxaca” is a Still Life/Interiors Award recipient for The Artist’s Magazine 34th Annual Art Competition. Selected by juror Jaye Schlesinger, the piece appears with 42 others in the March 2018 issue and will be featured in future issues of the international publication.
'Passiflora'
Another of Funderburk’s watercolor paintings “Passiflora” will be featured in the National Watercolor Society’s 2018 Member’s Exhibition at the NWS Gallery in San Pedro, California. The jury-selected piece can be seen in the exhibition that runs from May 3-June 30 with a reception and awards ceremony on May 5. Juror for the show is Dreamworks Animation artist/designer Mike Hernandez.
Two watercolor works, “Oaxaca” and “Angelus Vitae” have been selected by jury for the 2019 publication “Splash 20” an international hardback book focusing on creative composition in watercolor. 126 artists were selected from over 1,100 entries worldwide.
A North Carolina native, Funderburk is retiring this May after nearly 36 years at MSU, and 40 total years at three institutions. Over the decades, he has been honored by the university with the John Grisham Faculty Excellence, Burlington Northern Teaching Excellence and Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence awards. He also is Mississippi State’s 2016 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award recipient.
Funderburk’s last Mississippi State class offered was an intensive Maymester course “Walter Inglis Anderson and American Art”, which featured a trip to the artist’s home and a Gulf coast barrier island.
Funderburk, a fine arts graduate of East Carolina University, also has served as the art department’s fine-arts thesis coordinator. Courses he has taught include painting survey, watercolor, watermedia, senior thesis and advanced studio.
In 2010, Funderburk was named official artist for the Jackson-based USA International Ballet Competition.