Judy Humphrey was born in Florence, South Carolina and received her BFA in Art Education and her MFA in Printmaking from the University of Georgia in Athens. She joined the Department of Art at Appalachian State University in 1973 where she taught full time until her phased retirement beginning in July 2005. In addition to teaching, Humphrey has exhibited extensively and assumed numerous roles within the department including three terms as Chairperson. From 1975-1981 she served as the Founding Director of the Appalachian National Drawing Competition which provided a foundation for building a permanent collection at the university.
Humphrey states, “My art, like my life, has been dominated by the eclectic, decorative, and obsessive manipulation of interior and exterior environments – real, imagined, fantastic, macabre, complex, layered, fractured, organized, enigmatic, and filled with celebration, menace, the delightful, and the bizarre. My ancestors were architects, farmers, and gardeners all of whom influenced my early development of a profound interest in my visual environment.”
Artist and educator Dr. Marianne Stevens Suggs says, “The use of fiber as an art medium in contemporary times is a rich and complex phenomenon which draws upon centuries of historical and cultural antecedents. I like to think of my work as utilizing the strength of tradition without constraint and with imagination. An emphasis on reusing, recycling, and reinventing materials is also evident in my work.”
Suggs holds a PhD from the University of Maryland, and received her MFA from Florida State University where, at both, her areas of study included Art Education, Aesthetics & Art Criticism, and Fibers. She received her BS in Art and Art Education from Appalachian State University. Suggs joined the Appalachian State University Department of Art in 1973 and entered phased retirement in 2005. Her professional activities include extensive presentations and conference papers, published articles, exhibitions, and funded research. In addition to these activities, she has been very active within the Department of Art including two terms as Chairperson.
Both Humphrey and Suggs have been honored with the position of Faculty Emeritus, and continue to make important contributions to the work of the Department of Art.
Marianne Suggs, Walls We Scale, 2004. Mixed media. Image courtesy of the artist.
