 Faculty ProfileName:Dr. Carl Gombert Title: Professor of Art Areas of teaching: Painting, drawing, art history, fine arts, Freshman Seminar, Senior Seminar Education: B.F.A., University of Akron; M.F.A., Kent State University; Ph.D., Texas Tech University At Maryville since: 1993 Despite the “Dr.” title that precedes his name, Carl Gombert mostly thinks of himself as a “more experienced student.” It is not an outrageous claim to Gombert’s peers or the students who enthusiastically enroll in classes taught by the small-stature, bearded man shod in Chuck Taylor Converses. After all, Gombert has been known to enroll in other undergraduate classes, play bass in an eclectic rockabilly band, discuss books written by evolutionary biologists and travel to Siberia to display quilts crafted by Appalachian women. “I want to know what the issues are. Everything is art-related – all beans for the coffee maker,” he says, referring to his approach to art, which he likens to a coffee maker. Coffee beans represent different areas of study and experience; “grind them down, add water and see what drips out later.” And Gombert models this for his students. “I tell them to be in pursuit of what’s interesting – to read anything and everything, to watch movies, to talk to people, to think about what they see.” Through his own artwork, Gombert gives his students and audiences plenty to see, think about and discuss. Convinced that portraiture is “the best means for studying and revealing the divine spark that is in us all,” Gombert has captured several human faces on canvas – but not in your typical portrait style. Take, for example, his exhibit “The Real Me.” It includes 25 portraits of himself, each exhibiting features that celebrate a different race, ethnicity or class. In one painting, he is Caucasian. In another, African. In yet another, Asian. Gombert wants these portraits – and the questions they raise – to resonate with citizens’ struggles to trust and accept people who look different than them. (A companion female series of 12 images entitled “The Real She” is currently in progress.) Consider, too, his work “Baseball Fan” – a portrait of a man’s face made up of tiny images of a baseball glove repeated over and over with a rubber stamp. It demonstrates Gombert’s interest in the nature of illusion. Studio conversations between Gombert and his students cover such topics. “I feel an obligation to pass on some of the incredible gifts that have been handed to me.” It’s that attitude that finds Gombert including students on high-profile projects, such murals for public spaces. Experiential Learning Opportunities:Students within the Fine Arts curriculum at Maryville College get a wide variety of opportunities to work with local, regional, national and international non-profit organizations, theatre companies, and musical groups utilizing and showcasing their talents and learned skill. Within the art program and in courses such as ART 223 and 323, graphic design students receive ongoing opportunities to create logos, websites and publications for such organizations as the Little River Watershed Association, Tennessee Valley Fair, Good Neighbors of Blount County, Project LEAD, Appalachian Arts Craft Center, Adult Education Foundation of Blount County and the East Tennessee Woodworkers Guild, among others. Additionally, Art students have benefited from internships and practica with a host of creative studios including, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Graphic-Fx, Beall + Thomas Photography, and LAGtv Network. Experiential learning was taken to a new level with the Concert Choir’s Spring Tour to Scotland. In May 2008, the Maryville College Concert Choir traveled to Scotland for “A Scots-American Musical Journey.” Fifty-six participants enjoyed the beautiful highland scenery, tasted traditional foods such as haggis and oatcakes and learned about the culture, music and history of the country that was the home to the founders of our college. After arriving in Edinburgh and visiting the world’s most famous ship the “Brittannia”, the choir traveled to Stirling where the students met their host families. Saturday included a tour and performance in the Chapel Royal of Stirling Castle and a visit to the Smith Museum and Art Gallery. On Sunday morning, the choir had the honor of singing for the services at the Church of the Holy Rude, where James VI was crowned King and Mary, Queen of Scots, worshipped. The afternoon included a lovely drive to Ballachulish and hotel accommodations on Loch Leven. Monday included a ferry ride to the Isle of Mull and a performance at the historic Iona Abbey, the ambience of which was unparalleled by the ancient buildings and ruins. Tuesday included a visit to Urquhart Castle and a boat tour to scout for Nessie, the legendary inhabitant of the lake. In Inverness, the choir gave a formal concert to benefit the restoration of the Willis organ at the historic Old High Church. The next day included a ride with the Strathspey Steam Railway and an impromptu concert. After a stop at Blair Castle, we journeyed back to Edinburgh to find our accommodations in Pollack Hall of the University of Edinburgh. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to experience college life, Scottish style. Thursday included a hauntingly eire ghost tour of Edinburgh where we learned the “real” history of the city. This was followed by a performance in the awe-inspiring and historic St. Giles Cathedral. In the audience that afternoon were some lovely people from the East Tennessee area, who took photos and posted messages on our website. The last day of the tour included a visit to the “home of golf” and St. Andrew’s Castle. The final, poignant performance of the tour took place at the Faith Mission in Edinburgh. A group dinner at the Hard Rock Café ended the tour on a fun and positive note, although everyone wished they could have had a bit more time to experience the wonderful Scottish culture, architecture, music, countryside and history. The tour was the ultimate learning opportunity and an experience that enhanced the lives of all of its participants. For more complete information on the tour, to see photographs and read student accounts of the experience, please visit the tour blog: http://scotsamericanmusicaljourney. wordpress.com/ |
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Fine Arts Extended Staff
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Possible Minors :Quick fact:The music department provides over 85 lessons a semester teaching more than fifteen different instruments including saxophone, percussion, guitar, voice, flute and trumpet, just to name a few. Each semester over 50 students are involved in the individual lessons, bothmusic majors, minors and students in other majorswithin the College. Ms. Jennifer Olander, Instructor of Piano and Collaborative Pianist at Maryville College since 2007, has begun working on her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano Performance at The University of Memphis. While continuing to teach at MC, Ms. Olander travels frequently to Memphis for classes and lessons, under the instruction of Dr. Victor Asunción. Ms. Olander hopes to complete her DMA by 2014.
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