MC’s Gombert selected for statewide community service award
June 10, 2022
Maryville College Professor of Art Dr. Carl Gombert is among 10 recipients of the 2022 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award sponsored by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).
The statewide Outstanding Community Service Award was named for the late Rep. Harold Love, Sr., who was instrumental in establishing the first awards in 1991. The individuals selected to receive recognition represent the many dimensions of community service/volunteer work, public service, charitable service and leadership roles in community organizations. The award recipients serve as ambassadors for community service among the diverse higher education communities in Tennessee. Each winner receives a $1,000 cash prize, and winners are featured on the THEC website for their service and dedication to the community.
Gombert, an artist whose work has been exhibited in more than 300 shows and is included in numerous museums and public collections, was nominated for the award by administrators at the College. In his nomination letter for Gombert, Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker described Gombert as a “visible, impactful presence in Blount County and the surrounding region.”
“His artwork, often created in conjunction with participants in non-profit organizations and provided at no cost, adds incredible beauty to our surroundings,” Coker wrote. “In addition, Carl’s tireless volunteer service in a range of organizations helps make life better for all the residents of our county and state.”
Gombert – often with help from Maryville College students – has created several murals for organizations in the community, including Union Grove Middle School, Blount County Animal Shelter, Peninsula Hospital, Blount Memorial Hospital, New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center and Coulter Grove Intermediate School. These murals “reflect the commitments of the organizations and add color and beauty to their lives,” Coker said.
“Art does not only stimulate and encourage, it also teaches and challenges assumptions,” Coker wrote, referencing “The Real Me,” an educational exhibition Gombert created featuring 24 self-portraits that each portrayed Gombert as different races, ethnicities and occupations. Accompanying educational materials helped prompt conversation about race, identity and self.
“This broadly circulated exhibition helped people imagine themselves in other lives, and to see the commonality across difference,” Coker said.
In addition to his work through visual art, Gombert is a “dedicated community servant” who has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations and often performs with his band, Pistol Creek Catch of the Day, at fundraising events for local organizations. He also regularly donates works of art for fundraising auctions.
“This is all on top of his service as a faculty member at Maryville College, where he exemplifies the liberal arts both in his support of his colleagues and by taking a class in a different discipline every single semester,” Coker wrote.
The nine other recipients of the 2022 award are: Sarah Bellette of Vanderbilt University; Sydney Y.K. Brown of Lipscomb University; Denee Stewart Freeman of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Jashna Timsina of Middle Tennessee State University; Cynthia Torres of Middle Tennessee State University; Courtney Crittenden of the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga; Richard Donnell of Lane College; Sekou Franklin of Middle Tennessee State University; and Anthony Rafalowski of Jackson State Community College.
About the Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award
The Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award was created through legislation enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1991. In 1997, the awards were named for Love, who was instrumental in passing the legislation. Elected to the General Assembly in 1968, Love was known for his compassion and good humor. A prominent Nashville insurance salesman, Love also served on the board of directors for the South Street Center and the Eighteenth Avenue Community Center. He graduated from Tennessee State University and was awarded its Distinguished Alumnus Award. With the welfare of his community as his primary concern, Love would go to any lengths to help a constituent in need, even if it meant giving from his own pocket. That is why, whenever he was present during a session of the House of Representatives, it was said, “Love is in the House.”