Jeffrey G. Boshart

Jeffrey G. Boshart
"I Am"
Wood, 2007
LFAC #2008:05:01

Biography

Jeffrey G. Boshart grew up in Washington, Iowa, and received his BA degree in art from Montana State University in 1978. In 1981, he earned his MFA from the University of Massachusetts. After serving as a teaching associate at the University of Massachusetts, he taught as an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Fox Valley, from 1983-1988. He ultimately became a professor of Sculpture at Eastern Illinois University, teaching there from 1988 to the present.

He has received several awards for his service, teaching, creative activities and service. As a sculptor/artist, he has participated in over 100 exhibitions and received more than 24 awards, a dozen commissions, and been included in numerous publications. As an educator/sculptor, he has delivered over 35 papers at regional and national art conferences, conducted numerous workshops and judged artworks for over 50 exhibitions. He is a charter member of the International Sculpture Center and active in the Mid-America College Art Association and Foundations in Art: Theory and Education (FATE), an international association of college art faculty dedicated to the ongoing development of art fundamentals. In 2007 he was awarded the Master Educator Award by this professional organization.

The sculpture by Boshart in the Fine Arts Collection, I AM, is made of cedar dimensional lumber and large oak slabs that were harvested from the Sunnyside site where the Center for the Arts was constructed. The wood from seven mature oak trees that were cut down to make way for the new building was harvested and dried for future use at the College. The piece was assembled with standard hardware, weather-resistant glues, and hardwood pegs, along with the careful placement of cedar members that support the suspended weight of the oak slabs. It is affixed to a concrete slab with stout iron “L” brackets. Originally situated on a temporary sculpture pad in front of the Center for the Arts, the sculpture was relocated in fall 2008 to its permanent location behind the Center for Faith and Life.

This outdoor sculpture was created during an artist-in-residence experience led by the artist at Luther College, September 17-21, 2007. During that time students collaborated with the artist to create the sculpture. Faculty and staff were also invited to participate in its creation. Jeffrey Boshart said in his Artist’s Statement that he hoped the sculpture helped return “the spirit of the mighty oak trees” to the campus.

Ref: Lawson, Alysia. “A Tale of Wood, Students and an Artist.” Chips, September 27, 2007; Fine Arts Collection files

Updated 01/14/2009