The Capital City Art Initiative’s Nevada Neighbors series of public talks includes interviews with artists in their studios or in a gallery setting.
For this talk, CCAI presents remembrances by 14 former students, friends, colleagues, and family members about the late Robert Morrison’s long career as a teacher and as an artist. Viewers are invited to watch the presentation online at https://youtu.be/AfwHJFtqiM4.
CCAIs exhibition, “A Glimpse Back,” by Morrison was in Western Nevada College’s Bristlecone Gallery from Sept. 18 through Dec. 11. The initiative is grateful to Lynn McLellan, Bob’s long-time partner, for loaning his art to CCAI for the exhibition and for providing details and stories about specific pieces. Her coordination was vital to the exhibition.
The artists, friends, colleagues, and family members who provided the remembrances include Trish Andrew, J Damron, Russell Dudley, Jeff Erickson, Edw Martinez, Lynn McLellan, Jens Morrison, Lesna Morrison, Nora Morrison, Jean-Paul Perrotte, Fred Reid, Mick Sheldon, Sharon Rosse, and Tamara Scronce.
Morrison created countless sculptures, paintings, and drawings during his lifetime. Late in his career, his metal sculptures evolved to include sound. A major installation work was Tongues: The Half Life of Morphine (1986) presented by the Nevada Museum of Art as part of Robert Morrison: A Retrospective in 2004.
Morrison created and showed his art for over five decades in many group and one-person exhibitions locally and nationally, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Florida, Texas and New York.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno, a master’s degree from Stanford University, and did post-graduate studies at the University of California, Davis. Sculpture Magazine did a feature article on Morrison in its March 2005 edition.
The National Endowment for the Arts awarded Morrison a Visual Arts Fellowship in 1990, and the Nevada Arts Council awarded him Visual Arts Fellowships in 1990 and 1984.
He was professor in the art department and chair of the sculpture program at the University of Nevada, Reno from 1968-2017 and was awarded Emeritus status on his retirement.
For information, visit www.ccainv.org.