Art teachers share their students’ work with the school community and encourage them.
Unfortunately, some teachers never get the chance to have their own solo exhibition in a professional museum.
However, Ed Thornburg, who inspired many local students to pursue their artistic dreams, now has the opportunity to fill a gallery at the Richmond Art Museum with his original works.
RAM staff say Thornburg is not only a beloved art teacher at Northeastern Wayne School Corp., Indiana University East and Earlham College, but also a multi-talented artist working in many different mediums.
“This, That and the Other: Works of Ed Thornburg” is open from August 8 to September 28.
An opening reception and artist talk are planned for Thursday, August 8, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the museum, 350 Hub Etchison Parkway, Richmond.
Thornburg, a native of Muncie, attended Burris School and Ball State University in his hometown.
At Ball State, he met his future wife, Judy. After graduating in 1967, both were hired by the Northeastern Wayne School Corp. as elementary school teachers.
Eventually the two became art teachers, Ed at Northeastern University’s elementary school and Judy at the middle and high school levels, until they retired in the early 2000s.
Ed pursued his passion for wood carving, blacksmithing, sign painting, cartooning, screen printing and other activities to supplement the family income.
After her retirement, Judy focused on pastel painting and engaged in silversmithing and other artistic pursuits. She died in 2018.
From 1981 to 2004, Ed was an adjunct professor at IU East and Earlham.
In 2004, he began working full-time at IUE, becoming the director of the art gallery. When he retired for the second time, Ed was the campus’s artistic director.
At the same time, he continued to create art.
The solo exhibition will feature Ed’s original paintings, sculptures and carvings, including many works from across his creative career. Most reflect sentimentality, nostalgia and/or humor.
Like many other artists, Thornburg often tries to treat a common theme in a different, artistic way that surprises the viewer.
His most influential favorite artists include Robert Rauschenberg, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Marc Chagall, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, Joseph Cornell and Thomas Nast.
When you go
- What: Exhibition “This, That and the Other: Works by Ed Thornburg”
- Opening reception/artist talk: 17:30-19:30 Thursday, August 8
- Exhibition dates: 8 August – 28 September
- Where: Richmond Art Museum, 350 Hub Etchison Parkway, Richmond.
- Cost: Free
- The information: 765-966-0256 or richmondartmuseum.org
A version of this article appeared in the August 7, 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
