William Crist has been recognized as a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
WARREN, OR, January 30, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present William Gary Crist with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Crist celebrates many years of experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than 35 years of professional experience, Mr. Crist has been recognized as a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He retired in 2000, having been a Professor of Art there from 1988 to 2000, Associate Professor of Art from 1978 to 1988 and Assistant Professor of Art from 1974 to 1978. He was an Instructor of Art at Cameron University from 1972 to 1974 and an Assistant Professor of Art with Wesleyan College from 1971 to 1972. In 1995 he served as a Visiting Professor of Computer and Video Art at the Hochschule Augsburg University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg, Germany. From 2002 to 2004 he was part-time Art Instructor at Portland Community College. Earlier in his career, Mr. Crist was an Art Instructor with Bellevue Community College from 1967 to 1969 and the Art Teacher at Mount Si High School from 1966 to 1969.
Mr. Crist began his career at 18 as an art student at the Olympic Community College from 1955-1957. In 1957 he was employed as a Commercial Illustrator at the Boeing Company. He joined the U. S. Army in 1959, was assigned as a squad leader and in addition was directed to paint battle scenes inside the mess hall and design and complete a Chaplain's Room all during basic training at Fort Ord. Later he made Sp-4 rank as an Aviation Crew Chief. During 1960 to 1961 he was transferred to South Korea. Six months before his discharge Sp-4 Crist was ordered to establish the Art and Publicity Department for Fort Lewis Post Special Services and was assigned as the NCOIC to manage it. Mr. Crist was awarded the Army Good Conduct, National Defense Service, Korean Defense Service, Expert Marksman and Army Aircrew Medals and the Army Service Ribbon. He was honorably discharged in 1962. Due to a profound service related hearing loss he was granted VA disability. In 1963 he entered the University of Washington, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and a provisional teaching certificate in 1966. From 1966 to 1968 he completed his required 5th year and received his Standard Washington State Teaching Certificate. In 1969 he completed Post Graduate Research in sculpture. In 1969 he was accepted into the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and received a Master of Fine Art degree in sculpture in 1971. He was hired as an Assistant Professor to teach sculpture at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia in 1971. While there he became interested in the creative potential of computer technology. To explore this he used the Univac computer at the Georgia Institute of Technology by applying game theory to basic software to create a virtual interactive sculpture. He was then hired to teach sculpture at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma from 1972 to 1974 where among other projects he constructed a foundry for casting aluminum, bronze and cast iron sculpture. He donated one of his largest welded sculptures, 12 feet high Bug Tussle to be placed on the Cameron campus. The University of Missouri-Kansas City hired him to teach sculpture in 1974. In 1977 Professor Crist was elected to the Graduate Faculty and Principle Graduate Advisor. Later, in 1983, he re-established his interest in the computer, using the technology to help design his sculpture. He proposed an undergraduate and graduate teaching program in electronic media using the computer to create visual art. The Art Department approved the concept and installed a computer lab. The Electronic Media program became very successful. 15 visiting foreign art students enrolled just for that program. Several national colleges and universities asked Crist to help them start their electronic media programs. In addition, he developed a program in laser holography creating 3-dimensional holograms as an art form, primarily for graduate sculpture students. Professor Crist was the Chairman of the Department of Art and Art History at the UMKC from 1987 through 1991. From 1990 to 2000, he was also the Director of 2 and 3D Computer Graphics, UMKC Video Instructional Network, Distance Learning Group. He was granted sabbatical leave to do Post Graduate and research work at the Kunstakademie in Dussledorf, Germany in 1981 and 1983. He also did research work at that time in Poland, Soviet Russia, East and West Berlin and Scandinavia.
A respected leader in his areas of interest, Mr. Crist has also been an active voice in his community as well as national and international organizations. He is the Chair of the Elders in his church. In 2007 Mr. Crist was elected to the Board of Directors for the local school district until 2011. In 2008 to 2011 he served as a volunteer art advisor and teacher in the local schools. In 2003 he was appointed Chairman of the St. Helens Arts and Cultural Commission. He continues to offer tutoring in drawing and painting. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Elks, the American Legion, the Northwest Association of Corvette Clubs and the Oregon Small Woodlands Association. Mr. Crist is a Founding Sponsor of the National Museum of the U. S. Army. He and his wife, Mary, have been the owners and managers of their 30-acre timber and Christmas tree farm, "Warren Piece", in Warren, Oregon since his retirement from the University. He continues to make and exhibit his art. His current environmental sculpture, Fir Piece, comprised of 3,500 Douglas Fir trees he planted by hand on the farm, continues to develop.
Throughout his career, Mr. Crist has been nationally and internationally recognized for his achievements in sculpture, painting, electronic media and performance art. His media includes, in sculpture: metal forming, welding and casting, wood, plastics, inflatables, glass and stone; in painting: oil, watercolor, vinyl and acrylic; in drawing: pencil, crayon ink and pastel. Stylistically he leans toward impressionism and abstract expressionism. He was an interdisciplinary arts fellow with the National Endowment for the Arts, received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, a grant from Southwestern Bell Company and was a four-time University of Missouri grantee. He has been featured in numerous honors publications, including multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in American Art and the Dictionary of International Biography, Vol. 16; International Biographical Centre, Cambridge UK. Mr. Crist has an extensive record of over 15 one-man exhibitions, been included in innumerable national and international group exhibitions, and public and private commissions. He has been represented by 3 commercial galleries, including one in New York City.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, William Gary Crist has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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