Bill FitzGibbons Honored for Contributions to the Art World

    SAN ANTONIO, TX, October 26, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bill FitzGibbons has been included in Marquis Who's Who. 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 40 years of professional experience to his name, Bill FitzGibbons has established himself as a renowned artist. Over the course of his accomplished career, which has spanned several art venues and learning institutions, the Texas-based artist has had more than 30 public art projects, 80 exhibitions, numerous performances across five countries, and was designated by the Texas State Legislature as an Official State Artist. In addition, Mr. FitzGibbons has contributed his skills through numerous community channels—working closely with locals, business owners, neighborhood associations, and getting joy from seeing his art have a positive impact.

Though his success in the field has come from his natural talent, Mr. FitzGibbons wasn't an artist growing up and didn't discover his passion for it until he was an undergrad at the University of Tennessee. In fact, he didn't know what he wanted to major in until he took a studio art course, where he started painting and met other students with whom he created a humanities magazine called The Druid. He started off as the magazine's music editor, through which he had the opportunity to meet and interview such icons as Jimi Hendrix, before becoming a co-editor. Taking more and more art classes in connection with the publication, he eventually decided to focus on the field for his major; meanwhile, a friend of his, who worked at a neon shop, provided him with neon surplus, which he was able to incorporate into his art. He found he was intrigued by the artistic aspects and capabilities of light. Mr. FitzGibbons ultimately earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture and art history, taught in a private high school for a few years, and then continued his education at Washington University in St. Louis, where he obtained a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture and multimedia in 1978.

Equipped with degrees, Mr. FitzGibbons launched his career as the first curator for the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, where he met many fellow artists, introduced him to internationally-known sculptors, and honed his own skills. This led to his involvement with the city of St. Louis with a program called Operation Bright Side that hired people to help improve the looks of the area—in which he led a crew of high school students in improving properties, some with his environmental art. He also became involved with an art counsel, setting up programs with exchanges between the United Kingdom and St. Louis, which is how he began his venture into international public art commissions. He served as the director of sculpture at the Visual Art Center in Anchorage, Alaska from 1985 to 1988 and held subsequent roles as the department head of sculpture and associate professor at the San Antonio Art Institute in 1988. In 1991, he was selected to teach as a Fulbright Scholar at the Hungarian Art Academy in Budapest. He then became part of the adjunct faculty at Trinity University and found success as executive director of the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum from 2002 to 2013. Over the years, Mr. FitzGibbons has also maintained his role as a mentor and instructor to art students—often telling them that, despite the difficulty of living as an artist, it's important that one follows their passion.

All the while, he has remained prolific and productive as an independent artist with an environmentally conscious approach to public works through his use of computerized LED lighting systems, doing his work out of a 16,000-square-foot warehouse building in San Antonio. Among the litany of projects he has brought to life over the years, some include the "Kinetic Skyline," a permanent, site-specific LED light sculpture for the high rise 300 Convent Building in downtown San Antonio; the "Centro Chrome Tower," an 85-feet interactive light sculpture tower that is part of downtown San Antonio's Westside Transit Center; the "Culebra Plaza," an environmental area with LED light sculpture; and "LightRails," a structure in Birmingham, Alabama, and "Knoxville ColorLine," a site-specific ephemeral light installation at the Knoxville Museum of Art. In addition, he has created art for cities in other countries, including Iceland, and had exhibitions in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and England. More recently, he has had print work of his exhibited at the St. Angelo Museum of Art and a large photo print exhibited at the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas. Upon reflection of his vast resume of projects, Mr. FitzGibbons considers his most notable accomplishment to be his public art commission of a light sculpture at an unsafe underpass in Birmingham, Alabama, that people were initially afraid of due to the presence of drug dealers; after he completed the project, it became a tourist attraction that people visited in droves. "It became the number one spot for selfies in Birmingham," he added. "It's a place where people get their wedding pictures taken. To bring that joy to pedestrians and the people who live in the community is, to me, what successful public art is all about."

Outside of this remarkable contribution, Mr. FitzGibbons has, time and time again, strengthened local communities through his skills as an artist, serving on the Board of Trustees for the International Sculpture Center, as president of the board of directors for the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, and co-founder of the Texas Sculpture Group—as a chapter of the International Sculpture Center. He has been involved in several local causes, especially those involved in beautifying the area. In recognition of his contributions, he has received several accolades, including an Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Tennessee and a CODAward for Light Sculpture in Birmingham, among others. Looking toward the future, he hopes to continue creating public art and enhance his mentoring program. He said of his life and career, "I have tried to do my part to leave this planet a little bit better because of my participation."

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