A longtime Montana State University faculty member and artist will be honored this week with one of the highest recognitions for artists in the state.
Josh DeWeese, interim director of MSU’s School of Art and a professor of ceramics, is one of six recipients of the 2022 Governor’s Arts Award. The awards are given every two years in recognition of artistic excellence and achievement and are bestowed by the Montana Arts Council.
The Governor’s Arts Award is given based on artistic excellence, a dedication to the state of Montana and ongoing cultural contributions in the visual, performing or literary arts, among other considerations. Awardees will be recognized at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, in a ceremony at the Capitol in Helena. The ceremony will be streamed live at art.mt.gov/gaa.
DeWeese currently teaches intermediate ceramics during the academic year and has a personal studio in Bozeman. He was born and raised in the Gallatin Valley and is the son of artists Robert and Gennie DeWeese. His father taught at the university for three decades, and Josh DeWeese studied at MSU before completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Kansas City Art Institute, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. DeWeese’s ceramic art seeks to blend the aesthetic with the utilitarian, ranging from jars and vases to mugs, baskets and platters.
“Josh is such a prolific artist who clearly continues the DeWeese tradition of creative excellence in the Intermountain West,” said Royce Smith, Dean of MSU’s College of Arts and Architecture, which houses the School of Art. “His works are represented in galleries throughout Montana, the United States and the world; his talents are always sought by schools and institutions looking to elevate their programs; and, perhaps most importantly, he balances intellectual rigor and sophistication with humility and kindness. I can think of no more worthy recipient of the Governor’s Arts Award than Josh.”
After completing his graduate studies, DeWeese served as a resident artist with the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena and traveled internationally to study and display ceramic art in countries across Europe and Asia. He was hired as the director of the Bray Foundation in 1993 and oversaw development there over more than 15 years, including a multi-million-dollar campaign that established a state-of-the-art ceramic studio. DeWeese continued to serve on the foundation’s board of directors from 2012 to 2020.
“I am honored to receive this award,” said DeWeese. “It’s a privilege to get to work with so many great people in the Montana arts community, and it means a great deal to receive the recognition from those whom I hold in such high regard.”
DeWeese and his wife returned to Bozeman in 2007, when he was hired as a faculty member in the School of Art. Alongside assistant professor Dean Adams, DeWeese co-founded the International Wild Clay Research Project, an ongoing interdisciplinary project that combines art with ecology, history and other fields to study locally available ceramic materials and boost sustainability and efficiency in ceramics. That ongoing project has involved travel to numerous countries including Japan, Thailand, Chile and Brazil, and has led to the sourcing of ceramic materials from locations around Montana.
Since 1980, more than 110 individuals and organizations have been recognized with the Governor’s Arts Award. DeWeese joins a group of storied artists from throughout Montana’s history, including authors James Lee Burke, Ivan Doig and A.B. Guthrie Jr.; painter Monte Dolack; drama troupe Montana Shakespeare in the Parks; and composer and now-retired MSU faculty member Eric Funk. DeWeese’s parents, Robert and Gennie, were recognized for their own artistic contributions in 1995.
For 2022, DeWeese will be honored alongside visual artist Don Greytak, author Dierdre McNamer, musician Rob Quist, photographer Barbara Van Cleve and craftsman Nate Wald. More information about the Governor’s Arts Award and the Dec. 1 ceremony can be found at art.mt.gov/gaa.
Caleb Fey, MSU Gallery Director: caleb.fey@montana.edu
Original source can be found here.
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