GIBBS, Robert T. "Tom"

Gibbs sculpture, "Man of War," is displayed on the front lawn of Hempstead High School.

GIBBS, Robert T. "Tom" (Dubuque, IA, Sept. 17, 1942--- ). Gibbs earned his bachelor of art (1964) from LORAS COLLEGE, Master of Sculpture (1969), and Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture (1970) from the University of Iowa.

He was an instructor of art at CLARKE COLLEGE from 1968-1969, assistant professor of art at Arizona State University Tempe, fro 1970-1972 and a sculptor since 1973. From 1985 to 1986 he was a member of the visual arts advanced panel. He supervised sculpture installations at Hemmeter Develop Corporation in Kauai, Hawaii, 1988 and was a member of the creative artists' planning project for the Iowa Arts Council in Des Moines in 1988. In 2008, Gibbs was a visiting artist at Augusta State University. (1)

Gibbs earned an honorable mention in the 1982 Vietnam Veteran's National Memorial Design Competition as one of ten finalists chosen from two thousand entries nationwide. (2)

His work, described as "confrontational," is measured, according to an article in 1987, by the limestone bluff near his studio and home. Tom Jewell-Vitale, art department chairman at [LORAS COLLEGE]] in 1987, claimed Gibbs believed that if the sculpture was still powerful against the bluff, the work "had guts." (3) His work has been shown in Washington, D.C. and Chicago exhibits. Three pieces are permanently displayed at STEPHEN HEMPSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL. As a member of the Iowa Arts Council's advisory panel for the visual arts, Gibbs addressed what he felt to be a lack of Midwest culture, a leading cause he felt for the insecurity shown by Midwesterners. (4)

Public Collections

University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, 1995

University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, 1994

Morningside College, Sioux City, TA, 1992

University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA, 1992

Tweed Museum, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, 1989

Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA, 1987

Western Electric Corporation, New York City, 1984

Estherville Library Square, Estherville, IA, 1981

Franklin Library, Des Moines, IA, (978

Hempstead High School, Dubuque, IA, 1977

Central College, Pella, IA, 1975

Special Group Exhibitions

Sculpture Tour, Western Michigan University, 1994

Alabama Biennial, University of Alabama, 1994

Concepts/Contemporary Sculpture Proposals, West Bend Gallery of Fine Arts, WI, 1992

Tour VI, Cleveland State Community College, TN, 1992

Molly Rose Gallery, Coral Gables, FL, 1992

Four Points of View, McNider Museum, Mason City, IA, 1992

Invitational Sculpture Exhibition, McClean County Arts Center, Bloomington, IL, 1991

Sculpture Tour 91, Walters State College, TN, 1991

Riverwalk Invitational, Naperville, IL, 1990

Centennial River Walk Outdoor Invitational, Chicago, IL, 1989

Sculpture Tour, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 1989

Tweed Museum, Duluth, MN, 1988

Sculpture in the Landscape, Paine Art Center & Arboretum, WI, 1986

Exterior/Interior: Large Scale Sculpture, Rockford Art Museum, IL, 1986

Sculpture Tour, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1986

Anton Gallery, Washington, D.C, 1985

Solo Exhibits

Luther College, Decorah, IA, 1991

Zaks Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1989, 1984, 1982, 1980

University of Dubuque, Dubuque, IA., 1988

University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI, 1987

Anton Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1985

Sonnenscheim Gallery, Lake Forest, IL, 1983

University of Eastern Kentucky, Richmond, KY, 1982

Illinois Center Plaza, Chicago, IL, 1979

IA Arts Council Touring Exhibition, Four Cities in IA, 1977

City/County Arts Council, Peducah, KY, 1976

Graceland College, Lamoni, IA, 1976

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Source:

1. "Robert T. Tom Gibbs, Prabook, Online: https://prabook.com/web/robert_t.tom.gibbs/779966

2. Riddell, Amy, "Artist Makes Cold Steel Sing," Telegraph Herald, March 5, 1987, p. 9

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.