The Phi Kappa Phi honor society hosted Jason Stout, associate professor of art, for its annual Muriel Tomlinson Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 5.
Stout presented his lecture, “Painting and Picture Making in a Postmodern Age” for a group of UTM students, faculty and guests associated with the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
In his lecture, Stout went into detail about art history, outlining the different time periods of art and their influence on the current, postmodern era. He also discussed the different influences on his art, as well as the processes he goes through to create his works.
“To make contemporary pictures, as an artist, you have to respond to the age in which you live,” Stout said.
His art is influenced by different ideas and themes in global culture today, such as identity, power, class and consumerism. His style is based around the “cartoon fights” that are seen in old 1960s and ‘70s cartoons, as well as space clouds.
Stout talked about the encouragement that many teachers and role models gave him when he was growing up, and how that influenced him to go into art. He explained some of the symbols he uses in his paintings, such as the American flag he features in all of his works.
When asked about the responsibility of an artist to be aware of how they are representing things in their art, Stout said, “I think with imagery, when you’re talking about anything political or where you might be challenging or judging anything that anyone holds sacred, you really need to be responsible with how you throw things out there.”
Stout is an alumnus of UTM, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art. He then went on to San Antonio to get his Master of Fine Arts at the University of Texas. His paintings have been featured in universities throughout the South, including the University of West Georgia, Jacksonville State and UTM.
He has been showcased in more than 40 exhibitions, and he is currently represented in galleries in San Antonio and Memphis. Stout has also been the recipient of the Texas Art Education Association’s Higher Education Art Educator of the Year Award, as well as the Best of Show award for the Art of the South Exhibition.
The Phi Kappa Phi honor society on the campus of UTM hosts the Muriel Tomlinson Memorial Lecture every spring in honor of their founder.
Tomlinson was the chair of the English and Modern Foreign Languages department throughout the 1960s and 1970s and was instrumental in the development of the language labs on campus.
For more information about the organization or about the lecture, contact chapter President Dr. Chris Hill at 731-881-7292.
Photo Credit: University Relations
