University of New England

Nexus

Neighbor from the north brings new perspective to the arts at UNE

Heeding the call of the “Way Life Should Be” – teacher, administrator, artist, and native Canadian Greg Murphy moved south. Initially landing at Maine College of Art (MECA) as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college; UNE was pleased to welcome Murphy as chair of our Creative and Fine Arts Department starting this September.

Murphy said he has always wanted to work in New England as his work is inspired by the Hudson River School of painting, and he felt this area’s lifestyle was what his family was looking for. Barrie, where he’s from, is a 125,000 person “bedroom community” of Toronto; so in comparison Portland is a great small town with a strong arts community and great access to the beach and skiing.

Before his position at MECA, Murphy spent the majority of his career in Canada, his native country. He has taught at universities all over Canada, from the Ontario College of Art and Design to the University of Saskatchewan to most recently at Georgian College in Barrie (near Toronto) as well as in the U.S., Japan and China. During his career he has also held the positions of dean, academic director, chair and department head at various schools. He earned his bachelor of fine arts at the University of Calgary and his master of fine arts at the University of Windsor.

Paul Burlin, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said, “Bringing in someone like Greg Murphy with his many years of experience as an artist, teacher and administrator will greatly enhance and strengthen UNE’s liberal arts program.”

Murphy thinks the study of art goes beyond preparing for a career in the arts or being just a creative outlet. “The world has become a visually-oriented place, so learning how we can use visual images even in other fields – for example, mapping an ocean floor or creating a biomedical research presentation – is a vital part of a student’s curriculum,” he said.

Murphy has exhibited his work in group and solo exhibitions at galleries and art centers throughout Canada and internationally, including the U.S., England and even China and Korea. His work comprises mostly oil paintings as well as sketches and his focus ranges from figurative work to a more recent concentration in landscape painting.

In most of his works, Murphy defines the landscape with the light that illuminates it. This method is reminiscent of the Luminists, a group of nineteenth-century artists who tried to uncover the divine in nature hence the title of one of his exhibitions, “Revisiting Luminism.”

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