A small group of students walks down a hallway in the Windgate Center for the Fine and Performing Arts when a faculty member asks if they need assistance loading a sculpture. That faculty member is none other than Bryan Massey, professor and chair of UCA’s Department of Art and Design.
Helping students move large works of art is not new for Massey. In fact, it is how his career in sculpture began.
Originally from Princeton, North Carolina, Massey began his studies in commercial art at East Carolina University, but his focus shifted with a chance meeting.
“I heard this commotion behind this 10-foot wall. So I peeked through, and there’s two or three students, an older professor and a large stone teetering on a truck. They were trying to keep it from falling. I was a football player at the time, so I asked if they needed some help.”
After nudging the stone back in place, the professor, grateful for Massey’s strength, said, “We need strong guys in sculpture. Come take one of my classes in the fall.” That invitation turned into a major in sculpture and a minor in commercial art.
A month before earning his first graduate degree at LSU, Massey began sending out resumes and noted that UCA was hiring a new 3D sculpture professor. “I interviewed in April,” Massey reflected, “and they made an offer.”
Massey joined UCA as an associate professor in 1988, and became the department chair in 2018. His unwavering commitment to students, campus and to building an atmosphere of respect has manifested significant growth in his department.
“If I can make a difference in a student’s life, that’s the fun part,” Massey said. When advising students about creating art, he added, “Make sure you’ve got a passion for it. Make sure you have a desire to learn your craft and your skill set to put the time and effort into perfecting that. Craftsmanship and presentation are a big part of what we do as artists.”
Massey has great hope for future offerings, such as a fashion design or landscape architecture program. He credits the faculty and atmosphere of mutual respect with the current growth. “Having good faculty makes a big difference. We’re going to respect each other in our department. In my meetings or in front of students, I never address my faculty by their first name. I call them by their title. That’s just a part of establishing the kind of atmosphere I want to create.”
As for his legacy at UCA, “integrity” is the word that resonates: “I want to be known not only as an artistic lesson for students, but that I was a man of integrity.”