Robert A. Nelson’s exhibit “Little People” opens Thursday October 4th and runs through Friday November 30th.

the dreams of

Robert A. Nelson

RobeRt A. NelsoN is iNspiRed by just About eveRythiNg—

Flash Gordon, American history, Buck Rogers, and the Wizard of Oz. His drawings are just a little bit bizarre, and he likes it like that.

As a highly respected contemporary painter, sculptor, printmaker and collage artist, Robert A. Nelson, 87, has created works of art included in the permanent collections of many major museums, including the Smithsonian Institute, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and Boston’s DeCordova Museum.

His illustration-style drawings, both strangely comical and compellingly uncomfortable, are fantastical but extremely technical portrayals. As a resident artist Robert’s work can also be found throughout the year. Robert is a retired art professor from Millersville University where he spent 16 years teaching, and where he was granted the rank of Professor Emeritus. “I’ve had the pleasure of instructing incredibly fine students who have gone on to wonderful things.” Dr. Nelson and his wife, Louise, now reside on a 65-acre Oregon farm. Surrounded by beautiful northwestern farmland and their beloved horses and dogs, their hearts still beat for Lancaster County. As his wife expressed:“Oh, Lancaster is home for us.”

“Drawing is the First Art—Everything else springs from that.”-Robert A. Nelson

“You hope that the images you put together will be so interesting that the viewer will lean into the drawing and say, ‘Come here and look at this.’”

*Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1925; Dr. Nelson studied at the Art Institute of Chicago where he received his B.A.E. degree in 1950, and his M.A.E. degree in 1951. He taught at his Alma mater as well as the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and the University of North Dakota, before returning to school at New York University where he received his Education Doctorate in 1971. The next year he began teaching at Cleveland State University, where he stayed until 1975, when he joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then joined that of Millersville University and in 1997 Millersville University granted him the rank of professor emeritus.   Nelson’s art is included in the permanent collections of many major museums: the Smithsonian Institution~ Washington, DC, the University of Texas, the Seattle Art Museum, Ohio University, the Walker Art Center~ Minneapolis, DeCordova Museum~ Boston, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Museum of Modern Art owns three of his lithographs and two of his collages.   He was also the recipient of the prestigious Purchase Prize in the 31st National Exhibition of Boston Printmakers and was awarded the Cezanne medal from the government of France, in 1961.
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