An Interview with Reed Sullivan

Reed Easley Sullivan Teacher, Artist, and Goldsmith extraordinaire

SMB: When did you first know you wanted to be a teacher and what do you love most about teaching? RES: I first knew I wanted to teach when I was an undergrad in art school and started working the night shift in the metal’s shop as a lab technician. I loved helping my peers engineer and fabricate their projects.

SMB: Why Art? RES: It runs in my family. My maternal grandparents met during WWII when they were in the Navy—they both worked in the art dept. My parents met while attending the Kansas City Art Institute, my dad was a sculpture major and my mom a painting major. My sister is head of the Fibers department at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

SMB: What is it about Art that gets you really excited? RES: Envisioning something and then having the ability to turn it into a tangible object, especially if it is something that is hard to wrap my brain around. I love staying up at night figuring out how to fabricate objects

SMB: Who are some of your favorite artists in history and why? RES: I love artists who are masters of technique (I’m a goldsmith so I am most impressed by technical ability). But they also need to have a “voice” or make the viewer question what they did or do. In light of that, I love the super realists of the 1970’s like Duane Hansen, the old master Dutch still life painters, Trompe l’oeil painters, The Futurists (although I don’t agree with most of what they wrote in their main manifesto) , The Pre-Raphaelites, and contemporary artists like Urs Fischer, Liza Lou, and Matthew Barney. SMB: Who inspired you most in your life and why? RES: My father. He is a master painter and sculptor. He does art restoration and conservation for a living. He knows so much about materials, techniques, and seems to be able “channel” the artist who originally made the artifact he is working on.

SMB: What do you believe is most challenging issue we face as a species? RES: Drastic climate change that will lead to drought, hunger, etc. (I’ve been watching a lot of Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl).

SMB: What is your hope for your past and present students? RES: Past students: that they will love what they do for a living, be challenged and grow intellectually within their chosen fields, and measure success in terms of happiness and how they touch the lives of others. Present students: that they also find a passion and are able to pursuit to the fullest extent possible. (Priory is a good place for that).