JOHN HENRY

John Raymond Henry :: 1943-2022

John Henry was known worldwide for his large-scale public works of art. His sculptures grace numerous important museum, corporate, public and private collections as well as the collections of many American cities and states. His works are also prominently exhibited in the public collections of various European and Asian municipalities.

Mr. Henry showed his work extensively since the early 1960’s and exhibited a definitive trademark style that is recognized internationally. His sculptures range in scale from small tabletop pieces to some of the largest contemporary metal sculptures in the world. His recent exhibitions of works include “New Monuments” at the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri, “Back on the Plaza” on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, “Real-Irreal-Surreal”, at Art-St-Urban in St. Urban, Switzerland, “OPEN” in Venice, Italy, and “ODYSSEY” at Purdue North Central University in Westville, Indiana. He was also a featured artist in the Vancouver Biennale in British Columbia.

Mr. Henry attended the University of Kentucky, University of Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received a Ford Foundation grant, the Edward L Ryerson Fellowship and earned a BFA. He received an Honorary Doctor of Arts from the University of Kentucky in 1996. As a visiting professor of sculpture, Mr. Henry taught at University of lowa, University of Wisconsin, University of Chicago and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He then became Distinguished Professor of Art at Chattanooga State College. In 2002 he received the Governor’s National Award in the Arts from the State of Kentucky and in 2004, the Mayor’s Award of Distinction in the Arts from the City of Chattanooga. Other recent honor’s include recognition on the floor of the Tennessee State Senate in 2004 and the 2005 honorary renaming of North Cermak Road “John Henry Way” by the City of Chicago in recognition of his contributions to Public Art on the local and national levels.

As an active participant in promoting the arts Mr. Henry has served as a member of the Advisory Board of Lawyers for the Creative Arts in Chicago, a coordinator and advisor to the City and the Art Institute of Chicago for the "Sculpture in the Parks Exhibition" and as an advisor to the Art Council of Greater New Orleans for the "Super Sculpture New Orleans" Exhibition. Since 1991 he was on the Board of Trustees of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, serving as Board member at large, Chairman of the Programs Committee and member of the Executive committee. Since 1996 he served the Board of the International Sculpture Center in various leadership roles, serving as Chairman for two years through the spring of 2002. Mr. Henry has lectured extensively on the role of art in public places and is known as a strong advocate of all of the arts, not only sculpture.

Mr. Henry was a founding member of ConStruct, the artist-owned gallery that promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include Mark diSuvero, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp and Charles Ginnever. Mr. Henry continued to curate exhibitions in the United States and in Europe late in his life, drawing on his nationally recognized expertise regarding sculptors and their work. He was Curator of the Outdoor Museum of Art at Chattanooga State College, Chattanooga, Tennessee. With his wiofe Pamela, Henry co-founded the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park in Chatanooga, TN, turning a city-owned brownfield area into a repository for works of sculpture by internationally known artists on thirty-three acres that is open to the public.

Henry died on November 1st, 2022 at his home in Brooksville, FL. leaving behing a legacy of important monumental sculptures and as well as long years of dedicated community service.

Selected Awards and Commissions
2023 In recognition of his service and of his many other contributions to the arts and to the profession of sculpture, the International Sculpture Center selected John Henry for its Lifetime Achievement Award, to be conferred in May 2023

2005 Honor by the Tennessee State Senate with recognition on the floor of the Senate, Nashville, TN
2005 Distinguished Alumni Award University of Kentucky, College of Fine Arts, Lexington, KY
2004 Mayor’s Award of Distinction in the Arts, Chattanooga, TN
2005 “John Henry Way” – Honorary renaming of North Cermak Road, Chicago, IL
2002 Governor’s National Award in the Arts, Commonwealth of Kentucky
2000 "Symphony in Red" Commissioned by Toto Lotto Foundation, Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
1999 Park Place Office Park, Naperville, IL
1997 United Capital Corp., Great Neck, NY
1995 Coopers & Lybrand, Miami, FL
1994 "Gateway," Grove Isle Club and Resort, Coconut Grove, FL
1994 "New Directions," American Bankers Life Insurance Group, Miami, FL
1991 "Dance of the Sun," Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art, Kyongju City, Korea
1990 Florida Individual Artists Fellowship
1989 "Journey to the Mountain Shire," FL Art In State Buildings Board of Regents FL Arts Council, FL State and Florida A & M University, Engineering School, Tallahassee, FL
1988 "Alachua," Florida Art In State Buildings, FL Arts Councils University of FL, Gainesville, FL
1987 Temple Beth Am, South Miami, FL
1985 Alaska State Council on the Arts Commission for Anchorage Intn’l Airport Anchorage, AK
1985 State of Illinois Capital Development Board Commission Central Atrium- State of Illinois Center Chicago, IL
1982 National Endowment for the Arts Works of Art in Public Places, matching grant with Iowa Beef Processors commission for Sioux City, IA
1975 National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist Grant
"Paciencia," Dade County Art in Public Places South Miami Metro rail Station, South Miami, FL
Ford Foundation Educational Grant School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The Edward L Ryerson Fellowship at the Art Institute of Chicago
National Endowment for the Arts Works of Art in Public Places Commission, Governors State University, University Park, IL
National Endowment for the Arts Funded, Mint Museum of Art, Purchase of "Sun Target", Charlotte, NC

Selected Positions
2007 Curator, “American Sculptors in the Shadow of the Alps”, St. Urban, Switzerland
2006 Committee Chair of Directors, International Sculpture Center
2006 Curator, “Art on the Trail”, Macon, GA
2004,2005 Curator, German Symposium, OMA, Chattanooga State College, Chattanooga, TN
2003 Founding Curator, Outdoor Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN
2002-2003 Co-Chair Board of Trustees, Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
2001 Distinguished Professor of Art, Chattanooga State College, Chattanooga, TN
2000-2006 Board of Trustees Executive Committee, Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
2000-2001 Chairman of the Board, International Sculpture Center
2000-2001 Committee of Directors, International Sculpture Center
1998-2000 Vice Chair, International Sculpture Center
1998-2000 Board of Trustees, International Sculpture Center
1996-1999 Chairman, International Sculpture Center
1996-1999 Board Development Committee, International Sculpture Center
1993,1995,1997-1999,2006 Chairman Programs Committee, Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
1991-1996 Board of Trustees, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts
1978-1980 President/Chairman of the Board, ConStruct Corporation
1976 Adviser to the Art Council of Greater New Orleans for the exhibition, "Super Sculpture New Orleans," New Orleans, LA
1974 Coordinator and Adviser to the Art Institute of Chicago and the City of Chicago for the "Sculpture in the Parks Exhibition", Chicago, IL
1970 Member of the Advisory Board of Lawyers for the Creative Arts, Chicago, IL

Teaching Experience
1979-80 School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1971 University of Chicago
1970 University of Wisconsin, Green Bay
1969 University of Iowa, Iowa City

Education
1996 Honorary Doctor of Arts, University of Kentucky
1961-1965 University of Kentucky
1962 University of Washington 1962
1966-1969 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, B.F.A.
1967 Illinois Institute of Technology