Thomas C Jackson | Iowa State Fair

Artist Biography:
THOMAS C. JACKSON

Thomas C. Jackson was born in Rock Island, Illinois in 1950. He studied studio art at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, where he received a B.A. in 1972. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he earned an M.F.A. in 1974. While at Notre Dame, he taught an introduction to studio art course as a teaching assistant.

Starting in his undergraduate years, Jackson exhibited his work in juried and solo shows frequently. Prior to graduation he was offered a position teaching studio art at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (one of the places he had had a solo show). He taught drawing, painting, and a variety of other courses at Mount Mercy from 1974 to 1978. During this period he worked on several series, including Stage Fright.

In 1978 Jackson became Designer/Illustrator with a small ad agency in Iowa. This experience led to a position in 1980 as a Designer at Stamats, Inc., a firm that is recognized nationally as a leader in higher education marketing. During his two decades at Stamats, he also served as Design Department Head, Account Executive, Creative Director, Vice President & General Manager, and Vice President for Client Development.

It is important to note that during all of his years in marketing that Jackson continued to create art, including a long series of Collages, and Whimsical Abstracts. When invited to exhibit his work by former colleagues at Mount Mercy College in 1992, he aptly titled the show The Suit Also Paints.

In mid 2000 Jackson resigned his position at Stamats to concentrate his energy on art and pursue a career as a full-time artist.

SELECTED JURIED EXHIBITIONS, GROUP SHOWS, AND SOLO SHOWS

GALLERLY REPRESENTATION

Thomas C. Jackson is represented by:

PUBLICATIONS

Artwork by Thomas C. Jackson is in the following publications:

  • American Tricksters: Thoughts on the Shadow Side of a Culture’s Psyche(cover illustration) Cascade Books, William J. Jackson, 2014
  • Oyez Review, Volume 38, Spring 2011, the literary magazine of the Creative Writing Program at Roosevelt University, Arielle Nelson Editor in Chief, Janet Wondra Publisher.
  • American Fever, a tale of romance and pestilence, by Peter Christian Hall, 2009
  • Studio Visit, Volume 3, The Open Studios Press, 2008, Boston, MA, Steven T. Zevitas Editor and Publisher, Carl Belz, Director Emeritus, The Rose Museum at Brandeis University, Juror.
  • Bare Life, On the Seam / Socio-Political Contemporary Art Museum, Jerusalem, Israel, 2007, Raphie Etgar Curator, Roy Brand Texts Editor.

RECENT TALKS

Thomas C. Jackson has given numerous talks and participated in panel discussions. Among these are:

  • Ink Wash Drawing and Watercolor, drawing class demonstration, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA, October 24, 2018
  • Dialog Human gallery talk, two person show with Pricilla Steele, Dubuque Museum of Art, January 7, 2017
  • Art Bites — Midwest Summer Artists: Jackson, Marlow, Wiederspan, August 5, 2015
  • Drawn Together: How Collaboration Raises the Bar, University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art, January 28, 2015
  • Dialog Human gallery talk, two person show with Priscilla Steele, Waterloo Center for the arts, May 15, 2014
  • A Curious Mind: 40 Years of Making Art gallery talk, Buchanan Center for the Arts, Monmouth, IL, March 12, 2014
  • Artwork by Thomas C. Jackson, Mount Mercy University Senior Thesis class taught by Jane Gilmor, Cedar Rapids, IA, March 1, 2012
  • Artwork by Thomas C. Jackson, Art institute of Chicago Scientific Illustration class taught by Peggy MacNamara at the Field Museum, Chicago, IL, March 22, 2011
  • Panel discussion at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, Curator’s Choice 2009, Artists Talk On Art, New York, NY, 2009
  • American Narratives in Context: The Interplay of Photography and Painting, The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA, March 29, 2009
  • Making American Pictures, Western Illinois University Art Gallery, October 29, 2008
  • Panel discussion at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, Curator’s Choice 2008, Artists Talk On Art, New York, NY, 2008
  • Looking for More, Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA, September 21, 2008
  • Making American Pictures, The Figge Art Museum, Davenport IA, July 19, 2007

CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS

Artwork by Thomas C. Jackson is in numerous private, corporate, and institutional collections including: