The Ortlip Gallery at Houghton University celebrates The Ted Murphy Legacy: Forty Years of Alumni in Exhibition as part of the institution’s Homecoming 2024 festivities.  On Saturday, October 5th, in the Center for the Arts atrium there will be a closing reception at 7:00 pm with live music, light refreshments, and remarks from Murphy himself.

Featured in the exhibit, which opened August 26th, are works by seventy-seven artists who studied under Art Professor Ted Murphy over the past four decades at Houghton University. Shipping their artwork from France, Seattle, the Netherlands, Texas, Maine, New York, Germany, and many places in between, these alumni have chosen to honor Murphy upon his upcoming retirement at the end of the 2024-25 academic year.  Over fifty of the artists will be on campus this weekend to celebrate a professor who inspired them to pursue a lifetime in the visual arts.

Murphy completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 at Mt. Vernon Nazarene College and his Masters of Fine Arts in 1983 at The Ohio State University. He then was an Art Instructor at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, Maine as well as Adjunct Professor of Drawing at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine before joining Houghton’s faculty in 1986.  Over the past 38 years, Murphy has taught Drawing I & II, Painting I & II, Introduction to Visual Arts, Art History (Renaissance, Baroque, Modern and Contemporary), Watercolor, Film Studies, Senior Seminars, and Honors Seminars.  During his tenure at Houghton, Murphy received the Mable Barnum Davidson Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts Award (2017-2023), the Excellence in Teaching Award (2003), and was asked to be the baccalaureate speaker for the class of 2011.

The beauty and vastness of the Ted Murphy Legacy Exhibition reminds me of a quote attributed to Pablo Picasso: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” The visual expression of gratitude from these particular alumni to Professor Murphy in this exhibit speaks to his uniqueness and giftedness so poignantly; and yet it clears the dust from all of our lives too, reminding us that what each of us does on a daily basis can impact others for decades to come.

Linda Knapp, Ortlip Gallery Director

President Emeritus of Houghton University, Shirley Mullen (class of 1976), spoke about Murphy’s legacy saying, “Professor Murphy is the quintessential bridge builder.  He shared with the founders of Houghton’s art program—Professors Aileen Ortlip Shea and Marjorie Ortlip Stockin—his primary commitment to the medium of painting and yet his own interest in Film Studies portended the department’s continued expansion into new media of creation and artistic exploration.  His own work is shaped by having one foot in the practical and hands-on skills of making and one foot in the theoretical and philosophical world of aesthetics and a liberal arts philosophy of education.  He is a voracious reader and integrative, inter-disciplinary thinker.”

Despite Murphy’s renown for his intellectual rigor and high craftsmanship (particularly his proficiency in multiple media and styles including abstract oils, watercolor landscapes, charcoal portraits, and Dutch Realism-style still-life), he is acclaimed by his students for the mentorship he provided during a critical juncture of their lives.

Houghton alumna, Victoria Bowers (class of 2013), explains that growing up she was hesitant to recognize her own artistic abilities but that Murphy validated her talent resulting in her decision to major in art in college.  Ultimately, she leaned into her penchant for functional-driven art and today is the Director of Product Development for Northern Lights Candles with a sizable staff under her direction.  She explains, “Thanks to his encouragement, I have spent eleven years in the graphic and product design industry, continually striving to meet the high standards of excellence set by Professor Murphy.”

Murphy has exhibited his work at over 25 educational institutions across the country from Biola University (California) to Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) and in more than a dozen different galleries and museums including the Portland Museum of Art and The Columbus Museum of Art.  His works belong in private collections of numerous individuals such as Miroslav Wolf, Yale University professor, and Thomas Buechner (1926-2010), founding director of the Corning Museum of Glass and former Director of the Brooklyn Museum.

President Mullen rounds out her praise by highlighting that Murphy’s “work and his life are shaped by his curiosity and ruthlessly honest questions grounded in and, in some sense fueled by, his commitment to the eternal truths of the Christian faith. The Houghton community and his students will be forever grateful that Professor Murphy has shared their journey.”

In addition to the closing reception, the public is also invited to attend a panel discussion by the artists on October 5th at 4:00 pm in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall.