Ringling College Names Scott Gordley Head of Illustration

SARASOTA, Fla., May 10, 2016 -- Ringling College of Art and Design has announced Ringling College alumnus Scott Gordley (Graphic Design, '77) has been appointed Department Head for Illustration.

Scheduled to start in fall 2016, Scott brings with him over 30 years of illustration, teaching, and administration experience. Scott graduated with an MFA from Tufts University and his BFA in Graphic Design from Ringling College. He is a former Chair of the Department of Art & Design at Montclair State University and is currently Director of the BFA Illustration/Animation program at MSU.

"We are excited to welcome Scott Gordley back to the Ringling College community," says Ringling College Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeff Bellantoni. "His experience, vision, and background will infuse our Illustration program with the energy needed to continue growing, developing, and educating the next generation of creative leaders."

Scott remarks, "My educational journey—more like an odyssey really—took me through two schools as an undergraduate student and two schools at the graduate level. Through all of the fellow students and professors who taught me along the way, the one school that continually keeps coming back to me is Ringling College. Most of my lasting friendships are those that started during my first year at Ringling College. To this day, those relationships are some of the most meaningful to me, and the core of those friendships continues to revolve around a passion for the creative pursuit."

He began his career in New York illustrating for clients including Time, Esquire, Reader's Digest, Newsday, and the London Times, Viking Penguin and William Morrow Publishing. His work appears in many public and private collections and has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the United States and Europe. In 1999 Scott had a 20-yr. retrospective at the Avenida Museum of International Art in Vienna, Austria. In 2015 Scott was included in both The Society of Illustrators Annual American Illustration exhibition and in the American Illustration anthology: Best Of American Illustration 2015. Scott's exhibition at the Apollo Theatre in New York City in the summer of 2008 was a tribute to the history of jazz. Additionally he has been commissioned to paint numerous portraits over the past 30 years including renowned stage and screen actor James Earl Jones, New Yorker theater critic Edith Oliver, and both Cher and Madonna for Esquire magazine. In his capacity as university professor Scott has presented papers at numerous national and international conferences and his research has been published in numerous international arts and education journals.

Scott adds, "While much has changed at Ringling physically (and how impressive!), the soul of the school has never diminished. I re-discovered that recently while roaming the campus, witnessing faculty, students and administrators actively engaged in their respective pursuits, having fun while maintaining a serious focus on teaching, learning and the facilitation of a collaborative vision. In the end, joining the faculty at Ringling feels like coming home and it feels good."

In addition to his art, Scott is a jazz saxophonist, having appeared on stage and on numerous recordings with national jazz & blues artists for over two decades.

About Ringling College of Art and Design
For nearly 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College's rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. www.ringling.edu

A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=40212

CONTACT: Stephanie Lederer
         Editorial & PR Manager
         Ringling College of Art and Design
         [email protected]
         941.309.4110