Jack Gron, Texas Sculpture Group

From Kingwood, Texas

Artist Statement:

My work has grown into personal statements, experiences and reflections of the times in which I live. These observations of my world combined with my history, all contribute to the sculptural images that I produce. My primary sculptural material is metal, which harkens back to my upbringing in the Greater Ohio Valley where industry reined supreme in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s. I worked in the mills and factories, stamping plants, blast furnaces, machine shops etc. and those experiences were vital to my aesthetic and work ethic.

Artist Biography:

Jack Gron was born in the steel- producing town of Steubenville Ohio in 1951. He received his BFA degree in sculpture from the Columbus Col- lege of Art and Design in Columbus Ohio in 1973. Jack attended Wash- ington University in St. Louis where he earned his MFA degree in sculp- ture in 1976. From 1976-1980 Jack operated a sculpture studio in Chica- go where he fabricated and installed several large -scale public works , exhibited in Chicago galleries and served as adjunct instructor at com- munity colleges in the area. In 1980 Jack moved to Cincinnati Ohio and taught sculpture and ceramics at the University of Cincinnati, exhibiting his work in city wide galleries. He accepted a position as professor of fine arts at the University of Kentucky in Lexington where he taught sculpture for 20 years and served as Chairman of the Art Department for 7 years. In 2002 he accepted a position as Director of the School of Art at Northern Arizona University for three years and exhibited public works in that region. In 2005 Jack was offered the position of Chairman of the Department of Art at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi where he served that institution until his retirement in 2017.

Jack now lives in Houston where he maintains a career as a full time sculptor.

All through his academic career, Jack has maintained a high profile as a working artist in developing a national and international reputation.