Urban Couch (1927 - early 2000s)

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Urban Couch was an American painter--Native American (of Cherokee descent) born in 1927 and died in the early 2000s.

 

Couch was a graduate of the Minneapolis School of Art and Design (now MCAD) and held numerous teaching positions, including being an art professor and department chair at West Virginia University.

 

He was an early scholar of Native American Studies and his indigenous heritage informed the method and subject matter of his artistic practice.

 

In the 1960's, Couch often incorporated large patches of vibrant color into his abstract works.

 

Birth place: Minneapolis, MN

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Addresses: Morgantown, WV

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Profession: Painter, designer

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Studied: Minneapolis Sch Art, BFA, 1951; Skowhegan Sch Painting & Sculpture, 1951; Cranbrook Acad Art, MFA, 1959; Kyoto, Japan, 1964-1965.

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Exhibited: Neville Mus Invitational, Green Bay, Wis, 1967; Art in the Embassies, US State Dept, Sophia, Bulgaria & Canberra, Australia, 1968, extended prog, 1969-1971; Minneapolis Inst Arts Faculty Exhib, 1968; Difference of a Decade, Lee Nordness Galleries, New York, NY, 1969; Suzanne Kohn Gallery, Minneapolis, Minn, 1969; plus many other group & solo shows.

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Work: Minneapolis Inst Arts; Walker Art Ctr, Minneapolis; Sioux City Art Ctr, Iowa; Cranbrook Mus, Bloomfield Hills, Mich; Gray Found Collection; plus others.

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Comments: Positions: Graphic designer, USN, Calif, 1945; alumni dir, Minneapolis Col Art & Design, 1957; design consult, Control Data Corp, 1960-1962; consult-examiner prog, Comn on Cols & Univs, Chicago, 1962-1963; consult & examiner, N Cent Asn, 1963-. Teaching: Instr art, Minneapolis Col Art & Design, 1955-1970, chmn found prog, 1959-1962, actg dir, 1962-1963, asst to dir, 1963-1964, actg chmn fine arts div, 1965-1966, chmn painting dept, 1968-1971; instr advan painting, Walker Art Ctr, 1957-1961; instr art, Kingswood Sch, Bloomfield Hills, Mich & Bloomfield Hills Art Ctr, 1958-1959; grad workshop, Univ Minn, 1959-1961; instr advan painting, Minnetonka Art Ctr, Minneapolis, 1959-1961; artist-in-residence, Minnesota Jr Cols, summers, 1967-1969; instr grad painting, Calif Col Arts & Crafts, summer 1970; chmn div art, W Va Univ, 1971-?.