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2005 w/ Philip Pearlstein
2005 w/ Sandy Skoglund
2004 Art Leadership Award
2001
College
1993
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Russell C. Bennett,
artist and art instructor from Gray, TN, finds himself actively involved
in many artistic roles in local schools, communities and across the
state. He wears the professional hats of artist, art educator, and art
advocate with pride. He contributes his talents daily and in many
different ways.
As artist, he has
exhibited in numbers of shows across Tennessee and Virginia in the past
sixteen years. Some of these had included: East Tennessee State
University Student Honors Shows, The 1st Tennessee Bank Shows,
Appalachian Art Shows, The Virginia Highlands Festivals and Funfest Art
Shows. Bennett has four one-person shows to his credit. Most
recently he has exhibited his show, “Art, Religion and the Human
Condition”, at Belmont University in Nashville (2001) and The Renaissance
Center in Kingsport (2003). Due to these exhibits, Bennett has
appeared in articles in the Johnson City Press, The Kingsport Times-News,
and The Bristol Herald-Courier and had appearances on WCYB-TV5.
Bennett has works in private and public collections in Tennessee, Maryland,
Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Minnesota.
As art educator,
Bennett has taught at various levels since 1994. He created two
elementary and two high school art programs during his five years with the
Greene County School System. He co-authored a Tennessee Goals 2000 Grant,
which developed an integrated art and technology program for high school
students. His students’ artworks were regularly exhibited in shows such
as the Knoxville Museum of Art’s student shows and an annual exhibit
hosted by Congressman Bill Jenkins. Bennett began his career with the
Kingsport City Schools in the fall of 2000 at George Washington Elementary
School. During his time at Washington, Bennett taught his students art
concepts while integrating the school’s themes and curriculum for more
meaningful experiences for the students. Bennett was awarded the
Tennessee Art Education Association’s Outstanding Art Educator of the Year
in 2005. The year 2005 finds Bennett at the high school level once again
as the ceramics instructor at Dobyns-Bennett High School. Although his
personal works still show skill in many different processes and media,
Bennett finds new challenges and excitement while being able to
concentrate his teaching on a single media.
As art advocate,
Bennett has served the Tennessee Art Education Association in different
capacities since 1998. In 2002, he was elected TAEA President-Elect by
his peers within the organization, after serving a 5 year tenure as TAEA
Membership Chair during which TAEA saw it’s greatest increase in
membership participation. Bennett is currently in the middle of a seven
year presidential term. He also has given his time and talents to many
local churches, local arts guilds, senior citizens programs and various
other arts endeavors. He has been awarded the 2003 Distinguished Service
Award by the Alabama Art Education Association and was recognized by the
Arts Council of Greater Kingsport with their 2004 Arts Leadership Award.
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