Thomas Brent Funderburk

William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Department of Art, College of Architecture, Art, and Design
101 Freeman Hall, P.O. Box 5182
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762

Overview

As a noted artist, teacher, administrator, and speaker over six decades, Brent Funderburk has engaged a life in art. He received a 2024 Governor's Arts Award for "Excellence in Visual Art and Education" from the Mississippi Arts Commission. In 36 years as faculty member of the Department of Art at Mississippi State University, Funderburk has achieved a record of nationally recognized professional research, community service, collaboration, leadership, and creative work.

Named a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Mississippi State University in 2015, and Professor Emeritus in 2018, Funderburk is a nationally recognized artist and art scholar. In 2016 he was awarded the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Faculty Achievement Award, and in 2015, the Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award, MSU's highest research honor. Additional honors include the John Grisham Faculty Excellence Award (1994), the Burlington Northern Faculty Excellence Award (1986), and the Myrna Colley-Lee Teaching Award (2011).

Funderburk's studio work in watermedia painting, oil painting, drawing, and mixed-media has appeared in over 100 regional, national, and international juried (peer-reviewed) exhibitions. Since 1978, he has presented 38 one-person (solo) exhibitions in six states. He has given over 100 invited or juried illustrated lecture performances to galleries, museums, universities, conferences, and professional organizations.

Education

1978: M.F.A., East Carolina University School of Art and Design, Greenville, NC (Painting)
1975: B.F.A., East Carolina University School of Art and Design, Greenville, NC (Painting/Drawing)

Experience

2018–present: Professor Emeritus, Department of Art, College of Architecture, Art, and Design / College of Arts and Sciences, Mississippi State University
2015–present: William L. Giles Distinguished Professor, MSU
1996–2002: Department Head, Department of Art, MSU
1995–1996: Interim Department Head, Department of Art, MSU
1994–2018: Professor of Art, Department of Art, MSU
1989–1993: Associate Professor of Art, Department of Art, MSU
1985–1989: Assistant Professor of Art, Department of Art, MSU
1987: Tenure awarded, MSU
1982–1985: Instructor of Art (Tenure Track), Department of Art, MSU, Mississippi State, MS
1980–1981: Assistant Professor, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE
1978–1980: Instructor, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE
1976: Assistant Program Director, Mendenhall Student Center, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
1990, '03, '09, '16: Sabbatical Leave (semesters), MSU

Teaching

Courses Taught

Art Appreciation • Art History II • Design I–II • Drawing I–IV • Life Drawing I–II • Graduate Painting • Illustration • Modern Art History • Painting I–VI • Senior Honors Research • Senior Honors Thesis • Sequential Design • Visual Development for Film and Animation • Watercolor • Watermedia • Special Topics / Directed Individual Studies

Senior Fine Art Thesis Coordinator, teaching Senior Research (Art 4083) and/or Senior Thesis (Art 4093) for over 15 years. Directed or served on over 100 BFA Thesis committees. Served on 22 MFA Thesis committees. Graduate faculty member for MSU Art–Electronic Visualization MFA and School of Architecture MS Digital Design. Graduate committee member, College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education, and College of Engineering. MSU Honors Program faculty member.

Courses Developed

Watermedia (Advanced 4000/6000 level mixed media studio course)
Study Abroad: Italy — Special Topics/Advanced Studio; Sketchbook/Journal for Artists and Designers (six weeks), MSU/University of Arkansas Rome Center and MSU/Vicenza Institute of Architecture, University of Florida, Vicenza, Italy (May–June 2016 and 2007)
Senior Honors Research/Thesis (4000-level BFA capstone/exhibition courses)
Special Problems: Sequential Design (Multi-image presentation, 4000/6000 level studio)
Visual Development for Film and Animation (6000 graduate studio)
Walter Inglis Anderson and American Art (2018)
Encounters: Advanced Mixed-Media (1992, 1994) — Three-hour mixed-media painting course taking students to Horn Island and Beale Street in Memphis. Thirty-minute educational television program/video/DVD “Encounters in Life and Art” produced by University Television Center, 1993.
Sea, Earth, Sky: Art, Environment, and Ecology of the Gulf Coast (1985, 1986) — Six-hour multidisciplinary course taught on the Mississippi Gulf Coast/Gulf Islands National Seashore. Recognized in Liberal Education, American Association of Colleges (Vol. 74, No. 2, April 1988), as one of six innovative interdisciplinary courses nationally combining art and science.

Teaching Focus Areas

Senior Research and Thesis Capstone Program

In the 1980s, Funderburk proposed and initiated the undergraduate Senior Research and Thesis capstone program in the BFA Art major, modeled on the NASAD MFA, resulting in a final exhibition, portfolio, and archive for each graduating student. As Senior Fine Art Thesis Coordinator for 20+ years, he directed some 40+ capstone classes and exhibitions.

Watercolor/Watermedia Studio Program

Since 1982, Funderburk developed the Watercolor/Watermedia area of the Painting program, building a strong regional and national reputation. Students have consistently won major awards in university, state, national, and international competitions.

Interdisciplinary Program with the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability

In collaboration with the T.K. Martin Center, Funderburk initiated Fine Art internships partnering MSU Art students with those with severe physical disabilities. He secured grants including an O’Keefe Foundation grant ($7,000, 2003), a Federal SMART Developmental Disabilities Grant ($30,000, 2003), and a Mississippi Arts Commission Grant ($2,200, 2004). In 2004, he raised $7,500 to bring artist/author Tim Lefens—developer of Art Realization Technologies (A.R.T.) at Princeton University—to campus. Lefens’ process was formally adapted by the MSU T.K. Martin Center and continues today in the “EXPRESS Yourself” programs.

Murals on the MSU Campus

Three permanent murals on the MSU campus were created by students under his supervision: in the Longest Student Health Center, the Colvard Student Union, and the Dunn-Seiler Museum of Geosciences. A fourth was created in the Starkville Public Library. The Dunn-Seiler mural was featured at the GSA Annual Meeting (Indianapolis, IN, 2018) and published in The Evolution of Paleontological Art (Geological Society of America, 2022).

University Service Focus: Department Head (1995–2002)

As head of the largest undergraduate studio art program in Mississippi, Funderburk led the NASAD Ten Year Accreditation Self-Study (fully reaccredited 2003), secured Stafford Hall ($250,000 renovation, 13,000 sq. ft. addition), and established the Art–Electronic Visualization MFA program in 1995—one of only a few in the South at the time.

CAAD Promotion and Tenure Committee Chair (2005–2015)

Served as chair for 8 of 10 years; led major document revisions in 2013–2014 for four departmental units, all approved May 2014.

Research: Exhibition Record

One-Person Exhibitions

2026: Gumtree Museum of Art, STILL—Brent Funderburk Paintings and Drawings, July 7–September 1, Tupelo, MS
2025: Roundhouse Gallery, The Light Behind—Drawings by Brent Funderburk (with workshop and lecture), Spring/Summer, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
2024: Meridian Museum of Art, Path of Light—Brent Funderburk, Paintings and Drawings, 103 works, October 4–December 7, Meridian, MS
2023: Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center, Flowering Earth: Brent Funderburk—Paintings and Drawings, 40+ works, February 2–June 30, Ocean Springs, MS
2021: Cullis-Wade Depot Gallery, MSU Welcome Center, Here and There: Brent Funderburk—Paintings and Drawings, 40-year retrospective, 60 works, August/September, Mississippi State University
2014: Walter Anderson Museum of Art, New Solar Myths—Paintings and Drawings, Brent Funderburk, 42 works, January–May, Ocean Springs, MS
2011: Shain Gallery, New Works—Brent Funderburk, November, Charlotte, NC
2011: Bryant Galleries, Illumina—New Paintings by Brent Funderburk, Autumn/Winter, Jackson, MS and New Orleans, LA
2010: USA International Ballet Competition, The Art of Brent Funderburk, June, Thalia Mara Hall/Mississippi Art Center, Jackson, MS
2010: Bryant Galleries, Illumina—New Paintings by Brent Funderburk, June/July, Jackson, MS
2010: River Gallery, A New Spin—Brent Funderburk, February, Chattanooga, TN
2008: LRoss Gallery, Dream and Variations, Memphis, TN
2008: Colvard Student Union Art Gallery, Inside/Outside: Paintings by Brent Funderburk 1982–2007, Mississippi State University
2006: LRoss Gallery, Presence, Memphis, TN
2003: Albers Fine Art, Returning Light, Memphis, TN
1999: Main Street Gallery, Herebefore/Herenow/Hereafter, Starkville, MS
1994: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Affinities (with Dale Chihuly, “Vitrographs”), Memphis, TN
1993: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Radiant Edge, Memphis, TN
1991: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Entrances, Memphis, TN
1990: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Deep Harvest, Memphis, TN
1989: Albers Fine Art Gallery, Eminent Light, Memphis, TN
1988: Albers Fine Art Gallery, New Dimensions in Watercolor, Memphis, TN
1988: Marie Hull Gallery, Hinds Community College, Raymond, MS
1988: University Place/Lux Art Center, Lincoln, NE
1986: Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS
1985: Mississippi Center for Public Television, Jackson, MS
1984: Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
1984: Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS
1983: Briscoe Gallery, Mississippi State University
1982: Wise College of Veterinary Medicine Gallery, MSU
1982: Pope’s Gallery, Charlotte, NC
1982: Stanley-Schenck Gallery (with Clayton Bass), Peachtree Center, Atlanta, GA
1981: Pope’s Gallery, Charlotte, NC
1981: University Place/Lux Art Center, Lincoln, NE
1980: University Place/Lux Art Center, Lincoln, NE
1979: Elder Gallery, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE
1979: University Place/Lux Art Center, Lincoln, NE
1977: Mendenhall Gallery, MFA Thesis Exhibition, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Research: Awards, Grants and Honors

2026: “Passiflora” selected for SPLASH 27: The Best of Watercolor, Artists Magazine/American Artist
2025: “Solus” selected for SPLASH 26: The Best of Watercolor, Artists Magazine/American Artist
2024: Selected as Keynote Speaker, Mississippi Arts Education Association Fall Conference, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS; also workshop director and juror
2024: Received the Mississippi Governor’s Arts Award for “Excellence in Visual Arts and Education” from the Mississippi Arts Commission and Governor Tate Reeves
2024: “Anteroom” selected for SPLASH 25: The Best of Watercolor, Artists Magazine/American Artist (international juried publication)
2023: “Intermittent” and “Shining Stone” selected for SPLASH 24: The Best of Watercolor, Artists Magazine/American Artist
2022: “Anteroom”, 2022 National Watercolor Society Member Exhibition, NWS Gallery, San Pedro, CA
2022: “One to One” and “From Who I Am to Where I Am Going” selected for SPLASH 23: The Best of Watercolor; “One to One” featured as cover art
2021: “Soul House (Blue)” selected for SPLASH 22: The Best of Watercolor
2021: “Intermittent” and “One to One” selected for cover article in Watercolor Artist Magazine, Summer 2021, one of four featured artists
2020: “From Who I Am to Where I Am Going”: International Society of Experimental Artists Award, HK Holbein Artist Award, Isabey/Savoir-Faire Award, and Frame Destination Award, National Watercolor Society 100th International Open Exhibition, San Pedro, CA
2020: “Soul House (Blue)”, Artistic Excellence Special Award I, Missouri International Exhibition, Barcelona Academy of Art/European Museum of Contemporary Art & Missouri Watercolor Society
2020–21: “Soul House (Blue)” selected, “NWS: The First 100 Years”, National Watercolor Society, Hilbert Museum of California Art, Chapman University
2020: “Blood Moon” and “Soul House (Red)” selected for SPLASH 21: The Best of Watercolor; one of 12 artists with two works chosen from over 1,000 entries
2020: “From Who I Am to Where I Am Going” selected, 6th Biennial Fabriano Watercolour Prize, Paper and Watermark Museum of Fabriano, Italy (20 countries)
2019: “Soul House (Red)”, 46th Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition; received Evergreen Artist Association Award
2019: “Soul House (Red)” and “Anteroom” selected as Professional Fine Art Award Winners, Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art and Design (Issue #55)
2019: “Oaxaca” and “Angelus Vitae” selected for SPLASH 20: The Best of Watercolor; one of 6 artists with two works chosen from 1,200 entries
2017–18: “Oaxaca” selected as Finalist, Artists Magazine 34th Annual All Media Competition, represented in March 2018 issue
2018: “Today” selected for “Judges Recommendation Award”, 11th Annual National Biennial Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL
2016: “Dreams of Palladio: New Solar Myths” selected, Creative Quarterly “Best 100 Annual 2015” (one of 24 fine artists internationally)
2016: Selected as SEC Faculty Achievement Award recipient for Mississippi State University
2015: Named William L. Giles Distinguished Professor, Mississippi State University
2015: Awarded the Ralph E. Powe Research Excellence Award, MSU
2015: “First Prize” Award ($1,875), 42nd Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO
2015: “Strathmore Artist Paper and Creative Catalyst Award”, International Society of Acrylic Painters International Open
2012: “Second Award” ($1,500), National Biennial Art Exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL; Dean Mitchell, Juror
2011: Mississippi State Pride Teaching Award (Myrna Coley-Lee Award), MSU ($2,000)
2011: MSU University Public Artist Incentive Program Award, artwork “Redemption” installed in the Mississippi Extension Center ($5,000); also received annual Special Service Award from the Mississippi Extension Service
2010: Named “Official Artist” of the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition, Jackson, MS
2009: “Best of Show” ($1,000), Mississippi Art Faculty Juried Competitive Exhibition, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
2008: “Second Award” ($2,000), 38th Visual Arts Society of Texas Annual National Competitive Exhibition, Denton, TX
2003: O’Keefe Foundation Grant, with Bac Shelton, “Communication Technology” ($7,000)
2003: SMART Development Disabilities Grant, Co-supporter with PI Janie Cirlot-New, T.K. Martin Center, Federal grant ($30,000)
2002: “Access to the Arts Through Technology”, Co-supporter, Mississippi Arts Commission ($2,400)
1997: “Father of Waters”, CD-ROM for U.S. Dept. of the Interior/National Park Service (Co-PI with Anna Maria Chupa, $78,000)
1994: Awarded John Grisham Faculty Excellence Award ($2,000)
1994: Awarded University Faculty-Student Interaction Grant, “Encounters” (MSU)
1993: Named to Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
1992: Named to “100 Outstanding Art School Alumni Exhibition”, East Carolina University School of Art and Design
1991: Nominated, Mississippi Governor’s Art Award
1990: Awarded “Hambidge Fellowship”, Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, Rabun Gap/Atlanta, GA (one month artist residency)
1988: Purchase Award, Sonat, Inc., 47th Annual National Competitive Exhibition, Watercolor Society of Alabama, Birmingham Museum of Art ($500)
1988: Purchase Award, Deposit Guaranty National Bank, 1988 Grand National Competitive Exhibition, Mississippi Watercolor Society, Mississippi Museum of Art ($300)
1987: “Special Teaching Project Grant” awarded, Mississippi State University ($2,000)
1986: Named First Vice-President and Charter Member, Mississippi Watercolor Society
1986: Named Artist Class Signature Member, Southern Watercolor Society
1986: Awarded “National Burlington Northern Award for Excellence in Teaching” ($2,000), one of three first MSU awardees
1986: “Award of Merit” ($250), Exhibition South ’86, Tennessee Valley Art Center, Tuscumbia, AL
1986: $1,000 Purchase/Best in Show Award, “Thirteenth Annual Bi-State Competitive Exhibition”, Meridian Museum of Art
1984: Grumbacher Silver Medal and $600 Second Award, Southern Watercolor Society 8th Annual Nineteen State Competitive Exhibition, Woodruff Fine Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
1984: MSU Research Initiation Grant, “Eyesite: A portable, multi-sensory gallery” ($2,000)

Listed in “Who’s Who in Fine Art in Higher Education” (multiple years) and “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” (1976). Listed, Art in America Magazine, “Guide to Galleries, Museums and Artists” (1984–2011).

Research: Selected Group & Competitive Exhibitions

Juried/invitational; major regional, national, and international

2020: “Blood Moon”, Louisiana Watercolor Society 50th Annual International Exhibition, New Orleans, LA
2018: “Montem Somnia”, 45th Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Evergreen, CO (74 accepted/534 entries)
2018: “Montem Somnia”, 42nd Annual Transparent Watercolor Society of America National Exhibition, Kenosha Public Museum, WI
2018: “Passiflora Incarnata”, National Watercolor Society Member Show, NWS Gallery, San Pedro, CA
2017: “Angelus Vitae”, 44th Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Exhibition, Evergreen, CO (73 accepted/549 entries)
2016: Seven artworks selected for eight-page article, “Drama, Extravagance and Poetry: Brent Funderburk,” Watercolor Artist Magazine, August 2016
2016: “Flying Dream”, 39th International Exhibition, Watercolor Art Society–Houston (106 accepted/430 entries)
2016: “Hypnopompic” and “Nightwatch” selected for Memphis West Cancer Hospital Collection
2015: “Flying World”, 2015–2016 Shenzhen International Watercolour Biennial, Shenzhen Art Museum, China (233 accepted/3,779 entries, 73 countries); work also included in the Touring Exhibition traveling to seven Chinese art museums
2015: 47th Watercolor West International Watermedia Exhibition, City of Brea Gallery, CA (99 accepted/545 entries)
2015: Pikes Peak International Watermedia Exhibition, Colorado Springs, CO (84 accepted/399 entries)
2015: Ghost Ranch Calendar Competition—3 works chosen for 2016 calendar (photographs juried into this calendar 5 times)
2014: Creative Quarterly—The Journal of Art and Design (No. 37, Winter), Five works; award for series in Professional Fine Art (one of twenty artists chosen internationally)
2013: “Wave (Reclamation)” selected for The Mississippi Collection, Mississippi Museum of Art (exhibited with Nevelson, Benton, Takaezu, etc.)
2013: “Pre-Dawn” selected for Ghost Ranch Calendar 2014 (12 chosen nationally), Ghost Ranch/Georgia O’Keefe Museum of Art
2012: “8th Biennial National Art Exhibition”, awarded $1,500 “Second Award”; Dean Mitchell, Juror (128 accepted/500 entries, 32 states), Visual Arts Center, Punta Gorda, FL
2012: Graphis Magazine “2012 Design Annual: The Best of International Visual Communication”, Professional Illustration; two of 22 total illustrations accepted, two of 6 from USA
2012: Creative Quarterly (No. 32, Fall), award in Professional Fine Art (one of 16 selected internationally)
2011: “The Man and His Legacy: Paul Hartley”, Lee Hansley Gallery, Raleigh, NC and The Greenville Museum of Art, NC
2011: Creative Quarterly (No. 17, Winter), three works, two awards in Professional Fine Art; Juror: Adia Millet, Whitney Museum Fellow
2011: Studio Visit Magazine, two works published (300 accepted/900 entries); Juror: Steven Zevitas
2010: Creative Quarterly (No. 15), three works accepted (and one Runner Up Award); one of only 3 artists internationally with 4 awards in category
2009: Studio Visit Magazine, two works published (300 accepted/1,000+ entries); Juror: Jan Berry, Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College
2009: “Mississippi Art Faculty Juried Exhibition,” “Best of Show” ($1,000), three works accepted, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS
2008: VAST 38th National Competitive Exhibition, Denton, TX—received Second Award; Juror: Karl Umlauf, Baylor University
2007: “Mississippi’s Best,” NEA/MAC grant project honoring 13 top Mississippi visual and musical artists, Lee Hall, MSU
2006: Cotton District Arts Festival, “Juror’s Award—Second Prize,” Starkville, MS
2004: “Twenty Years/Twenty Artists,” Group Exhibit, Albers Fine Art, Memphis, TN
1995–2005: MSU Annual Art Faculty Exhibition, Department of Art, MSU
1994: “Mississippi Artists Collaborative Invitational,” Mississippi Museum of Art (regional juried exhibition and tour: Jackson, Tupelo, Biloxi)
1992: “50th Annual Watercolor Society of Alabama National Competitive Exhibition,” Montgomery Museum of Art (50 accepted/600 entries)
1992: “70th Annual National Watercolor Society Competitive Exhibition,” University of California, Fullerton (75 accepted/1,210 entries)
1990: “Flowers and Art: A French Bouquet,” Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis (with Sisley, Chagall, Pissarro, Boudin, Forain, etc.); National Show of the Garden Club of America
1989: University of Perugia, M.S.U. Faculty Art Exhibition, Perugia, Italy
1988: “Grand National Competitive Exhibition” of the Mississippi Watercolor Society, Mississippi Museum of Art; $300 Deposit Guaranty Bank Purchase Award
1988: “47th Annual National Competitive Exhibition, Watercolor Society of Alabama,” Birmingham Museum of Art; $500 Purchase Award (45 accepted/610 entries)
1987: “Mississippi Watercolor Society Annual Members Exhibition,” Mississippi Museum of Art—Honorable Mention Award
1986: “La Grange National IX,” Lamar Dodd Art Center, La Grange, GA (national juried)
1986: “Thirteenth Annual Bi-State Competitive Exhibition,” Meridian Museum of Art—Award: Best-in-Show, $1,000 Purchase Award
1985: “Louisiana Watercolor Society 15th Annual International Competitive Exhibition,” New Orleans—$450 Purchase Award
1984: “Southern Watercolor Society 8th Annual Competitive Exhibition,” Woodruff Fine Arts Center, Atlanta—Grumbacher Silver Medal and $600 Second Award
1984: “Images ’84: Juried Mississippi Artists Exhibition” at the Mississippi Pavilion, Louisiana World Exposition, New Orleans
1982: “Annual NC/SC Charlotte Open Competitive Exhibition,” Charlotte, NC—$500 “Top Merit Award”
1978: “Greenville Art Show,” East Carolina University—“Best in Show Award”

Research: Collections

Private Collections

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Washington D.C., and abroad.

Museum and Corporate Collections (Selected)

The Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
The Memphis-Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN
Baptist Memorial Health Care Collection, Memphis, TN
Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE
Federal Express Headquarters, Memphis, TN
Embassy Suites National Headquarters, Memphis, TN
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital/Methodist Hospice, Memphis, TN
Memphis Cancer Center, Inc., Memphis, TN
Mississippi State University, Office of the Provost
Mississippi Extension Services, Bost Extension Center
Tennessee Valley Authority Center, Mississippi Research and Technology Park
Union Planters Bank Corporate Headquarters, Cordova, TN
Washington (D.C.) Home and Community Hospices Collection
Schering-Plough, Inc., Memphis, TN
Sonat, Inc., Birmingham, AL
NationsBank (North Carolina National Bank), Charlotte, NC

Gallery Representation (1977–2012)

2010–2012: Shain Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2010–2011: Bryant Galleries, Jackson, MS and New Orleans, LA
2006–2009: L. Ross Gallery, Memphis, TN
1987–2005: Albers Fine Art, Memphis, TN
1981–1982: Stanley-Schenck Gallery, Atlanta, GA
1978–1981: Lux Art Center (University Place Art Center), Lincoln, NE
1977–1982: Popes Gallery, Charlotte, NC

Research: Illustrated Lectures and Performances

Walter Inglis Anderson: Research, Lectures and Collaboration

Funderburk’s research has engaged the life, art, and influence of 20th Century American master Walter Inglis Anderson through curation of national touring exhibits, illustrated lectures, course development, writing, and ongoing research. In over 40 illustrated lecture performances, he theatrically re-enacted moments of Anderson’s quests and voyages in “A Halcyon Day! A Day in the Life of Walter Inglis Anderson” (1980s–1990s). He has also lectured on the tragic loss, heroic rescue, and conservation of Anderson’s masterworks after Hurricane Katrina (“The Price of Ecstasy: The Nearly Lost Masterworks of Walter Inglis Anderson”). Notably, Funderburk lectured in three regional venues in 2003, invited by the Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Family of Walter Anderson to speak in parallel with the Smithsonian Institution’s national exhibition “Everything I See is New and Strange.”

Curating “Ecstasy…” and the U.S. Museum Tour

As guest curator for the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Funderburk curated “Ecstasy: The Mystical Landscapes of Walter Anderson” (2007–2010), a 54-work touring exhibition. US Tour venues: Hunter Museum of American Art, TN (2008) • Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL (2008) • Walter Anderson Museum of Art, MS (2009) • LSU/Alexandria Museum of Art, LA (2010).

WakeArt 2005: Post-Katrina Conservation Project

In 2005, Funderburk and William P. Andrews led MSU professors and students to the Gulf Coast to rescue and conserve Anderson objects in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Over 8,000 objects were retrieved and stored in MSU’s curatorial facilities. A consortium of conservators from the Winterthur Museum and Institute (Delaware), North Carolina, and Louisiana visited the collection in 2006. These events were covered by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other outlets.

Selected Lecture Performances (Chronological)

2025: “The Illuminated Path: Art as a Lifeway”, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL
2024: “Walter Anderson: His Transcendent Moment” (3 lectures), MAX—Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience, Meridian, MS
2024: “Path of Light”, MAX—Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Experience, Meridian, MS
2024: “Inside Nature”, lecture and workshop, Mississippi Art Educators Association, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS
2023: “Flowering Earth”, Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Arts Center, Ocean Springs, MS
2017: “Myth-issippi—How Art Makes Place”, Official Bicentennial Event, Mississippi Bicentennial Lecture, funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mississippi Development Authority, MSU
2016: “A Divine Rhythm—the Legacy of American Watercolor in the 21st Century”, Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society, San Jose/San Francisco, CA
2016: “Edward Reep—American Master”, keynote lecture for retrospective exhibition, Bakersfield Museum of Art, CA
2014: “Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit: ‘Infinite Simplicity’”, Unburied Treasures Series, Mississippi Museum of Art (Mississippi Humanities Council/NEH funded)
2014: “The Syn-Aesthetic Twins: Architecture and Art”, American Institute of Architects Western Mountain Region Annual Conference, Santa Fe, NM
2014: “Walter Inglis Anderson: A World Vision for Art, Nature and Man”, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS
2014: “Walter Inglis Anderson: A World Vision for Art, Nature and Man”, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
2013: “Walter Anderson’s Symphony of Animals”, Mississippi Museum of Art (Mississippi Humanities Council/NEH funded)
2012: “Every Little Light Must Shine: Walter Anderson for Children”, Mississippi Museum of Art (Mississippi Humanities Council/NEH funded)
2012: “The Price of Ecstasy: The American Masterworks of Walter Anderson”, University of Mississippi Museums
2011: “The Price of Ecstasy”, Louisiana State University/Alexandria Museum of Art
2009: “Will Henry Stevens—The Inner and Outer River”, Mississippi Museum of Art (Mississippi Humanities Council/NEH funded)
2008: “The Price of Ecstasy”, Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS (curator and lecturer)
2008: “The Price of Ecstasy”, Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL
2008: “Ecstasy and Apocalypse: The Search for the Nearly Lost Masterworks of Walter Anderson”, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
2006: “Holy Cheese! A (Re)Call for the Aura of Art in the 21st Century”, keynote, Centennial Alumni Celebration, Wellington B. Gray School of Art and Design, East Carolina University
2003: “Riddles in Art and Nature: The Art of Walter Anderson” (3 venues, in conjunction with Walter Anderson Museum of Art and Smithsonian Institution)
2000: “Sand and Snow—the Inlander meets the Islander—Charles Burchfield and Walter Anderson”, Walter Anderson Museum of Art
1991: “A Halcyon Day!” and “The Third Poetry: Twentieth Century American Modern Visionary Artists”, premiere of the Walter I. Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, MS
1990: “The American Watercolor: An Artist’s Lecture Demonstration”, Memphis-Brooks Museum of Art, in association with “Contemplating the American Watercolor”

Multi-Image Performances (Selected Venues)

“A Halcyon Day! A Day in the Life of Walter Inglis Anderson” (created 1984, toured 1980s–1990s): Annual Conference—National Ornithologist’s Union • Memphis-Brooks Museum of Art • Mississippi Museum of Art • Meridian Museum of Art • Tupelo Art Museum • Gulf Coast Humanities Conference (6-state regional), Pensacola, FL • MS American Institute of Architects Annual Conference • Arkansas Audubon Society • Mississippi Art Education Association Annual Conference

“The Breathing Eye” (created 1984): Hinds Community College/Marie Hull Gallery • Memphis College of Art • Nebraska Wesleyan University • Meridian Museum of Art • Mississippi Museum of Art • Multiple arts councils and schools across MS, NC, and SC

“A New Earth” (created 1986): Nebraska Wesleyan University • Clinton Arts Council • Meridian Museum of Art • Various MS venues

“The Rainbow Wants Out!” (created 1980): Greater Gulf Coast Arts Council, USM • Jefferson Parish Public Schools, New Orleans • Charlotte Artists Guild • University Place Art Center, Lincoln, NE • Multiple regional venues

Research: Curation

Guest Curator, “Ecstasy: The Mystical Landscapes of Walter Anderson” (2007–2010), Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Developed touring exhibition of 54 works. Lectured at each of the four venue stops.
Co-Curator (with William P. Andrews), “The Voluptuous Return” and “The Mystical Landscapes of Walter Inglis Anderson”, Mississippi State University (2005)
Co-Curator (with William P. Andrews), “Dwight Blaney—An American Impressionist… and Friends”, exhibition and catalog (incl. J. S. Sargent, J. M. Whistler, Frank Benson, etc.), Mississippi State University (2002). Article in national publication American Art Quarterly, 2002.
Curatorial Consultant, “Interior Images—The Influence of Prehistoric Cave Art in France on the Work of Walter Inglis Anderson” (1995–1996), Walter Anderson Museum of Art. Included visit of French archaeologist Jean Clottes and work of glass artist William Morris.

Research: Studio Workshops (1980–2025)

“Drawing Breath” (with exhibition and lectures), Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL (two day)
“A Divine Rhythm in Watercolor,” Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society of the Bay Area, Santa Clara, CA (three day)
Memphis–Germantown Art League (two day, juror of competitive exhibition)
Gifted-Talented Teachers Seminar, Jefferson Parish Public Schools, New Orleans, LA
Pearl River College, Poplarville, MS
Memphis College of Art, Memphis, TN (two day)
Mississippi Arts Commission/Mississippi Watercolor Society (one day)
Starkville High School art classes, Starkville, MS (six day)
Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, NE (four day)
Greater Gulf Coast Arts Council, Gulfport, MS (one day)
Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, MS (one day)
Jackson Watercolor Group, Municipal Art Gallery, Jackson, MS (three day)
Tupelo Art Museum, Tupelo, MS (three day)
“Sea-Earth-Sky” (dedicated to Walter Anderson), Mississippi Gulf Coast (1985, 1986, two weeks)
Mississippi Art Colony, Utica, MS (four day)
Charlotte Artist Guild, Charlotte, NC (two day)
“Art and Nature” in three National Parks, Colorado, Nebraska and Utah (two weeks), Nebraska Wesleyan University

Research: Juror for Competitive Exhibitions or Portfolios

Evaluator/Juror, “National Portfolio Day,” Watkins College of Art, Nashville, TN (2010)
Huntsville Museum of Art, “Panoply,” Juried Regional Art Competition, Huntsville, TN (2005)
State Scholastic Art Awards, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS (2000)
Fred Wells Ten State Juried Exhibition, Elder Gallery, Lincoln, NE (1988)

Research: Publications, Articles, and Broadcasts

Co-writer (with Todd M. Rowan and Renée M. Clary), “But why paint a dinosaur blue?: Envisioning the Cretaceous”, presented at the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting (Indianapolis, IN, 2018) and published as Chapter 27 in The Evolution of Paleontological Art (Geological Society of America Memoir 218, Boulder, CO, 2022)
Essay, “Edward Reep—American Master”, catalog for the retrospective exhibition Edward Reep—Eight Decades (1918–2013), Bakersfield Museum of Art, CA
Writer and designer, “Flying World,” Blurb Books, Inc., limited edition hardcover publication, 80 pages (edition of 150), 2011
Artist, limited edition giclée print series: “Soul House (Red),” “November,” and “You Knew You Could” (2010–2019)
“You Knew You Could” featured on cover of Art of Wellbeing magazine, North Carolina (2012)
“Threshold” featured on cover of The Mississippi Reading Journal, Mississippi Reading Association (2008)
Artwork reproduced in River City, Literary Journal of The University of Memphis (Winter 2004)
Work cited in “Fortune’s Favorite Child—The Uneasy Life of Walter Anderson,” Christopher Maurer, University Press of Mississippi (2003)
Co-author/co-curator, Dwight Blaney—An American Impressionist… And Friends, catalog and exhibition, MSU Department of Art Gallery (2001)
Essay, “Man is a Cave,” published in catalog Interior Images: The Influence of Prehistoric Cave Art in France on the Work of Walter Inglis Anderson, Walter Anderson Museum of Art (1996)
Presenter, “Creativity in the Arts,” three-part series for SERC (Satellite Educational Resources Consortium), 29-state satellite network, MSU Television Center (1994)
Co-producer, “Encounters in Life and Art,” thirty-minute video, directed by David Hutto; shown on The Learning Channel (1994)
Essay, “A Halcyon Day! A Day in the Life of Walter Inglis Anderson,” pp. 78–79, Threads of Tradition and Culture Along the Gulf Coast, Vol. X, Gulf Coast History and Humanities Conference (1986)
Color photographic essay published in The Mississippi Gulf Coast: Portrait of a People, Charles Sullivan, Winston Publications (1985)
Illustrator, ninety-five graphite illustrations, Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Stephen Denenberg, Omaha, NE (1986)
Co-author, Freehand Drawing II Ideabook, written and designed with Jack Bartlett, MSU departmental text (1986)
Co-author, Freehand Drawing I Workbook, designed by Funderburk; written with Jack Bartlett, Robie Scucchi, Mike Dorsey, Ken Clifford, MSU departmental text (1984)
Listed, American Art Review (1994); Art in America Magazine, “Listings of Artists, Museums and Galleries” (1992–1995)

Selected Interviews

“Meet Thomas Brent Funderburk,” illustrated online interview article, Voyage Chicago (2018)
“Creating Beauty: An Interview with Brent Funderburk,” What Matters with Mary Beth Lodge, Voice America Variety Channel (September 2012)
“Sir, Do You Haiku? With Artist/Writer Brent Funderburk,” What Matters with Mary Beth Lodge, Voice America Variety Channel (May 2012)
Tennessee Public Radio (WKNO) interviews: “Radiant Edge” (1992), “Entrances” (1991), “Deep Harvest” (1990)
Channel 2, Mississippi Public Television, Mississippi Roads (1988); Access program (1985)

Web and Social Media

Co-developed the website for artist Edward Reep (1918–2013); research by Susan Reep and Brent Funderburk (2012–present)

Service (MSU, 1982–2018)

Administrative Assignments

Department Head, Department of Art (1995–2002)
Interim Department Head, Department of Art (1994–1995)

University and College Committees (Selected)

Chair, CAAD College of Architecture, Art, and Design Promotion & Tenure Committee (8 years)
Co-chair, Walter Anderson Center Development Task Group (CAAD)
University SACS Accreditation Executive Committee
University Performing Arts (Lyceum) Committee (7 years)
University Faculty Grievance Panel
University Search Committee, Dean, M.S.U. School of Architecture
College of Arts & Sciences Promotion and Tenure Committee
Executive Committee—University Phase, Campaign for Mississippi State University
Search Committee Chair for the Department Head, Department of Communication
CAAD Charette Committee Chair (cross-college workshop/exhibition, Davis-Wade Stadium)
MSU Dining Services Visibility Campaign Task Force, Chair

Departmental Committees (Selected)

Chair, Fine Art Concentration/Fine Art Coordinator
Chair, NASAD Accreditation Committee (directed 10-year review and self-study)
Senior Fine Art Thesis Coordinator (13+ years)
Foundations Program Coordinator
Chair, Scholarship Committee
Chair, Visiting Fine Artist Series Committee
Chair, Promotion and Tenure Guidelines Committee
Chair, Search Committee for new positions (three searches)
Co-developer, Art–Electronic Visualization MFA program
Department Hazardous Waste Officer
Editor, Department Newsletter

Visiting Artist Workshops or Residencies Directed at MSU (Selected)

Matthew Lee, painter (2017)
Jiatian Li, Beijing, China, painter (2011)
Tsugato Shimada, Japan, sumi-e master—exhibition, lecture and demonstration (2007)
Andy Harkness, Art Director, Sony Feature Animation (2007)
Tim Lefens, artist/author, developer of Art Realization Technologies, Princeton University (2003)
Andy Harkness, Disney Animation (1999)
Craig Newman, Disney—Buena Vista (2000)
Larry Walker, Georgia State University (1991)
Edward Reep, artist, Bakersfield, CA (three-day workshop)
Joseph Raffael, artist, California/France—four-day workshop, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Frederick Franck, writer, NY—three-day workshop, co-director, Nebraska Wesleyan University

Professional Memberships

Walter Anderson Museum Education & Collections Committees
Mississippi Watercolor Society (Charter member)
National Watercolor Society
Louisiana Watercolor Society
Southern Watercolor Society
Friends of Loren Eiseley (Founding member)
Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters