The creative legacy of John McNaughton
March 18, 2022
It's difficult to walk the USI campus and not find the influence of artist and Professor Emeritus of Art John W. McNaughton.
His presence is evident in the works of art easily recognized across campus, but he also lives on in the Art and Design Department, in his students and in the minds of many University employees.
"John was such a treasure to this University and very invested and committed to his students," says Susan Sauls, Director of University Art Collections.
McNaughton passed away Friday, March 11, 2022, at the age of 78. As a founding member of USI's faculty and a large presence in the Art and Design Department, he will always be remembered for his contributions to the growth of the University.
For 35 years, McNaughton and his colleagues balanced teaching with developing and expanding the offerings of the Art and Design Department. This early work was essential to creating the state-of-the-art program USI students participate in today.
"John was one of the founders of the [USI] Art Department and responsible for hiring Michael Aakhus, who went on to build the painting and printmaking areas, and myself, to teach ceramics and just about everything else," says Lenny Dowhie, Professor Emeritus of Art and close friend of McNaughton. "We were a small team, but we loved each other and what we saw [at USI] was a future."
Teaching was always important to McNaughton; former USI colleagues and friends are quick to recall his passion and care for students. Dowhie recalls the two of them helping each other evaluate and critique students' works. Michael Aakhus, Professor Emeritus of Art, remembers McNaughton often collaborating on projects with students-when he was commissioned for a project, he often brought his USI students into the fold.
"He taught them not just in the classroom, but he taught them how to actually be successful out in the art world," he says. "And the method worked-many of McNaughton's students have become successful in their art careers."
He also was the sound, level-headed voice in the Art and Design Department, Aakhus adds. "We joked that he was the senior statesman, but in many ways, it was very true," he says. "It was always John who put things in perspective for us. He had a very clear, sound idea of what was needed."
Katie Waters, Professor Emerita of Art, remembers the sense of fun and play he brought not just to the department, but to everyone across campus. "There were campus ice-carving sculpture contests, get-togethers for visiting artists, epic end-of-the-semester bocce battles between the woodworking and ceramic students and the (in)famous Student Art Club trips to Chicago," says Waters. "John, with his fun-loving personality, was always in the middle of things."
But beyond his legacy in the department and his active mentoring and teaching of students, McNaughton was, at his core, a true artist. Today, the University Art Collection has a total of 18 of his works, dotting well-known areas and buildings as a testament to his diverse artistic abilities (not all pieces are on display).
The long list of his recognizable and artistic pieces includes the Orr Center's wooden sculpture "Visions," (often referred to as the spiral staircase) and the whimsical "Upside-Down House" in the garden at Burdette Park. He also was a part of the creation of "The Screaming Eagle," installed Fall 2021 outside the new Screaming Eagles Complex-he and Joan deJong, Professor Emerita of Art, named the piece.
The limestone sculptural reliefs seen on the Rice Library, "Tools of the Liberal Arts, Education, and Business Programs and Academic Study in General," were a collaboration by McNaughton and Waters in 2006.
The library also is home to McNaughton's "Take a Magic Carpet Ride," created in 2006. The 7.5-foot wide by 13-foot-long painted wooden sculpture was commissioned by USI Foundation and resides on the first floor in the browsing periodicals section. "Often, college is a wonderful time that we don't appreciate until we look back on it. It's some of the freest time in our lives, but it can be fleeting, like a magic carpet," he said of the piece.
deJong saw her friend occupy several roles over 25 years-outstanding artist, inspiring mentor, supportive professor, colleague, collaborative artist partner and, most important to her, a great friend. McNaughton and deJong collaborated on "Bent Twig," completed in 2016 and installed on the façade of the Robert E. Griffin Center near Reflection Lake.
"Even at times when he was not able to go to his wood studio, he reached for his paints and pastels or used his camera to continually create his art and its magic," deJong says.
After his retirement, McNaughton's art continued to appear in exhibitions and displays on campus and in recognition of the University. The Evansville Museum hosted a series of installments to celebrate USI's 50th anniversary, featuring exhibitions of USI's Master Teachers (McNaughton, Aakhus, Dowhie, Waters and deJong) and their former students, with McNaughton's works displayed in the winter of 2015.
His woodworking skills were on full display in 2019 with the opening of the "Still Kicking and Carving: John McNaughton" exhibit at the McCutchan Art Center and Pace Galleries on campus. The exhibition was filled with meticulously fashioned, wooden sculptures and functional objects, with subject matter ranging from political commentary to personal struggles.
"John was an incredible artist. His technically amazing, colorful, whimsical sculptures also often subtly convey deeper messages. They grace many important museum and university collections as well as the homes of his many collectors in Evansville and far beyond," says Waters. "His iconic outdoor public sculptures in Evansville are admired daily at the Evansville Museum ('Flowing River'), the Civic Center ('The World's Largest') and on the USI campus."
"His works throughout the Evansville area are a testament to the esteem the community held in his creativity," adds Dowhie. "The many individuals who commissioned him to make sculptures also reflects his reputation as one of the innovators in the field of wood sculpture and his professionalism."
McNaughton's versatility in art and design made him a truly unique artist to Aakhus; from painting and drawing to sculpting, McNaughton was capable of it all. "He was quite remarkable and an amazing man," he says. "He and his wife Kathie were very wonderful people to have in the art community."
According to deJong, McNaughton's mind continued spinning with creative project ideas, even in his final days. "I last met with John just a week ago, and we discussed a new art project; he was always planning new projects," says deJong. "He was an amazing artist and a motivating example to continue to make art."
When they think of McNaughton, his former colleagues talk of his bright, ever-present smile. He had an enjoyable sense of humor, was generous and had an open heart. And he was open-minded and possessed a creativity which inspired his colleagues to work hard for the students and the University. He instilled in his colleagues a drive to share their art with a larger audience.
"The saddest thing to me is that there will be no more 'John McNaughtons'-no more wonderfully creative manifestations of his imaginative, optimistic, joyful view of the world," says Waters. "I feel exceedingly lucky to have known him as a colleague and a fellow artist."
"I was always impressed with the 'magic' of his creativity and acquaintance, and it is this magic that I will always remember," says deJong.
"He certainly will be missed by so many people, not just students. There's a lot of ways to show love to the people you care about. And John was one of those people who certainly extended himself in many ways-to the community, the students, the faculty and staff," says Aakhus.