I was a student in Tom Walsh’s sculpture program at SIU-C and graduated in 1991. I can say that even after all these years, I regard my time at SIU as one of the most beneficial and influential periods of my life.

Tom was very adept in choosing graduate candidates that had great diversity in their approach to sculpture. That was one of the first things that struck me when I started the program. I felt like I was immediately immersed in a wide range of visions and concerns that opened my eyes to so much potential in my own sculpture. Perhaps, more importantly, Tom is a great mentor. He leads by example. I used to love going over to his studio and seeing his massive volume of work. Tom’s success in his own research was matched by his insight and observations into other people’s work as well. I always looked forward to my conversations with Tom about my own work because he always understood my core focus and had the ability to foster me through the next steps. To this day I highly value my  time at SIU as one of the most formative periods of my sculpture and personal growth.

I think I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention that Walsh was also one tough dude.