Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Dew, James E. |
Nationality or Tribal Affiliation |
American |
Dates & places of birth and death |
Born September 15, 1922 in Barnesville, Ohio Died March 2, 2012 in Missoula, Montana. |
Education |
1946-1947: A.M. and A.B. from Oberlin College (Oberlin, Ohio) 1943-1944: University of Alabama |
Places of residence |
Missoula, Montana |
Notes |
"Over the years I have made many statements about my philosophy. Although I am serious about my work, I have seldom been very serious about my comments (...) Most of my paintings have been rather easy to interpret so that I have not needed to think about adding words. Louis Armstrong supposedly said, 'If you have to have jazz explained, you don't dig it.'" - James Dew Dew was born in Barnesville, Ohio. He attended the University of Alabama from 1943 to 1944 and completed the Army Specialized Training Program. During World War II, Dew served with the U.S. Infantry, 106th Division. On December 1, 1944, the division moved to France. He was there scarcely two weeks before the Battle of the Bulge began. Within the first few days of the battle, nearly 7,000 members of the 106th Infantry Division surrendered, including Dew. He was imprisoned in a German concentration camp (with writer Kurt Vonnegut) from December 19, 1944, to April 24, 1945. After the war, he studied at Oberlin College. After graduating, he came to the University of Montana and taught in the art department. As chair of the department, he helped hire Rudy Autio and Walter Hook and was instrumental in bringing the Fra Dana collection to the university. In 1948, Dew was a founding member of the Montana Institute of the Arts and a member of the Montana Watercolor Society. |
