Professor of Art
Director of the Arts Management Program, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts
Coordinator of the International Exchange Programs, Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts
Office: RPAC 2240
405-325-1037
alphelan@ou.edu
Andrew Phelan is currently Director of Arts Management Program, Coordinator of International Programs in the Arts for the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, Professor of Art and Emeritus Director of the School
of Art at the University of Oklahoma. While director of the School of Art from 1992-2006, he completed a revision of the undergraduate curriculum, developed a Foundation program, added a new Ceramics facility and a new faculty member, restored a tenure track sculpture line and established
a Sculptor in residence Program. He established the Charles M. Russell Chair in Art of the American West and the Charles M. Russell Center for Study of Art of the American West, initiated a Visiting Artist and Scholar Program and a Film-Maker in residence program,
established the Jerome M. and Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair, established the H. Russell Pitman professorship in Art History, while developing an art history Ph.D. program in Art of the American West and Native American Art and recruiting three
additional art history faculty. Dr. Phelan also added approximately $4.1 million to the School of Art endowments, enhanced the technology resources of the School through the creation of four computer video, photographic and digital imaging labs, renovated the Lightwell Gallery, and
developed exchange programs in Europe and China. Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma in 1992, Dr. Phelan served as a consultant and advisor to Yugen Kaisha Gregg International, a privately held, educational and publishing group in Tokyo, Japan. Previously to that Dr. Phelan was at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY from 1971-1990, initially teaching in the Art Education, Painting and Drawing and Graduate Fine Arts departments, and subsequently holding a number of administrative positions, the last one as Dean of Academic Affairs from1987 -90. Other positions he held at Pratt included Assistant to the President [Academic Affairs], Assistant Provost, Dean [Acting] of the School of Art and Design, Assistant/Associate Dean of Art and Design, Chairperson of Art Education, and Director of the Saturday Art School. While Assistant to the President, he also served concurrently as Manager of the Pratt Manhattan Center during which time the offerings of the Center were reorganized and moved. At Pratt he was successful in attracting external funding including a $1.8 million dollar grant from the U.S. Office of Education, as well as substantial support from Apple Computer and he supervised the development of a number of new academic programs.
Prior to joining the Pratt faculty he was a high school art teacher and served with the US Army in Vietnam as a medic with the 101st Airborne Division where he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart Medals among others.
A painter, writer and curator as well as an educator, he has exhibited in New York and elsewhere. He has written one book, organized 12 exhibitions, and published more than a dozen articles on art and studio art education in addition to making numerous conference presentations in the US and abroad. He has participated in a number of multimedia projects, including serving as producer [with Jerry Whiteley] of the prototype of the electronic, interactive version of Josef Albers famous color course, Interaction of Color, that premiered at the Guggenheim Museum in 1988. He has served on a number of accreditation teams, panels, juries and committees and as a consultant to departments of education for several states and to the UN. Dr. Phelan has traveled professionally to China, England, France, Spain, Japan, Israel and the Caribbean, in addition to many places in the US. He is currently working on two artist’s biographies.
Andrew Phelan was educated at the Pratt Institute [BS, MFA] and at New York University (PhD). His biographies are included in many standard references