Joseph Seipel

Artist, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Entrepreneur, Idea generator

In March of 2011 Joseph H. Seipel returned to the VCU School of the Arts in his new position as the Dean. Previous to this position he served for two years as the Vice President for Academic Services for the Savannah College of Art and Design. Before leaving VCUarts in 2009, he had served there for eight years as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Graduate Studies for the School. Before entering the Dean’s Office at VCUarts, he served as Chair of the Department of Sculpture for seventeen years. During his tenure as chair of Sculpture, US News and World Report ranked the Department of Sculpture’s graduate program number one in the nation and while he was the Senior Associate Dean and Director of the School’s Graduate Studies programs, VCUarts became the highest ranked public arts program in the country. That ranking stands today. Professor Seipel received his Bachelor of Science degree in Art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1970, and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute's Rinehart School of Sculpture in 1973. He is on the board of several national organizations including the Mid-America College Art Association and in the past served three terms on the board of the National Council of Arts Administrators and two terms as president of the organization. Until his recent move to Savannah, he was also the Virginia representative on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern College Art Association. He has been active in the cultural affairs of the City of Richmond as a founding Board Member of the 1708 Gallery and served as its first president. In 1995 he was appointed by Governor Douglas Wilder to the Task Force for Promotion of the Arts in Virginia, and in 1997 he was appointed by Governor George Allen to the five member Virginia Art and Architecture Review Board. More recently, at the request of Virginia Governor Mark Warner, he served as an advisor to the Capital Square Civil Rights Memorial Commission and in 2006 was appointed to the Capital Square Civil Rights Memorial Foundation. In 2008 Virginia Governor Tim Kane requested his services as the arts consultant to the Public Service Memorial Committee. He also served two terms on the City of Richmond Urban Design Committee. In 1999 he was the recipient of both the School of the Arts and The Virginia Commonwealth University Award for Distinguished Service. In June, 2009 in large part because of his initial efforts, the VCU Sculpture Department’s recent alumni presented their sixth biennial exhibition at the Kim Foster Gallery in New York City’s Chelsea District. These major exhibition opportunities and the VCUarts Sculpture Department’s highly visible visiting artist program are evidence of Professor Seipel’s proactive approach to graduate education. The numerous articles and presentations on his innovative approach to sculpture curriculum have had a profound effect on how sculpture is taught across the country. For five years while at VCUarts, Professor Seipel was the recipient and principle investigator for a generous grant from the Tremaine Foundation to work with five other graduate programs from across the country to develop a professional practices course for MFA Fine Arts graduate students. In 2001 he was honored as the recipient of the International Sculpture Center’s prestigious Sculpture Educators Award for his lifetime achievements in sculpture education. His own studio production is monumental in scale and ranges from conceptually based objects to multimedia pieces and robotics. His numerous national and international exhibition venues include among others, exhibitions in New York City, Peru, Milan, Baltimore, and Richmond. Sculpture Magazine highlighted his career in a feature story, entitled, “Material Consequences” in their October, 2001 edition. In May, 2007, Mr. Seipel was honored with an Outstanding Alumni Award at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he now serves on the University of Wisconsin’s Art Board of Visitors.

Higher Ed Arts Education and Administration

"The MFA is the new MBA" Daniel Pink Creativity and the power of art school education is misunderstood by the leadership of most businesses.

Educator, Artist,, Former Founding Bank Board Memeber, Resturant Owner for 17 Years

making do and solving problems in unusual ways.