February 9, 2021

Thirty-six years ago, while teaching at a small college in northern Wisconsin, Professor of Art Donald Furst saw a listing for an open position at UNCW.

“The next thing I knew, I was driving my Ford Maverick over the mountains, sagging under the weight of 500 record albums,” he said.

During his long tenure as a Seahawk, the accomplished printmaker has chaired the Department of Art and Art History (2002-09) and been recognized for his teaching with the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching (1999); University Distinguished Professorship (1996-98); Board of Trustees Teaching Excellence Award (1996); and the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award in 1992.

While he is “deeply gratified” to have received those honors, Furst most relishes “the moment when a printmaking student nervously peels the damp paper off their copper plate and sees the printed image for the first time.”  

While having to do more online instruction during the current COVID pandemic has been “a big change and a big challenge, having additional family members home during this season has been an unexpected blessing,” he said.

Furst is a member of Christians in the Visual Arts and operates Ars Longa Press, a fine print atelier specializing in mezzotint and other forms of intaglio printmaking. He has lectured and exhibited across the U.S. and the world, from South Carolina to Japan.

-- Caroline Cropp

#CAS

The UNCW family is thousands of people strong, but it takes individuals to make UNCW unique. WE ARE UNCW features the people — the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the university — who make UNCW shine on campus and in the community. Read more here.