Changnon, Michael (1943-2002)
Dates
- Existence: 1943 - 2002
Biography
Michael Changnon (1943-2002) was a Professor of Art for 34 years at Slippery Rock University. A graduate of Ohio University, Changnon received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography in 1965 and his Master of Fine Arts in painting and lithography in 1968. Changnon was a celebrated artist and photographer with national recognition for his colorful pastel drawings. Following graduate school in 1968, Changnon was hired by Martha Gault becoming a founding member of the Slippery Rock State College (SRSC) Art Department faculty where he taught black & white photography, drawing, and occasionally painting. During his tenure at SRSC/SRU, he helped to establish the photography program, developed the conference system, and assisted in the creation of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. In addition, he was instrumental in the design process of the photography studio and darkroom in SRU’s Art Building. The Michael J. Changnon Memorial Scholarship in Photography, which awards annual scholarships to Art students with majors in Photography, remains a testament to his impact at Slippery Rock University and beyond.
Throughout his career, Changnon was involved in many art organizations as a member including the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Meadville Council of the Arts, as an exhibitor and judge at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and as a board member of The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. His art work was represented in Pittsburgh by Carson Street Gallery and Zenith Gallery, as well as the Christopher/John Gallery in Santa Monica, California; Neo Persona Gallery in New York; and ArtForms in Sarasota, Florida. In the late 1990s, Changnon taught in the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of the Arts during the summers at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA.
Michael Changnon’s artwork is in the permanent collections of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, the former Westinghouse Corporation, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, The Pittsburgh Public Schools, Slippery Rock University, and The Senator John Heinz History Center. His drawings, photographs, and pastel drawings are also included in many private collections.