J. Robert Bruya (August 17, 1941 - August 20, 2010) was born in Oakland, CA and grew up in Spokane, WA. He received a BA in Education from Eastern Washington University (1963), and an MFA in Metalsmithing from the University of Washington (1970) where he studied under Ruth Pennington.

From 1971 to 2008, Bruya was a faculty member of the Department of Art at Slippery Rock University where he served for several years as Director of the Martha Gault Art Gallery. An award winning metalsmith, he was also known to many as the “Road Kill King of Western Pennsylvania,” for using bones, feathers, and found objects in his work and for encouraging students to learn and design from nature. He engaged students deeply in the artistic process and cared for their development as artists and as people. Bruya’s commitment to teaching was acknowledged in 1994 when he was named the Pennsylvania Outstanding Higher Education Art Educator of the Year.

A feature article in Ornament magazine summarized the creative vision that he shared with others: Bruya “reminds us that beauty can be found in the most unlikely places, that a bone or feather can be magnificent…and that we tend to pass over and throw out things with potential beauty. Most importantly he shows us that what is meaningful to you is legitimate as a personal form of adornment.”