Art of the Athlete: Hall of Fame

For the past 8 years, the Art of the Athlete (AofA) program has been an education program for UO student-athletes as part of the museum’s broad outreach program which engages diverse student groups from across campus. AofA workshops are designed for students to experiment with a variety of media including sculpture, photography, collage/mixed media, oils, watercolors and acrylics. Writing prompts and drawing activities are designed by JSMA director of education, Lisa Abia-Smith and Senior Instructor in PPPM and center around themes of identity, representation, and resiliency.

This year, we asked 6 former and current AofA participants to jury artwork made the past 8 years as part of the program. A jury was comprised of Tyrell Crosby, offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions; Megan Conder, professional golfer and History of Art and Architecture graduate; Malik Lovette, former football player and UO graduate who went on to Northern Arizona to receive his master’s degree while completing his last year of NCAA eligibility; Tasa Leoso, women’s soccer player for Hayward State University, CA and UO transfer who serves as an AofA program manager; and Rex Manu, former UO football player and recent graduate who medically retired from football after a severe accident. Manu states that after his accident he was “lost and in a dark place and the AofA program helped to save me.” His self-portrait, After the Uniform, illustrates how student-athletes struggle when an injury or accident removes them from the team and they are left to find their new identities and forge a new path.

Some of the 30 artists and AofA participants selected this year by the jury include: Evan Baylis, tight end for the Green Bay Packers; Deforest Buckner, defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts; and Sabrina Ionescu, point guard for the New York Liberty.