Michael Peven, Former Art Chair and Photography Professor, Passes Away

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Michael Peven, former chair and professor of photography in the Department of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, passed away Friday, July 7, 2017.

Peven was born and raised in Chicago where he attended the University of Illinois, Chicago, for a B.A. in design and later, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for an M.F.A. in photography and artist's books.

He was active as a photographer, book maker and installation artist since the 1970s and began teaching at the U of A in 1977, where, with few resources and a lot of energy, he built a photography program.

In 1982, he was promoted to associate professor and received tenure, and in 1993 he was promoted again to full professor. Peven also steered the Department of Art for more than eight years as chair from 1992 to 2000, and directed the photography program until his passing.

"One thing is certain; Mike truly cared about his students and worked tirelessly to afford them the very best education and opportunities," said Jeannie Hulen, the department's current chair. "It saddens me greatly that we lost one of the department's most vital faculty members. Mike taught in our department for 40 years, and was set to receive his 40-year teaching certificate this fall."

During his time with the university, Peven won countless teaching awards, and in 2014 was named the Honored Educator of the Year by the Society for Photographic Education, in addition to receiving annual Outstanding Mentor Awards for his mentorship of students. He also won awards from the Arkansas Arts Council; the Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowments of the Arts; the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; and the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy. 

In addition to teaching, Peven was a prolific and talented artist. His work was shown in hundreds of exhibitions nationally, in 30 states. Internationally, his work was shown in Melbourne, Australia; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Ontario, Canada; Odder, Denmark; Lahore, India; Tokyo, Japan; Islamabad & Karachi, Pakistan; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Bjarred, Sweden.

Peven's books and photographs have been included in countless national and international museum and private art collections, including Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas; Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock; Art Institute of Chicago; Brooklyn Museum; California Museum of Photography in Riverside, California; Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona; Cleveland Institute of Art Library; UCLA; Franklin Furnace Archive/Museum of Modern Art in New York City; Hvidore Art Library in Odder, Denmark; Hallmark Collection in Kansas City, Missouri; International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York; International Center of Photography in New York City; Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois; National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Australia; New Orleans Museum of Art; New York Public Library, Rare Book Collection in New York City; Otis College of Art and Design, Artists Book Collection in Los Angeles, California; Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida; San Francisco Camerawork Archive; Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia; Swedish Archive of Artists Books in Bjarred, Sweden; Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio; Vanderbilt University, Special Collections, Heard Library in Nashville, Tennessee; Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar in Doha, Qatar; Visual Artists Fellowship Archive National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C and the Smithsonian, to name only a few.

"Mike's service to the university, Fulbright College and the Department of Art will be dearly missed," Hulen said. "The Department of Art has a lot to thank him for and we will not be the same without him. Our condolences go out to all that knew and loved him."

Hulen said the department will host a celebration of Peven's life and work next year, with more details to come.

There will be a visitation for Peven from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at Moore's Chapel at 206 W. Center St. in Fayetteville.

Funeral services for Peven will be at 4 p.m. Monday, July 17, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in the Parish Hall at 224 N. East Ave. in Fayetteville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Michael Peven Scholarship for Students of Photography at the U of A. Checks should be made payable to the University of Arkansas Foundation with Peven Scholarship in the memo line, and sent to 525 Old Main, 1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701.

Donations can also be made online at www.michaelpeven.com/scholarship.