Radford University Foundation honors members of the Department of Art

Richard Bay

Dr. Richard Bay before receiving the Distinguished Creative Scholar Award. His mother accompanied him onstage via his cell phone.

Carlee Bradbury

Dr. Carlee Bradbury during her acceptance speech after receiving the Award for Distinguished Faculty Advising.

Dr. Richard Bay drove a NASCAR race car this summer. Dr. Carlee Bradbury discussed “The South Station Hoard,” her latest collaborative project. Though very different pursuits, these Department of Art faculty members won Radford University Foundation Awards.

Each also had the honor of giving a student a special scholarship.

Though Bay, a professor of art education, may have had fun this summer speeding around a racetrack and teaching Governor’s School, he also received the Distinguished Creative Scholar Award. This honor recognizes significant original contributions to the body of knowledge in the university and for contributions having a significant impact on effective classroom teaching.

Nominated before for this award, he chose not to move forward with the process. This year, he changed his mind. After an unsuccessful surgery caused him partial paralysis and he underwent another corrective surgery, Bay found himself taking on new projects as a coping mechanism. After his nomination this year, his wife, Patty Bay, convinced him to follow through the nominee process.

Regan Chancellor

Regan Chancellor outside the Poe Museum, where she interned this summer – a posiiton Dr. Bradbury helped her get.

“Patty was the one that made me do it when she found out I had been nominated again and said I needed to do this so others could see what you can do even under the worst of times,” said Bay, who has taught at the university for over 13 years. He has also won the Donald N. Dedmon Distinguished Teaching Professor Award.

As Bradbury, an associate professor of art history, launched her collaborative book, “The South Station Hoard,” published by Punctum Books, she received notice about receiving the Award for Distinguished Faculty Advising.  This honor recognizes teaching faculty who demonstrate excellence in tending to their important responsibility of academic advising.

“"I'm humbled and surprised,” said Bradbury, who started teaching at the university in 2007. “It's quite an honor."

On August 28, 2015, during the 2015 Fall Convocation, both Bay and Bradbury sat together with other award winners and their scholarship beneficiaries. Both College of Visual and Performing Arts faculty listened intently to President Penelope Kyle as she announced their achievements. Then each introduced their scholarship recipients.

Bay announced his. It went to Kaitlyn Fields, who did not attend the ceremony due to prior commitments. She is an art education senior, known in Bay’s classes as Cheetah Girl because she wore a cheetah dress on her first day of classes and followed this by wearing cheetah leggings as part of another outfit.

“It just became a thing after that, but he has told me that I'm strong like a cheetah so I really enjoy the nickname,” said the Castlewood, Virginia native.

The reasons Bay chose her for this award echo the thoughts for the nickname. He said she is a fighter and a dreamer who does not give up. Art education is her life.

Perhaps Bay is a part of the latter. She said he prepares and goes above and beyond with projects, guest speakers and his overall teaching methods. She believes this is the best possible art education program.

Over the summer, Bay called her to share the news of the scholarship.

“I was so excited that I nearly cried and it made me feel like I am accomplishing big things,” Fields said.

Also accomplishing big things is Bradbury’s scholarship recipient, art history and museum studies major Regan Chancellor.

When discussing why she selected Chancellor, Bradbury told the audience art history majors are special people. She mentioned Chancellor had spent the summer interning at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum of Richmond, helping curate "Poe's Cabin of Curiosity."

"She is an excellent student and role model,” Bradbury also said “She has been a successful RA and is a wonderful mentor."

Chancellor, originally from Richmond and in her third year at Radford University credits Bradbury as a major influence.

“She is a great advisor and pushes me to do my best,” Chancellor said.

Bradbury helped her get the Poe Museum internship as well as one at the Children’s Museum of Richmond. In addition, Bradbury assisted her and her peers with public speaking at the BigSURS conference in spring 2015, and with campus employment at the Radford University Art Museum and the archives.

“If it wasn't for Dr. Bradbury, I would have transferred to a school closer to home,” said the Richmond native. “But she has made RU more than a university, she has made RU a community.”

To learn more about the Department of Art, visit www.radford.edu/art.

Sep 10, 2015
CVPA
540-831-6237
cvpa411@radford.edu