John A. O'Connor is a professor emeritus who taught at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville for more than 45 years.
GAINESVILLE, FL, December 19, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present John A. O'Connor with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. O'Connor celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. O'Connor is a professor emeritus who taught at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville for more than 45 years. During his tenure, he directed the MBA degree programs in arts administration in the College of Fine Arts, directed the Center for the Arts and Public Policy and was acting chair of the art department. Hired in 1969 as an associate professor, he became full professor in 1985, where he remained until retirement in 2005.
Teaching a variety of art courses on campus, including Art Law for 15 years, Mr. O'Connor also founded and served as the director of the nation's first arts policy center at UF, the Center for the Arts and Public Policy (CAPP), between 1987 and 2005. The Center includes the UF Colleges of Fine Arts, Arts and Sciences, Law, Business Administration, Architecture, Engineering, Health Sciences Center, Harn Museum of Art, Florida Museum of Natural History and the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The CAPP notably received numerous grants from various agencies while Mr. O'Connor served as its founder, including from the Florida Humanities Council and the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, for programs that dealt with humanities and arts policy issues.
During his career, Mr. O'Connor served as a director for the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, TN, for a short time in the early 1980s while on sabbatical from the UF. The center is the nation's largest and most comprehensive crafts facility. He was the executive director for the Florida Higher Education Arts Network (FHEAN) in Gainesville for 20 years between 1985 and 2005. The FHEAN was created as a result of a Visual and Performing Arts Program Review in the State University System that was coordinated by Mr. O'Connor, who served as the network's executive director during 1983 and 1984. He also devoted over a decade to serving as a consultant on arts for the Florida Board of Regents in Tallahassee between 1983 and 1995.
Furthermore, he directed the Memorial Union Gallery at the University of California, Davis, and the University Art Gallery at Ohio University in Athens and served on the committee that established the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the UF. Locally involved, Mr. O'Connor has served on the board of directors for the Florida Arts Celebration in Gainesville and the Florida Cultural Action Alliance, was a member of the Arts Council of Alachua County, and a coordinator for the United Way Campaign at the University of Florida.
A brilliant artist and painter who has participated in more than 200 group exhibitions and 36 solo exhibitions, Mr. O'Connor's works have been seen across Florida, California, Maryland and Georgia. His works have also been included in numerous university, corporate, public and private collections across the nation. He has contributed multiple articles, essays and monographs to various professional publications and has designed numerous brochures and catalogs for clients as well.
All these years later, Mr. O'Connor continues to paint, draw and create original prints in his studio where he is constantly challenging himself and his techniques. His artwork has been reviewed numerous times over the years by such professionals as the late William Zimmer, a New York Times critic, and Peter Frank, the former editor of Visions Art Quarterly, art critic for Angelino magazine and former art critic for LA Weekly, Village Voice and SoHo Weekly News, and frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.
Today, Mr. O'Connor and his wife Mallory, an artist, art historian and professor emeritus of art history at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, are focusing their efforts as the co-owners of O'Connor Art, LLC. Located in Gainesville, the two have combined their talents to offer a variety of art and art related services to the public, including Mr. O'Connor's original works of art and limited-edition prints and Mallory's expertise as a curator, exhibition designer, writer and lecturer, as well as assistance in organizing/designing exhibitions and booking speakers. Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor work with corporate and private collectors, interior designers, non-profit organizations, private and public institutions and individual artists, providing their clients with years of knowledge and expertise.
The recipient of several State of Florida Individual Artists fellowships by the Division of Cultural Affairs and a National Endowment for the Arts/Southern Arts Federation fellowships between 1992 and 1993, Mr. O'Connor was also the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the FHEAN in 2005. He has been cited in the seventh edition of Who's Who in American Education and the 23rd edition of Who's Who in the South and Southwest.
Mr. O'Connor first studied art at Sacramento City College; California State University, Sacramento; Mexico City College, now known as the University of the Americas; and the San Francisco Art Institute. He then obtained a Bachelor of Arts in art, with honors, and a Master of Applied Arts in art from the University of California, Davis, in 1961 and 1963, respectively.
Married to Mallory McCane since 1963, Mr. O'Connor and she share one son. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and working in his garden. He also loves attending the opera and wine tastings. For more information, please visit www.johnaoconnor.com or www.oconnorartllc.com.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, John A. O'Connor has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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