Cutline: Gene Dougherty was honored at an artist reception Tuesday, Nov. 30 in the the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery in the KPAC. The NOC collection of Dougherty’s work is 40 pieces of Dougherty’s art. Pictured (L-R): Sheri Snyder, Vice President for Community Relations & Development; Audrey Schmitz, Eleanor Hays Art Gallery Director; Gene Dougherty, Dr. Clark Harris, NOC President. (photo by John Pickard/Northern Oklahoma College)
Gene Dougherty artist reception held at NOC
Northern Oklahoma College honored local artist and retired NOC art instructor Gene Dougherty Tuesday, Nov. 30 with an artist reception at the Eleanor Hays Art Gallery inside the Kinzer Performing Arts Center at NOC Tonkawa.
A number of Dougherty’s works were displayed from the 40 piece NOC collection. Some of Dougherty’s private work was also on display. The exhibit may be been from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monday -Friday through Dec. 9. The collection may also be viewed privately, please contact gallery director Audrey Schmitz at Audrey.schmitz@noc.edu for more information.
Dougherty, now 92, came to Northern in 1965 as an artist-in-residence and remained until his retirement in 1989. He was employed by then-president Dr. V.R. Easterling, who was looking for an art instructor and had heard of Dougherty from mutual friends, but began his Northern career under Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard. Dougherty taught watercolor and oil painting, drawing, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, sculpture, woodcarving, art appreciation and art for elementary education majors while continuing to develop his own style, technique and presentation for his personal work. Following his retirement, he returned to teach classes for one semester.
Several of Dougherty’s paintings of military subjects have hung in the Senate Office Building and one is in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Another, pertaining to the Air Force campaign in the South Pacific, hangs in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He created a large mural for the Ponca City Post Office.
He has earned numerous awards for his works, which have been shown in Taos, Denver, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, Cheyenne and Cody, Wyoming and Lawton, and he is represented in the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa. Currently he has works in the Daffodil Hill gallery in Bethany.
Dougherty earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Central State University, now UCO, and his master’s degree in secondary art education from Oklahoma State University. He began teaching high school art classes at Sand Springs and taught at Choctaw High School in the Oklahoma City area before joining the Northern faculty.