Billy renkl
Collage artist Billy Renkl grew up in Birmingham, AL and attended Auburn University (BFA, Visual Communications) and the University of South Carolina (MFA, Drawing). He currently teaches drawing and illustration at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. Captured by the revolutionary ideas of early twentieth century artists, Renkl's creates collages out of vintage and antique paper which he sometimes enhances with subtle mark-making or various printing techniques.
RESUME
Professional Experience
8/89-Present Professor of Art, Drawing and Illustration, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
Education
6/88 MFA: Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
6/85 BFA: Visual Communications, Auburn University, AL
Solo and Small Group Exhibitions
2020 (Forthcoming, March) McKendree University Gallery of Art, Lebanon IL
2017 “Collage Mash Up” small group invitational exhibition, Edwardsville Art Center, Edwardsville, IL
2016 “Field Notebook” two-person exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Roman Holiday” three-person exhibition, Southside Gallery, Oxford MS
2014 “Rock, Paper, Scissors, & Wood” four-person exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Gleanings: the journals of Henry David Thoreau” solo exhibition, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art, Auburn University, AL
“Even When: new work by Susan Bryant and Billy Renkl” two-person exhibition, The Customs House Museum, Clarksville, TN
2012 "A Retelling" three-person exhibition, AEC Gallery, Covington, KY
2011 "Manuscripts, Documents, and Deeds of Trust" solo exhibition, APSU Downtown Gallery, Clarksville, TN
"New Collages" three-person exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2010 "A Three-cornered Hat" three-person exhibition, Taylor Bercier Fine Art, New Orleans, LA
"Plan for a Garden: Recent Works" solo exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2009 "Re-Use" small group invitational, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
"Works On Paper" three-person exhibition, Taylor Bercier Fine Art, New Orleans, LA
2008 “Three from Tennessee,” three-person exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“After the Fall,” Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, TN
2007 “The Third Day and Other Recent Work,” Berea College, Berea, KY
“Leaf by Leaf,” DAC Gallery, Clarksville, TN
“Auburn and Beyond,” small group invitational, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, Auburn University, AL
2005 “The Fragile Species,” invitational small group show, The Frist Center for The Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
2004 Recent work, solo exhibition, Marguerite Oestreicher Fine Arts, New Orleans, LA
2003 New works, solo exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2002 “What Happens Next is Not Yet Clear,” Two-person show, Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Dressing Clio,” Solo exhibition, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Clarksville, TN
1999 “Character Studies from Shakespeare” two-person show, Muskegon Community College, Muskegon, MI
1998 “The Written Word” invitational small group exhibit, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1996 “Stereoscopic Vision” Two-person exhibition, mixed-media collaborative works with Susan Hicks Bryant, Sarratt Gallery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
“A Cloud like a Man’s Hand” solo exhibition, Moody Gallery, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
1994 “My Bloodstream, This Room, The Whole World” solo exhibition, Galerie Neue Raume, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
“Human/Manifold” solo exhibition, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
“The Great Continent” and “The Life of The Bee” solo exhibition, Biggin Hall Gallery, Auburn University, AL
Solo exhibition of recent work, Singleterry Center for the Arts, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
1992 “The Map is Not the Territory” solo exhibition, Trahern Gallery, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
1989 “Holding Out” solo exhibition, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA
1988 “Fleming/Renkl” two-person show, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
“Civil Defense” MFA Thesis Exhibition, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Group Exhibitions
2018 “20 Collaborations” invitational collaborative book arts exhibition, Nashville Public Library Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Textuality” national juried group exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“Collaborations” Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2017 “Space” juried group exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2016 "Local Fare", Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Winners Showcase” invitational group exhibition (collaborations with Greg Sand), Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, NY
2015 “Water: elemental, mutable, essential” juried group exhibition, The Art Galleries at Allegheny College, Meadville, PA
“Mash-Up: 18 Artists Do Cardboard” invitational group exhibition, Davis Lusk Gallery, Nashville, TN and Memphis, TN
“The Art of the South” juried group exhibition, Hyde Gallery, Number/Memphis College of Art, Memphis, TN
“Tributary” juried group exhibition, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, OR
“You Are Here” juried group exhibition of map-themed work, Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY
“Back to the Garden” juried group exhibition, Ciel Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2013 "Illustrators 55" juried group exhibition, Society of Illustrators Gallery, NY, NY
“Small Works NYC II” juried group exhibition, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, NY, NY
“Vista: Landscape in Contemporary Art” juried group exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“The Machine” juried group exhibition, Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
“A Fine Line: Contemporary Drawing” juried group exhibition, Claypool-Young Art Gallery at Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
“Marks” juried group exhibition, Madelon Powers Art Gallery, East Stroudsburg University, PA
2012 "Text/Textile {a sampler}" small group invitational exhibit, Trahern Gallery, APSU, Clarksville, TN
"Tapped" juried group show, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
"2012 Spring Invitational" group exhibition, Dempsy Arts Center, Auburn, AL
2011 "Twelve Alumni" small-group invitational exhibition, McMaster Gallery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
2010 "Guidebook," national juried exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
"The Food Show: Art Feeds People" group exhibition, The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
2009 "Magnitude Seven" international juried exhibition, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2008 “Ingest” national juried group exhibition, Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Athens, GA
“Currents” national juried exhibition, Ben Shahn Galleries, William Patterson University, Wayne, NJ
“Illustration West 46” juried group exhibition, Junc Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Works with Words” regional juried exhibition, Nashville Public Library, Nashville, TN
“Space, Place, Life” juried group exhibition, Giles Gallery, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY
2006 “America on the Brink” juried group exhibition, Athens Institute for Contemporary Art, Athens, GA
“Assemblage” The Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Connections” The Ben Shahn Galleries, William Patterson University, Wayne NJ
“Collage Artists of America Open Exhibition” Viva Gallery, Sherman Oaks, CA
2004 “A Very Liquid Heaven” The Tang Museum, group show, Skidmore College, Sarasota Springs, NY
2003 “A is for Art” Invitational group small works exhibition in four venues concurrently: Vienna, Austria; Ciudad de Buenos, Argentina; Glen Iris, Australia; and Troy, NY
2002 “14th National Print and Drawing Exhibition” Gormley Gallery, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, MD (purchase award)
“Accessibility V” city-wide invitational group exhibition, Sumter, SC
2001 “Border to Border Number 8” national drawing biennial, juried, APSU, Clarksville, TN
“Accessibility IV” city-wide invitational group exhibition, Sumter, SC
2000 “A Place in Time” group invitational, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
1999 “11th Annual Dimensional Illustrator’s Awards Show” American Society of Illustrators Gallery, New York, NY
1998 “Anniversary Show” large group exhibition, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
1997 “Tennessee Suites” small group invitational, TrahernGallery, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
“Choice Cuts” invitational group exhibit, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“Art on the Half Shell” invitational small group exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
“Border to Border Number 6” national drawing biennial, juried, APSU, Clarksville, TN
1996 “Introductions” small group show, Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
“The December Exhibition” large group exhibit, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, Birmingham, AL
1995 “Not an Endowed Chair” invitational large group exhibit, McKissick Museum, Columbia, SC
1994 “Scene/Unseen” national, juried, Eastern New Mexico State University, Portales, NM
1993 “Drawing Them In” small group invitational, Visual Arts Alliance of Nashville Gallery, Nashville, TN. This exhibition traveled to Delta/Axis, a non-profit exhibition space in Memphis, TN
“The Vaanguard Show” regional, juried, The Visual Arts Alliance of Nashville Gallery, Nashville, TN
1992 “45th Annual Mid-States Art Exhibition” regional, juried, Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, IN
“Tennessee Art Teachers Purchase Exhibition” regional, juried, The Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
“Fine Art Alumni Exhibition” invitational, Foy Union Gallery, Auburn University, AL
“North Georgia College Drawing Competition” national, juried, Art Center Gallery of North Georgia College, Dahlonega, GA
“The Vaanguard Show” regional, juried, Visual Arts Alliance of Nashville, TN
“Works on Paper” (collaborative photo/drawing with Susan Bryant) national, juried, University of Texas at Tyler, TX
“Seventh Annual Greater Midwest International” (Collaborative photo/drawing with Susan Bryant) national, juried, Central Missouri State University Art Center Gallery, Warrensburg, MO
1991 “Blood Relations” regional small group show, invitational, Birmingham Art Association Gallery, Birmingham, AL
1990 Eleventh Annual “Paper in Particular” national, juried, Art Center Gallery, Columbia College, Columbia, MO
“Geophagy” collaboration with Lee Wall on a program of performances: Earthquake Procedures; Media Center Auditorium, Higgins Hall, Pratt University, Brooklyn, NY
“Ninth Annual September Competition” National, juried, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
1989 “Biennial Five” juried, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL
“Works X 8” (collaborative drawing with Lee Wall,) Ridge Gallery, Manhattan, NY
1987 “Auburn Works on Paper” national, juried, Auburn University, AL
“Greenville Open Juried Exhibition” regional, juried, Furman University, Thomas Roe Fine Arts Center, Greenville, SC
1986 “South Carolina: The State of the Arts” regional, juried, The Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC
Awards
2014 Residency, Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences, Rabun Gap, Georgia
2012 APSU Summer Research Fellowship; also 2010
2003 APSU Faculty Research Grant; also in 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998, and 2001
2001 Purchase award, 14th National Print and Drawing Exhibition, College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD
2002 Included in How Magazine’s 2002 Self-promotion annual, bronze award
1999 Bronze Award, “11th Annual Dimensional Illustrator’s Awards Show” American Society of Illustrators Gallery, New York, NY
1998 How Magazine’s Best of Show award, 1998 Self-promotion annual and competition; award accompanied by personal profile; identity system also received honorable mention in the competition
1993 Six month residency in Basel, Switzerland as a participant in the International Artists Exchange Program (IAAB) with the Christoph Merian Stiftung, Basel, Switzerland
Public lectures and conference papers
2015 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at Auburn University, AL
2008 Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, TN
2000 Cumberland Gallery, Nashville, TN
1996 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
1994 Auburn University, Auburn, AL
1992 “Collaboration, Collusion, Collision” SECAC Studio Art Panel CoChair
“Civil Defense: art as community effort,” paper as part of above
Publications
1997 Renkl, B. “Late for the Ball,” Introduction to Border to Border 6, (exhibition catalog), Austin Peay State University
1993 Renkl, B. “Coming of Age,” Introduction to Border to Border 4, (exhibition catalog), Austin Peay State University
Renkl, B. “Ms. Represented: a Women Artists’ Invitational” review in Number: nineteen (Spring 1993): 24.
Curatorial experience
2010 "Manifold: the body divided," Trahern Gallery, APSU, group exhibition that examines what it means for an artist to depict the human body as fragmentable.
1999 “The World Imagines,” Clarksville-Montgomery County Museum, Clarksville, TN, an exhibition of ethnographic objects from all over the world, on loan from the Cheekwood Museum and local collections; co-curated, with Janelle Strandburg (on the museum staff).
1998 “Peculiar Appetites,” Trahern Gallery, APSU, an exhibition assembled from the private collections of University faculty and staff; co-curated with Dr. D. Webb.
“Close at Hand,” Clarksville-Montgomery County Museum, Clarksville, TN, an exhibition curated from the museum’s storage facility, in conjunction with a class team-taught with Frances Whitehead, visiting artist, of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
1992 “Traces,” Trahern Gallery, APSU, an exhibition of preliminary and documentation drawings from sculptors, performance artists, etc.
Corporate and public collections
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at Auburn University, AL
College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
Kiwanis Club International, Birmingham, AL
Paul W. Bryant Conference Center, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Children's Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN
Cardon Children's Medical Center, Mesa, AZ
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, Clarksville, TN
First Bank, Nashville, TN
STATEMENT
The old, retired, images and documents that I use, many from antique didactic texts, allow for the possibility of meaning and metaphor in their peculiar beauty and often accidental æsthetic. In these images, diagrams, and maps, the world is represented as both sensible and miraculous, systematic and astonishing. These images were originally made to be clear and objective, a rational distillation of a mechanical world; it turns out they are also rich in beauty and poetry. In many of these works my focus on information graphics is combined with my interest in the ways that abstraction has been used to mediate the natural world (especially in traditional botanical imagery used on textiles).