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Biographical Information:

An experienced and innovative leader in higher education, Kevin Conlon served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for Columbus College of Art and Design from 2011 to 2016. Previously Mr. Conlon was Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Ringling College of Art and Design from 2008 to 2011, and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Savannah College of Art and Design from 2004 to 2008.

In 2016, Conlon established KEY International Education Consulting, LLC to provide support for domestic and international education clients seeking new markets. Conlon’s expertise in program design, articulation, assessment and accreditation, and strategic planning helps KEY’s clients to unlock markets and support learners with access, affordability, efficiency and integrity. In addition to the clients he’s supported, Conlon has written papers and presentations for the National Art Education Association (NAEA), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), the Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), Interactions Magazine, the College Art Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Conlon can be contacted for consultation and speaking engagements through the KEY website.

In addition to his administrative work and his teaching, Mr. Conlon has maintained a studio practice for over 30 years. His distinctive sculptural works in concrete, bronze, cast resin, clay, and fiberglass, as well as oil paintings and works on paper have won many commissions and awards. His latest work is the Ohio Veterans Memorial for the Ohio Veterans Beneficial Board (in progress). Other works include Memorial Day Parade, a project for the Home History Fund in Xenia, Ohio, which celebrates the history of the Ohio Veterans' Childrens Home; a Portrait of Teh-he Li (2007) commissioned by Angela Su, now installed at Aletheia University's (formerly Tamsui Oxford University) Matou campus in the Gallery for Taiwanese Literature and Literati, Taiwan; a portrait of Julie Backus-Smith called The Running Girl (2006), a former Chatham County Commissioner for the First District, commissioned by Marie Backus-McGaughey, and now installed at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia; a portrait of Noble Wimberley Jones called Founding Father (2005), one of the original settlers of Savannah and founder of the Georgia Medical Society, installed in Savannah's Emmet Park; and a portrait of the Legend of Golf (2003) Sam Snead, commissioned by the Westin Group, now installed at the Club at Savannah Harbor. Conlon maintains a studio at his home where he can be contacted for commission work.

Conlon earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Alabama and his Master of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University.

Artist’s Statement:

"My work is diverse in both media and approach, including traditional materials such as concrete, cast bronze, welded steel and carved wood, as well as more contemporary materials such as cast and laminated polyester, acrylic, epoxy, cold-cast bronze, cultured marble, and expanded polystyrene. The core of my work has always been the figure. While this is especially true with my portrait busts and figure studies, in some cases the figurative element is not always immediately obvious."

Consulting Philosophy:

"My success has always been predicated on one simple idea: Rather than look at challenges as obstacles, I prefer to embrace them as opportunities. As someone aware of the tectonic demographic and economic shifts in our marketplace by virtue of my research and my relationships with other academic leaders across the country, I can state that, motivated by the needs of learners and the institutions that serve them, collectively we have a unique opportunity to critique, innovate and collaboratively redefine our values for a society that needs us to offer solutions, and we have a responsibility to see it done in a manner that serves as diverse a population as possible."

Teaching Philosophy:

"From the most basic of courses to those which are far more advanced, I've found that the greatest gift that I can give to my students is the notion that learning never stops, even for me. I am open with students about my own enthusiasm for continued learning so that they will value the approach as something they might want to model for themselves. I believe that learning, to be truly effective, needs to have more than just abstract value to the learner. If I can find a way to tie content, in a relevant and meaningful way, to what they want for themselves in the future, their investment in learning becomes more than just the grade they'll earn at the end of term, it becomes a means by which they recognize their own continuing responsibility to the process, and the transformative benefit of education."