Professor of sculpture and former Art Department chair shares his journey from the factory floor to the classroom.
By Emily Fordan, BA ’26
From welding factories to graduate school and from large-scale public sculptures in Chicago to 16-inch pieces in a Texas studio, Phillip Shore, MFA, has spent a lifetime making art and teaching others to do the same. After 22 years as a professor and former Art Department chair at the University of Dallas, he sat down with us one last time before retirement, while his latest exhibition, “Forging Ahead,” was on display in the Upper Gallery on campus.
Tell me a little about your background before working at the University of Dallas.
I went to Alfred University, New York State College of Ceramics, and got my undergraduate
BFA [Bachelor of Fine Arts]. I went to Notre Dame for my MFA [Master of Fine Arts].
In between, I did a lot of different jobs, from working in factories and mills to
developing skills and continuing my artwork in ceramics, then glass and wood.
What is your favorite aspect of your work as a professor and an artist?
I chose to stay [at UDallas] because of the students. The students here are exceptional.
They work hard and listen. They are motivated. For a small school, you have autonomy
in teaching, the facilities are wonderful; so we can teach a lot of diverse applications
to the arts.
It’s really wonderful to watch students grow: going from taking criticism personally
to when they are graduating and they understand criticism is about improving the work.
Art is not the easiest way to make a living. But boy, is it rewarding. There is something
to be said about coming up with an idea, working through how to realize and generate
it and then seeing it all tied together; it's a beautiful experience.
How did you figure out what path was right for you?
I found that with creation, working with my hands, something clicked. I was always
seeking some way to make things.
Even when I worked at my job as a welder, I would come home and go out to the studio.
I would work a few hours and sometimes nothing happened. A lot of times, though, you
all of a sudden get involved in something and then time just goes by.
Describe a day in the life.
I come in, I get everything turned on and opened up and work with students on projects.
Sometimes, when a student presents something, I don't necessarily know how to make
it. So I have to stop and think, ‘how would I approach this?’ Then, I work with the
student at their level, their ability. We work with wood, we weld, we pour metal,
we work with resins. So it's always something a little different.
What are your plans after retirement?
I have a piece of property up in Michigan and a house, and I'm going to return there
and get my vegetable garden started. I’ll start each day going into the studio and
getting to do my work.
Do you have a favorite project in the curriculum from your classes?
One that's become my favorite is the throne project in 3D design. We learn about structure,
we learn about how to put a theme to an object, developing the narrative from an object.
The students have such a kind of fun, lighthearted way of approaching that.
What was your most challenging professional endeavor, and how did you overcome it?
I had never really done any real large scale, public type of work. I was asked to
put a large piece into an exhibition in Chicago. There was a certain exhilaration
to that. Then as I got along, I really found that that wasn't where I belonged. So,
when I moved here, I went from making 12-14-foot steel sculptures to making 16-inch
pieces. Everything's bigger in Texas…except my work.
I was asked to do an exhibition in a large museum space in Youngstown, Ohio, at the
Butler Institute of American Art, and they had an annex for me to show my pieces.
I was working towards that and then they lost their lease. They then wanted me to
go into the museum itself and I said okay. Then, COVID hit. That whole experience
was shifting all the time. It turned out to be a fantastic experience. That just goes
to show you that you have to be elastic. You have to kind of accept what happens and
keep your eye on the longer vision.
This development of your sculptural work has gone from more totemic to box shapes,
and you're also exploring the relationship between man and nature. How has your experience
and time at UD enhanced this work?
My property in Michigan is in an agricultural setting. There's wildlife all around.
Then, I come here and I'm basically in an urban-suburban setting. So that play between
the natural world and the urban world or the man-made world, plays a big part in the
work. For example, there’s a piece in the show [Forging Ahead] where there's a portrait
on each door. There's a leaf inside and that piece is based on this little town in
Michigan called Three Oaks. The leaf is an oak leaf, but it's carved in mesquite.
Mesquite doesn’t grow in Michigan. That's my experience here and my experience there.
My work is inherently autobiographical. We all have experiences, but they come through
us as a filter and come out uniquely ourselves.
I’m a much better artist and craftsperson because of my teaching. You’re kind of relearning
the process itself, through practice and repetition and consciously trying to replicate
it.
What is a valuable lesson you learned or advice you would give to current students
trying to navigate the world?
I don’t think you can take things too seriously.
At my age, I look back, and I think about my experiences. I had these incredible loving
parents. Those are the things that are really important. They stood behind me when
I didn't do well, and when I did do well. They accepted my foibles and strengths and
interests.
I didn't make a ton of money, but I was able to live. Always work hard and with a
basic work ethic. Do the best you can. Try to follow the path that enriches you, and
don't dwell on little things that aren't really gonna impact your life in a huge way.
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to live in London when I was in high
school and travel through Europe. I worked all these weird jobs. I mean, I'm thinking,
what? What was I doing? Now I look back on it and I say, well, I have all these skills.
I wasn't making a lot of money, but I was developing skills that I use every day now.
