The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts awarded artist Dean Little with the 2023 Art Educator of the Year award at the Gallery Opening Reception on August 3.
Little, the 5th educator to receive this award, has been an instructor at the Turner Center for over seven years. He teaches the weekly oil painting class, “Thank Goodness It’s Thursday.” His students, many of whom have studied under him for multiple years, have become capable and talented artists. Among other opportunities and successes, many of them have displayed and sold works in the annual Spring into Art exhibit, the Turner Center’s largest show of the year.
“Dean is always a pleasure to work with and comes prepared with a lesson plan to break down new and challenging techniques” said Art Education Administrator Hailey Rathmann. “He provides excellent guidance to both the group and the individual. It is truly incredible to watch his students walk into class with a blank canvas and leave four hours later with a beautifully completed piece.”
Little’s impressive career in graphic art and design encompassed creating marketing materials for clients such as IBM, Motorola, Chris Craft, STP, Intel, U.S. Navy, Harris Computer Systems, Gould Corporation, Westinghouse, and Allied Signal Avionics and PR for numerous national and international sporting organizations, including the NFL, NBA, NASCAR, Indy cars and Olympics.
Little’s works are featured in the galleries through Friday, September 15. For more information about art education programs at the Turner Center, visit turnercenter.org, call 229.247.2787, and follow the Turner Center on social media.
