UNK Artfaculty: John Fronczak

John Fronczak - MFA

Art Foundation
FAB - 317
865-8084

M.F.A. (Painting) Miami University, Oxford, OH 1975
B.A. (Printmaking) California State University, Stanislaus,Turlock, CA 1973

John Fronczak moved to Nebraska with his family in August 2001 when his wife, Janice, was hired to be the new acting teacher in the theater program at UNK. Prior to this move, the Fronczak’s had resided in Chesterfield County, Virginia (just south of Richmond). During the seventeen years spent in Virginia, Fronczak established a meaningful reputation as the creator of hyper-realistic paintings – landscapes and architectural scenes – and managed to earn significant portions of his yearly income through sales of his work. During these years in Virginia Fronczak also worked as a corporate and custom picture-framer. Between 2002 and 2006 in Nebraska, Fronczak divided his time between the Museum of Nebraska Art, where he worked as preparator, and the Art Department at UNK, where he was an adjunct instructor. In fall 2006 Fronczak joined the Art Department faculty full time in the position of lecturer and Director of the Walker Art Gallery. Fronczak was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2011. Fronczak still keeps close ties with the Museum of Nebraska Art, making himself available on an occasional basis for consultation, preparatory, and framing assignments.

Teaching Experience:

Senior Lecturer: Department of Art and Art History, University of Nebraska, Kearney, Fall 2011 -- present
Lecturer: Department of Art and Art History, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE, Fall 2006 – Spring 2011
Adjunct Instructor: Department of Art and Art History, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE, Fall 2001 – Summer 2006
Instructor: Central Community College Adult Continuing Education, Kearney, NE, Fall 2002
Art Instructor: The Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE; MONA Kids Art Camp June and July 2002 - 2003
Adjunct Instructor: School of Continuing Studies, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, Spring 1999 & Fall 1998
Drawing Instructor: Chesterfield County Adult Education, Chesterfield County Public School System, Chesterfield County, VA, Spring 1998 & Fall 1997
Drawing Instructor: The Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI, Fall 1980 & Spring 1981
Assistant Professor: The University of Houston at Clear Lake City, Houston, TX, 1979-1980
Instructor: The University of Houston at Clear Lake City, Houston, TX, 1976-1979

Courses: Drawing I, Color & Design, Art Appreciation, Independent Problems Painting, Senior Project, BA Studio, Senior Project, BA Art Education, Senior Project, BFA Studio, Painting.

Museum and Gallery Experience

• Director: The Walker Art Gallery, the University of Nebraska, Kearney, 2007 – present
• Consulting and Framing: The Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE, 2006 through – present
• Preparator: The Museum of Nebraska Art, Kearney, NE, 2002 - 2006
• Framing Designer,
• Gallery Coordinator: Lodan Fine Art and Framing, Midlothian, VA, 1985-92, 1996-2001
• Gallery Director: The Brick Market Gallery, Newport, RI, 1980-83

Statement:

“Image making for me is not only a means of negotiating life so that it is made coherent and intelligible, but also a refuge. Painting is an act of faith insofar as it is an exploration of my own sense of fascination and compulsion in the hope that meaningful provocations result.”