Whether carving history into stone, painting it on a wall of fresh plaster, or mentoring young art students, Hubert Massey is known for his lasting impressions. He has experienced first-hand the positive impact public art can have on a community, the importance of preserving the past, and the excitement of using old techniques in new ways.
This self-described Renaissance man came to Grand Valley in the early 1980s on a football scholarship and then set a new record for discus throw. But it is his reputation as an artist that has garnered him an international reputation.
While a student at Grand Valley, Massey spent a semester abroad studying at the Slade Institute of Fine Art in London. While there he became interested in the link between art and architecture, the grand scale of murals, and also realized the important role of public art.
"It dawned on me that the artists Michelangelo, DaVinci, and Rubens did a lot of public art," said Massey. "Since there were no museums back then, it was the only way common people were able to see art. I decided that when came back to the states I wanted to do large pieces of art in public settings.
When he returned in 1981, he learned that he had won a People's Choice Award at the Grand Rapids Visual Arts Festival for a portrait he had done. He spent the next 12 years as a sign and billboard painter, learning to paint large. Since then he has created major public works in a vast variety of media in Detroit, Flint and Grand Rapids, including his first fresco commission, "Exporting and Importing of Knowledge" installed at Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus in 2000.
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