If you’ve been to an art event at USF or popped into a reception at a local gallery—pre-quarantine times, of course—chances are you’ve seen Wallace “Wally” Wilson, Director of the School of Art and Art History at the University of South Florida with his signature sticky-uppy white hair.
USF’s SAAH plays a critical role in educating emerging artists and shaping the art scene of the Bay area with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Wilson, who has been Director since 1994, shares his perspective about what the role entails, how Tampa’s art community has evolved over time, and where he sees things going from here.
“Almost 500 students in the department have entrusted their lives and futures to us, so the big question is how can we help these students become what they aspire to be?” Wilson said. “What can we do that is affirming radical value to the community? In addition to figuring out how to spend money, in the most idealistic way, the department chair helps envision what the place is about and what it aspires to be.”
Wilson went to graduate school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for photography, then went on to teach at a few universities while also working to show his work in galleries and exhibitions. “I had become more interested in teaching and less interested in the cutthroat world of gallery art and the competitive levels of the art world,” he said. “I saw the position [at USF] was open and things seemed more open-ended and freer here. I feel incredibly fortunate to work here.”
While being thankful for his position, Wilson also misses the days of teaching. “The higher up you go in administration, the further away you get from the students,” he said. “I teach every other year for a week-long study abroad program in London, which reminds me how much I love teaching and the interactions with the students.”
On the other hand? “I don’t miss that hustle with the galleries and depending on sales and the market,” Wilson remarks. “It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to make it happen and I am always supportive of students whether they decide to follow that path or decide to go a different direction than what they learn here.”
“I feel like [students] are trains moving along and we [USF] got to hop aboard for a while and try to make a difference in our time together,” Wilson explains. “Our faculty and staff are so dedicated to the students and helping them navigate the art world.”
In the 26 years Wilson has been involved in the arts scene of the Tampa Bay area, he’s seen it grow up and continue to evolve. “Each community in the area has its distinctive personality, and both the university and the communities around it have really matured over time,” he said. “The ‘Skyway’ show a few years ago demonstrated the richness that comes from a lot of different opportunities and places here.” (“Skyway,” you’ll recall, was a 2017 exhibition featured simultaneously at the Tampa Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete, and the Ringling Museum.)
“Fairgrounds in St. Pete and Crab Devil in Tampa are not identical ideas, but they spring from pride in our communities,” Wilson said. “We’re seeing ‘new’ money going to upstart ideas which speaks to our energy and ambition plus the determination to make something happen.”
Big changes are developing on campus, too.
“We’ve added an animation program which has, unsurprisingly, increased enrollment and our immediate challenge is asking what we are going to do with this program to have it be unique and reflective of our school? How can we create and connect with awesome opportunities for students who graduate from the program?” Wilson said. “Another facet of the recent campus merger is the profound effect it’s going to have on our school—we’ve now melded with the graphic design program at USFSP and a partnership with the Dalí, too. What kind of opportunities are going to be available to all students that were not before, due to campus designations?”
Even with all the curveballs a global pandemic can throw, Wilson is happy to be in the throes of it all.
“One of the professors asked if I wished I had retired before COVID-19 and the campus consolidation,” Wilson said, “I don’t know what I would be doing! The photography I did was always somewhere else, it was never where I lived.”
“I am curious to get through this year and see how it all plays out,” he said. “I feel fortunate and lucky, and hope that we all stay safe and healthy.”
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This article appears in Best of the Bay 2020.