F&M Stories

During the many years Professor Virginia Maksymowicz—known to her students as Professor Maks—taught sculpture at Franklin & Marshall, she could be found in Herman Arts instructing students in the art of handmade paper or, outfitted from head to toe in protective gear, guiding students in the work of bronze casting. Equally adept at wielding pencil, charcoal and the written word, she also taught drawing along with First-Year and Capstone seminars, helping her students shape clearer sentences, construct more cogent paragraphs and refine concepts. Those multi-faceted talents inform her artistic practice, as well. Her sculptural works, focusing on the cast human figure (usually female) and often incorporating language, reflect intellectual rigor, expansive conception, activist impetus, and wide-ranging historical knowledge.

Professor Maksymowicz graduated from Brooklyn College, C.U.N.Y. with a B.A. in Fine Arts (1973) and earned her M.F.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego (1977). Prior to assuming the tenure-track position at F&M in 2000, she taught in temporary positions at a variety of institutions, including Oberlin College, Wayne State University, and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Between 1991 and 1999, she came to F&M five times as a visiting faculty member. Fortunately, the Department of Art & Art History had the good sense to realize it ought to hold on to such an outstanding teacher and sculptor. And, indeed, generations of students now have benefited from her skill, empathy and mentorship.

As an artist, Professor Maksymowicz has had more than 20 solo exhibitions, including the recent "Sculptural Transparencies" at the Phillips Museum and a 20-year retrospective at DePauw University in Indiana. She has shown her work in a succession of highly reputable exhibitions in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Italy. Her artwork has been reviewed in a variety of publications, including The New York Times and Sculpture Magazine. She has held visiting artist residencies at the American Academy in Rome (three times), the Vermont Studio Center, and the Powel House Museum in Philadelphia. Her professional accomplishments led to her serving as a member of the Advisory Board to the Graduate M.F.A. program at Moore College of Art & Design. Extremely active in the College Art Association, Professor Maksymowicz has chaired and participated in many panels and, notably, served on its Professional Practices Committee (2013-2016). Deeply concerned with standards and protocol as both a member of this important committee and as faculty at the College, she has been a steadfast voice for transparency and collegiality.

Professor of Art Virginia Maksymowicz