KIRK KE WANG

artist, college professor, museum board director and educational software developer

short bio

Kirk Ke Wang, Kirk Wang, 王舸, Wang Ke, Wang Ge

Kirk Ke Wang, Professor of Visual Arts of Eckerd College and a Board Director of the Ringling Museum of Art, is a painter, sculptor, photographer, mixed media artist, as well as an educational software developer. He was born in Shanghai, China, and received MFA degrees from the Nanjing Normal University in China and University of South Florida. 

In 1986, Mr. Wang moved to the U.S. as an exchange scholar continuing his graduate studies. After receiving his second MFA, Mr. Wang was appointed as the art director of a design firm and designed many projects for the entertainment industry, such as Disney World, MGM Studio, Sea World, and Bush Gardens, etc. In early 1990s, Mr. Wang taught at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota. He joined Eckerd College as a tenured full time faculty in the fall of 1993.

Mr. Wang has exhibited his art works in art galleries, none for profit institutions, and museums locally, nationally, internationally, such as the Museum of Modern Art, PS1 in NYC and the National Museum of Art of China in Beijing. His works have been collected by museums, galleries and private collectors in the US and Asia, including the National Gallery in Beijing.  Mr. Wang was awarded the bronze medal by the Cultural Ministry of China, and he is also the recipient of numerous grants and awards from many distinguished institutions, such as, the National Endowments for the Arts, the Freeman Foundation, Ford Foundation, National AsianNetwork, Florida Arts Council, etc.  

In early 2000s, Mr. Wang lead a team of educators, artists and computer software engineers to develop a computer learning system for early education, which was used by over 1000 schools nationwide.

In 2020, Mr. Wang was appointed by the mayor of Tampa to serve on the Public Art Committee of the City of Tampa, Florida. He was also appointed as the Board Member of the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida.

Mr. Wang maintains a studio in Tampa and NYC, and he often travels back to his hometown, Shanghai.

 

(Back to Home page)