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James Threalkill
Artist, Teacher,
Advocate
Native Nashvillian, Artist, Teacher,
Advocate, Leader Many words describe this accomplished man. A man of
humble origin, he earned his way to Vanderbilt University as an athlete
and scholar. Upon graduating from Vanderbilt, James returned to the
public housing community of his youth as
a Leader. He used his gift as an artist and teacher to develop
neighborhood youth art
programs. He was also involved with
community outreach and fundraising efforts for the community.
In 1995, James was asked to serve as
Special Assistant for Community Affairs and Arts in the Office of the
Mayor of Nashville,
Tennessee, Philip N. Bredesen. This
endeavor allowed James to use his experience and connections in the
Nashville community to help bring diversity awareness and policy to
local Nashville government.
James has served as Executive Director
for 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee; managing the organization’s
administrative support services, recruiting members and coordinating the
youth activities. He has also served as the Community Services Director
of Edgehill Center, Inc., where he established several successful
programs for youth. He used art as a teaching tool to educate youth on
the importance of staying drug-free and in school. James became a
nationally recognized artist and advocate of the arts and has received
many awards in his career not only for this gift, but also for his
involvement with numerous organizations. In 1994 he received the
Metropolitan Jaycees Distinguished Service Award. He has received
national recognition for a mural program he established and received an
Emmy Award in 1994 for a mural created for the Viacom Television
Network.
He was named CSAAM Man of the Year in
1997 and in 1998 the YMCA Black Achievers Program named him "Achiever of
the Year".
James' gift as an artist took him to
South Africa in 1995 to create a mural with South African art students.
During his trip he also had the
opportunity to visit with President Nelson Mandela. James was also the
co-illustrator of a successful children's book series that has been
featured on Sesame Street.
James' past experience in community
program development and community relations make him a valuable asset to
Skanska as the Diversity Program Director. In this role, James will be
responsible for identifying Women and Minority-owned businesses to
participate in procurement opportunities with Skanska. James will also
serve as a community liaison working with youth organizations, mentoring
programs, and marketing initiatives.
Michael J. McBride
Biographical sketch
Michael J. McBride, a
native Tennessean, earned his undergraduate degree in art, from
Tennessee State University and his graduate degree in painting from
Illinois State University, where he credits Dr. Harold Gregor with
providing a world class artistic mentorship. Currently, as an instructor
of art at Tennessee State University and former Adjunct faculty at
Watkins College of Art and Design and Film school, his commitment to the
Nashville art world's future has always been at the forefront of his own
career. McBride has served as lead artist on many community-based
projects in Nashville, Sister Cities Mural Projects as well as Nashville
International Airport's Arts in the Airport program. Michael is
currently a member of the Board of Trustees for the Frist Visual Art
Center in Nashville and the Board of Family and Children Service.
McBride
was featured in Visions of My
People, sixty years of
African American art in Tennessee, an exhibit organized by the Tennessee
State Museum and one of his pieces was purchase for their permanent
collection. He was one of twelve Nashville artists selected by The
Tennessean newspaper for inclusion in the Millennium 2000
Collection, a signal honor. Another honor was the Side by Side sister
cities exhibition with Belfast, Northern Ireland, featuring 17 artists
from Nashville and 17 artists from Ireland. His most recent honor was
the summer of 2005, a ten weeks artist in residence in Bermuda with the
MasterWorks Museum of Bermuda Art. His current body of work titled “Too
Black Too Fast” is a traveling exhibition of art about African- American
jockeys and trainers. McBride’s work is included in both private and
corporate collections in the US and abroad. His work has been featured
on television sitcoms, such as "Living Single", "The Wayans Bros. Show",
and "The Jamie Foxx Show". Michael has also illustrated children's books
and book covers for several publishing groups. Currently McBride is
under the management of Derell Stinson.
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