M. Blair Ligon · Artist's Resumé
Awards for Computer Images and Other Artworks
Arts Community
Juried Shows
Invitational Shows
Teaching
Publications
| M. Blair Ligon won his first art competition in 1962 and built his first computer (from a kit!) in 1966. Blair holds a Master's degree in product design and a BA in psychology. In 1989, he became the first computer artist to be juried into Raleigh's Artspace and to receive an Emerging Artists Grant from the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. Ligon has been a free-lance designer and the owner of Graphiconsultants since 1985. His clients have included IBM, the North Carolina Museum of History, and Progress Energy (CP&L). He teaches typography, digital imaging, electronic media, web and print design. Ligon has served on the faculties of Wake Technical College, the NCSU College of Design, and Meredith College, where he served as Chair of Academic and Co-Curricular Technology.
Blair has participated in at least 23 invitational shows, including 8 solo shows, and has received at least 22 awards for computer images and other artworks in over 56 juried exhibitions. He has also been the juror for numerous art exhibitions. |
Selected Honors and Awards
1st Place, Digital Media
The Artist's Magazine
2009 All-Media Online International Competition
Honorable Mention
Cary Photographic Artists, Cary Senior Center, Raleigh, NC
2008 First Annual Open Juried Photographic Exhibition
juror: Brian Shawcroft, architect and photographer for Canadian Architect
1st Place
Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, Cary, NC
2007 Picture This
juror: Bill Hester, Bill Hester Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
2nd Place
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2007 Scope: the North Carolina landscape
juror: Edie Carpenter, curator of the GreenHill Center for NC Art, Greensboro, NC
3rd Place
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2007 Line
juror: Linda Doughterty, Curator of Contemporary Art, NC Museum of Art
2nd Place
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2007 Room With a View
juror: Lee Tripi, Lee Tripi Interior Design
Honorable Mention
Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem, NC
2006 The American Landscape, national competition
juror: John W. Coffey, Chief Curator, NC Museum of Art
Juror's Choice (1st Place, Higher Education)
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2006 Educators Show
juror: Marty Baird, Raleigh Contemporary Gallery
Honorable Mention
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2005 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
Juror's Choice Award
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2004 The New Show
1st Place, Professional Graphics
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
2003 Professional Fine Arts Competition
Merit Award
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2001 New Works Exhibition
juror: Ann Roth, Curator of the Gallery of Art and Design, NCSU, Raleigh, NC
2nd Place, Professional Graphics
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
1998 Professional Fine Arts Competition
Honorable Mention
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
1998 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
Merit Award
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1996 The Exquisite Corpse
2nd Place, Professional Graphics
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
1995 Professional Fine Arts Competition
Honorable Mention, Graphics
The Hines Gallery, Rocky Mount, NC
1995 38th Annual National Juried Exhibition
Best Agricultural Scene
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
1994 Professional Fine Arts Competition
1st Place, Other Media
Springs Industries, Inc., Lancaster, SC
1993 35th Springs Art Show
juror: Madeline Grynsztezn, Curator of 20th Century Art, Art Institute of Chicago
Honorable Mention, Professional Graphics
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
1993 Professional Fine Arts Competition
Honorable Mention, Graphics
The Hines Gallery, Rocky Mount, NC
1993 36th Annual National Juried Exhibition
1st Place, Graphics
Springs Industries, Inc., Lancaster, SC
1992 34th Springs Art Show, travelling show
juror: Ann Timkins, Curator of 20th Century Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art
City of Raleigh Arts Commission
1989-90 Emerging Artist Grant
The Governor's Conference on
Women and the Economy, Raleigh, NC
wordmark and identity chosen by the
North Carolina State Legislature
Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology
1976 University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
National Merit Scholar
1974
Arts Community
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1995-2004 Board of Directors
2001-2007 Standards Committee Chair
1990-1997 Gallery Committee
1989-present computer artist, painter
Visual Arts Exchange, Raleigh, NC
member since 2004
Raleigh Goat Walk, Raleigh, NC
2006 Public art project and fundraiser
Coptic Bookbinding Workshop/Dan Essig, 2005
White Oak Pottery, Durham, NC
Printmaking Workshop/Kenneth Kerslake, 2004
Penland School Of Crafts, Penland, NC
Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble, Raleigh, NC
2001 Public art project and fundraiser
Raleigh Little Theatre, Raleigh, NC
1992-93 judge, Cantey Performance Awards
Murdoch Center, Butner, NC
1992-2004 computer arts instructor
A Very Special Arts Festival
Duke University, Durham, NC
1990 judge, Employees Arts and Crafts Show
Selected Juried Shows
Chapel Hill Public Arts, Chapel Hill, NC
2010 Natural Selections: An Ecological Photography Exhibition
jurors: anonymous
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2009 Scope: the North Carolina landscape
juror: David Steel, Curator of European Art, NC Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh, NC
2008 Blake Street Window
jurors: anonymous
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Progress Energy Center, Raleigh, NC
2008 North Carolina Artists Exhibition
juror: Dr. Lawrence J. Wheeler, Director, NC Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2007 New Works, Artspace artists
juror: Jerry Jackson, Exec Director, Imperial Centre, Rocky Mount, NC
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2007 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
juror: Brian Dursum, Director and Chief Curator, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Target Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA
2007 Trading Spaces, Artspace artists
jurors: Tanya Davis, Bev Ryan, Rosemary Luckett, Torpedo Factory
The Arts Center at the Imperial Centre, Rocky Mount, NC
2006 49th Annual National Juried Exhibition
juror: Carlo McCormick, Senior Editor of Paper Magazine
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2006 New Works, Artspace artists
juror: Jennifer Moore, Exec Dir Greenhill Center, Greensboro, NC
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2006 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
juror: Alison Greene, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary, NC
2005 Annual Exhibition
The Arts Center at the Imperial Centre, Rocky Mount, NC
2005 48th Annual National Juried Exhibition
juror: Geo. Hemphill, Hemphill Galley, Washington, D.C.
Arts Council of Wayne County, Goldsboro, NC
2005 26th Annual National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition,
juror: Ann Dearsley-Vernon, Director of Education at the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
Visual Arts Exchange, Moore Square Art District, Raleigh NC
2004 The New Show,
juror: Nicholas Bragg, retired Exec Director of Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC
NC State Fair, Raleigh, NC
2004 Professional Fine Arts Competition
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2002 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
juror: Cheryl Brutvan, Curator of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Kinston Art Center, Kinston, NC
2002 CCA Competitive Exhibition
Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary, NC
2000 Annual Exhibition
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1999 New Works, Artspace artists
Duke University Museum of Art, Durham, NC
1997 New Art in the Triangle
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1997 New Works, Artspace artists
Cary Cultural Arts Association, Cary, NC
1997 Annual Exhibition
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1996 The Other Self, North Carolina portrait artists
Duke Medical Center, Durham, NC
1995 Annual Exhibition
Durham Arts Guild, Durham, NC
1994 40th Annual Juried Art Show
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
1994 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
Durham Arts Guild, Durham, NC
1993 39th Annual Juried Art Show
City Municipal Building, Raleigh, NC
1993 Emerging Artists Exhibition
Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
1993 Raleigh Fine Arts Society Artists Exhibition
Kinston Art Center, Kinston, NC
1993 CCA Competitive Exhibition
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1992 City of Raleigh Emerging Artists Retrospective
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1990 New Works
Selected Invitational Shows of Computer Images
Clayton Visual Arts Center, Clayton, NC
2011 ONE
duo show w. Dianne T. Rodwell
Blair Ligon at The Clayton Center on YouTube.
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital, Raleigh, NC
Visual Arts Exchange
2009 Community Exchange Exhibit
solo show
Mims Gallery, Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC
2009 The Digital Life
solo show
Durham Art Guild, Durham, NC
2008 Salon de Refuse Exhibition
Roanoke Island Festival Park Gallery, Manteo, NC
Pocosin Arts Folk School
2007 Creative Diversions: Influences of Traditional NC Art and Craft Exhibition
curator: Jerry Jackson, Exec Director, Imperial Centre, Rocky Mount NC
Long View Gallery, Raleigh, NC
2007 Forever Lost? Exhibition
curator: Marty Baird, The Collectors Gallery
Ryazan State University, Ryazan, Russia
2006–2007 Wesleyan College Exchange Exhibition
Raleigh-Durham International Airport, RTP, NC
2006 Artspace Group Concourse Exhibition
Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2004 Multiple Perspectives by Kathlen Rieder
Collaboration with Ligon's Design Studio
Red Hat Headquarters, Raleigh, NC
2004 Solo Lobby Exhibition
Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh, NC
2004 Meredith College Art Faculty Exhibition
The Offices of Senator John Edwards, Raleigh, NC
2004 Artspace Member Exhibition
Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
2000–2004 Annual Faculty Exhibition
Mims Gallery, Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC
2001 Artspace Invitational Exhibition
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
2001 Solo Lobby Exhibition
Raleigh Ensemble Players, Raleigh, NC
1998 True West
2 person show
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1996, 1997 Without a Net 1 & 2
solo shows
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1994 Angels Bright and Dark
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1991-92 A is for Alan
solo installation
Theatre in the Park, Raleigh, NC
1991 Breaking the Code
solo show and installation
Duke University, Durham, NC
1990 Computer Graphics Exhibition
Artspace, Raleigh, NC
1989 Rumors of a Revolution
4 person show
Teaching
Review of Art Seniors for department accreditation, 2010, 2011
Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Art + Design, 2006–current
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Digital imaging, web design and new media.
Assistant Professor, Art, 2001–2005
Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor, 2000–2001
Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
Typography, digital imaging, 2-D and graphic design studios. Advisor to the Meredith yearbook and other college publications. Lecturer on art and science. Chair of Academic and Co-Curricular Technology Committee.
Industrial Drafting Instructor, Fall, 1979
Wake Technical Institute, Wake County, NC
Advisor Coordinator, 1975–1976
Personalized Learning Center, University of Florida
Responsible for the management, evaluation and instruction of 80 tutors and 1800 students in a university-wide research teaching program.
Blair has also taught numerous workshops.
Publications
1st place, Digital Media
The Artist's Magazine, March 2009
2009 All-Media Online Competition
South East Colleges Art Conference 2003,
Co-chair: Electronic Media Sessions.
Session Chair: Current Trends in Digital and Time-based Media
Paper: The Symbolism and Iconography of Noise in Digital Media.
Download the PDF.
The Journal of Neuroscience, December 1, 2001
A Functional Role for Intra-Axonal Protein Synthesis during Axonal Regeneration from Adult Sensory Neurons by Jun-Qi Zheng, Theresa K. Kelly, Bieshia Chang, Sergey Ryazantsev, Ayyappan K. Rajasekaran, Kelsey C. Martin, and Jeffery L. Twiss.
This article contains laser scanning confocal microscope images (3D) of ribosomal protein axon growth in human brain neurons enhanced (on a Mac) by Blair Ligon .
Faculty Advisor to Oakleaves, the Meredith College yearbook, 2000–05.
Faculty Advisor to The Colton Review, Meredith College journal of art, poetry and prose, 2001–05.
Citysearch web site, 6/19/99,
Paint by Numbers, an essay.