About the artist:

Born Oct. 12, 1938, Jon graduated from Lakewood High School in Lakewood OH. After serving in the U.S. Army, he attended Ohio University in Athens, OH from which he received B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Painting and Printmaking. Following receipt of his undergraduate degree, he was selected as the very first Fellow (1964-66) at the Tamarind Institute in Los Angeles. Printing the works of established and emerging artists, it was a formative time in his career as the Institute and its fellows were intensely involved in reviving printmaking as an art form. Beckley joined Carnegie Mellon as an assistant professor in 1979 and gave 34 years of dedicated service to the School of Art until his retirement in 2013. Beckley had great breadth in his artistic practice. In his own work and in his classes he covered painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation and site-specific projects. "He inspired generations of students to experiment, explore and discover the joy and fulfillment there can be in making art," said John Carson, head of the School of Art. "Jon was instrumental in developing international links for the School of Art and worked tirelessly at setting up exchanges and residencies for our students and visiting students from around the world. He approached his life and his work with optimism, enthusiasm and generosity." His colleague Susanne Slavick said Beckley was "a fixer-upper with a positive attitude, who always offered encouragement, a kind word, a joke, a smile, or all of the above.” His prints and paintings have been exhibited widely and are in numerous collections around the world. As his teaching expanded to include conceptual art, his own work grew to include art installations. Jon was beloved by the many students whose careers he helped advance. He took pride in their success and remained in touch with many long after their graduation. His influence on the Pittsburgh arts community was expanding. Upon his retirement he was excited to join the board of the avant-garde Pittsburgh performance group Squonk Opera.