Karen Davies

Foundation studies professor emerita

Professor emerita, foundation studies, 2022–present, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

Professor, foundation studies, 1990–2022, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA

Project Director, 2007, Patrick Dougherty’s Home Sweet Home installation at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, SC

Arts in Education Program Director, 2001–07, Island School Council for the Arts, Hilton Head Island, SC

Director of Exhibitions, 1989–90, Kentuck Museum, Northport, AL
Secured corporate funding for exhibitions, negotiated with artists, galleries, and private collectors to secure exhibit items. Conceived, developed, and organized all aspects of exhibitions.

Adjunct Faculty, 1989–90, University of Alabama Department of Art, Tuscaloosa, AL
Taught courses in Drawing II.

Proprietor, 1986–89, Deckled Edges
Developed, marketed, and sold fine handmade papers. Secured national accounts, including placing product in a major department store. Realized 75% increase in sales over a three-year period.

Foundations Faculty, 1986–88, Central Piedmont Community College Department of Art, Charlotte, NC
Taught courses in 2D and 3D design. Developed, marketed, and instructed workshops on papermaking throughout the Southeastern United States.

Freelance Architectural Model Fabricator, 1986
Marketed personal independent services as a model fabricator to architectural and design firms as well as other clients, including Joe Sonderman, Designs, and National Bank of North Carolina.

Marketing Aid, 1984–85, Clark, Tribble, Harris and Li, Architects and Engineers, Charlotte, NC
Developed models of architectural designs as a marketing aid for company accounts.

Independent Contractor and Freelance Artist, 1983–84
Developed, marketed, and instructed workshops for artists, working on independent art projects and commissions.

Faculty, 1982–83, Averett College, Danville, VA
Faculty member and visiting artist with general teaching responsibilities. Fellowship recipient, South Carolina Arts Commission.

Director of Huntington Gallery, 1981–82, University of South Carolina Art Department, Columbia, SC

Instructor (Assistantship), 1979–82, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC

Gallery Assistant, 1976–77, Gallery 11 at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

Vulcan Materials Company Teaching Excellence Award presented by Vulcan Materials Company Southeast Division and Georgia Independent College Association, 2011
Presidential Fellowship for Faculty Development, Savannah College of Art and Design, 2008
Recipient of Access to Artistic Excellence Grant Award from the National Endowment for the Arts for the Island School Council for the Arts Patrick Dougherty Installation at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, SC 2006–07
U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program, International Education Administrators Seminar to Germany, peer review committee, 2005–07
U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program Award, International Education Administrators Seminar to Germany, 2004

Sketchbook development panel presentation, Embracing Sketchbook Reluctance, Southeastern College Art Conference, Mobile, Alabama, 2009
Poster Session: No Translation Required: Artists' Books in Germany and Georgia, Fulbright Association's 32nd Annual Conference, Mutual Understanding Amid Global Economic Challenges, Washington, D.C., 2009
QEP Pilot Project Public Art Theory and Practice Design Charrette panelist: Public Art: Within the Socio-Political Landscape; Relational Aesthetics, Community Strategies and the Public and Public Space Design Innovative Approaches to Land Use, SCAD-Atlanta, 2009
No Translation Required: Artists' Books in Germany and Georgia, Savannah College of Art and Design off-campus program, Germany, 2009
Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, bookmaking workshop and lecture, 1999
Yunan Art Institute, cultural exchange presentation, Kunming, China, 1996
Rangsit University, visiting lecturer, Bangkok, Thailand, 1996
Mimar Sinan University, papermaking workshop, Istanbul, Turkey, 1994
Marmara University, papermaking lecture, Istanbul, Turkey, 1994
Robert College, bookmaking and papermaking workshops, Istanbul, Turkey, 1994
American School in London, papermaking and bookmaking workshops, London, England, 1994
Southeastern College Art Conference, Image Makers; 3D, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1989
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Southern Accents Fine Arts Festival, guest lecturer, 1987