Feature Stories
Hubert Massey, '83
Before his graduation from Grand Valley State University, Hubert Massey, ‘83, was selected by the University to study art at the University of London. There, he learned the importance of combining art and architecture in the initial phases of construction. For the next 12 years, Massey worked as a pictorial painter for Gannet Outdoor Sign Company. During this time, he began his self-study of art restoration and conservation.
With this knowledge, Massey has been commissioned to join in several artistic programs such as the Detroit Council of the Arts, Detroit Summer Youth Employment Program, and the Advanced Gifted and Talented Program.
Under the guidance of Stephen Dimitroff and Lucienne Bloch, two apprentices of Diego Rivera, Massey participated in a Fresco workshop in 1995. His fresco, Importing and Exporting of Knowledge is displayed in the Richard DeVos building at Grand Valley State University’s downtown campus. Other pieces include his mural Death of Hector, petrograph carving History of Detroit, and a trompe l’oeil (trick the eye) painting at the University of Michigan.
Massey has been Artist in Residence for the Ruth Mott Foundation and Grand Valley State University. He has earned other such recognitions as the Spirit of Detroit Award, winner of the Terrazzo Floor Design Contest (where his piece, Genealogy, is still on display). He is also the recipient of the Dr. Alain Locke Recognition Award, as well as a membership to the National Society of Mural Painters in New York.
Massey is currently president of Hubert Massey Murals which focuses on creating community art projects. He and his wife, Marquitta, have four children.
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