Eric L. Sweet left us suddenly on April 6, 2015, at age 44. Sweet was a beloved member of the MU Art faculty, having worked at MU since 2012 as an Adjunct Assistant Professor, teaching Printmaking, Drawing and 2-D Design courses. He was an alumnus of the Art department, having earned both his BFA (1997) and MFA (2011) from the University of Missouri. In 2008, he received an MA in Printmaking from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Sweet was an active member of the Southern Graphics Council International and the College Art Association.
To celebrate Eric’s life and positive role as an educator, The MU Art Program and Sweet’s wife, Catherine Armbrust, have established this fund to continue passing on his gift. Donations will support funding for The Eric Sweet Exhibition & Speaker Series through the George Caleb Bingham Gallery. As an undergrad, Sweet worked as a gallery assistant and built many of the pedestals still in use at Bingham today. As a graduate student and faculty member, Sweet was a regular fixture at every gallery exhibition, reception, and speaker possible. He strongly believed in the importance of community accessibility to art and encouraged meaningful conversations about the state of contemporary art. We believe that helping to fund an annual exhibition and speaker for the gallery would be the perfect way to make contemporary work accessible to the MU and Columbia communities, and to honor this special man who made an impact on so many lives.
Please consider donating to honor Eric Sweet’s legacy. As Eric (and his 4th grade teacher) might say, “You don’t HAVE to, you GET to.”