Professor of Art Honored with Seventh University Professor Title
Kenneth Steinbach ’83 becomes the first Bethel alumnus to earn University Professor recognition.
By Suzanne McInroy, director of communications
July 23, 2018 | Noon
University Professor of Art Kenneth Steinbach
Kenneth Steinbach ’83 has been named University Professor of Art, becoming the seventh Bethel faculty member to earn University Professor recognition. The distinction honors full-time faculty members for sustained excellence in scholarship, teaching, research, or creative activity in their field.
Steinbach received his Bachelor of Art in sculpture from Bethel in 1983—making him the first alumnus to receive the university professor title. He received his Master of Fine Arts in 1986 from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Steinbach joined the Bethel faculty in 2001, with seven years of full-time college teaching experience.
“As an artist, Ken’s exhibition record is remarkable both in scope and frequency,” Executive Vice President and Provost Deb Harless wrote in her university professor announcement. “He has exhibited his work more than 50 times since 2009 and in places around the country and the world. It is clear his work is valued by his peers in the art community.”
Steinbach has received the prestigious Arlin G. Meyer Prize in Visual Arts through the Lilly Fellows Program and was selected for the Nagel Institute’s Matter and Spirit project. He contributes to the broader art community through his leadership in Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) and his service to a number of galleries in the Twin Cities.
Steinbach contributes to the wider scholarly community through the publication of his recent book, Creative Practices for Visual Artists: Time, Space, Process. Steinbach, along with student Emily Swanberg, received an Edgren Scholars Program award to support their work on the project.
At Bethel, Steinbach teaches “Three Dimensional Visual Thinking,” “Sculpture,” “Senior Seminar in Art,” and “Creative Practices,” recently working with students on a large-scale piece to be displayed outdoors at Silverwood Park. He has been awarded the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award by his faculty colleagues and has mentored many Bethel students since joining the faculty in 2001.
About Ken Steinbach
Steinbach is a professor in Bethel’s growing Department of Art and Design, which offers Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in art, visual arts education K-12, and graphic design; a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.); and minors in art and graphic design.