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ISU To Name College Of Fine Arts And School Of Art For Alum And World Famous Artist

picture of ISU Center for the Performing Arts
Illinois State University
ISU will name its College of Fine Arts for a world famous alum, Wonsook Kim, during a ceremony next month.

Illinois State University will name its College of Fine Arts and School of Art for graduate Wonsook Kim.

ISU is not yet saying how much money Kim and her husband, medical device inventor Thomas Clement, are giving the college. Naming rights for past buildings at the university have gone for tens of millions.

This will be a naming for the college and the school, not for a specific structure. It is not a naming for the long deferred fine arts complex capital project.

ISU plans a naming event Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. Just last spring, ISU granted Kim an honorary doctorate for her contributions to the art world on Founders Day.

Kim has credited ISU faculty Ken Holder, Harold Gregor, Rodney Carswell, and Harold Boyd for shaping her artistic journey. The United Nations named her artist of the year in 1995. She uses drawing, painting, and sculpture to communicate the beauty in everyday life.

Kim has three degrees from ISU: a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Arts, and a Master of Fine Arts. She entered the University in 1972 and has since built a successful career with more than 60 exhibitions.

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WGLT Senior Reporter Charlie Schlenker has spent more than three award-winning decades in radio. He lives in Normal with his family.
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