2021 Smoky Hill

After graduating from Wichita State University in 1965,  “Skip” Harwick began teaching at Fort Hays State. Though primarily a painter in oils, he also created works in watercolor, intaglio, ink, and various three-dimensional media. 

He had many interests and created an artificial marble from which he designed and fabricated jewelry pieces resembling jade or ivory. Skip continued his teaching career at Fort Hays until shortly before his death in 1981.

The HAC proudly hosted a retrospective of Skip’s work in the Fall of 2018, His daughter, Kirsten Harwick Mills, has provided for commemorative Smoky Hill Awards in her father’s memory. This year’s recipients were “Fortress” by Jee Hwang and “The Big Love Squash” by Tobias Flores

John C. Thorns, Jr. was a professor of art at Fort Hays State University from 1954 to 1990, becoming department chair in 1973. He was a founder and president of the Hays Arts Council and served on the Kansas Arts Commission’s visual arts advisory panel. He was also instrumental in the development of the celebrated Hadley Foundation Art Collection at Hays Medical Center, serving as the collection’s consultant until his death in 2014. 

John was a prolific artist and garnered numerous awards for his work. FHSU’s Moss Thorns Gallery of Art bears his name and that of his predecessor Joel Moss.

Warren Taylor, a former student of Thorns now living in San Angelo, TX, provides this special annual award in his name.