Robert Blunk, a noted Midwest regional artist and educator, died peacefully on October 21, 2023, in Denver, where he resided for the past 12 years although he always considered himself a Kansan.
His studio in Denver was filled with his art, which he continued to create until shortly before his death. He was actively involved in planning a retrospective show of his work at the Salina Arts Center in Salina, KS, held from September 20 to October 29, 2023. He would have turned 100 in December. His seven-decade career encompassed painting, sculpture, and public designs and installations in museums and galleries.
Born in 1923 in Salyards, KS, he served in the Pacific with the Marine Corps in World War II. Upon his return to Kansas, he was accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the GI Bill to study engineering. His entrance was deferred one semester, during which time he took college art classes that changed the trajectory of his life. He studied art at the Kansas City Art Institute, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1950. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts (sculpture) at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and worked toward his doctorate at the University of New Mexico.
After graduation from art school, Blunk taught K-12 and community college art in Chanute, KS. He joined the art faculty of Pittsburg State in 1962. A sabbatical with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture and an artist-in-residence at Dickey Clay Manufacturing in Pittsburg highlighted his career. While at Dickey Clay, he created extruded red terracotta sculptures that became some of his most iconic works.
He retired from Pittsburg State in 1988 but didn’t slow down. He was the co-creator of the Etcetra Studio, a group of talented artists that created super graphics and murals throughout the four-state area. They also sold bicycles. As with any artist, Blunk's style evolved over the years. But "there are themes that resurface throughout his work – both in the paintings and the sculpture," wrote curator Stephanie Jackson Dillon in the catalog for his retrospective at the Salina Art Center, his last solo exhibition. She went on to reflect that "a consistent exploration of space and color is evidenced in both his two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. ... His interests — ranging from Egyptian art to the Wright brothers — are often referenced in his pieces." Blunk's work is easy to find in many public spaces; for example, the “Chanute-Wright Brothers Memorial” in Chanute KS; courthouses in Erie and Burlington, KS; Emprise Bank in Wichita; permanent collections in several museums, including the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS, the Schingoethe Center in Aurora, IL, and the New England Foundation for the Arts in Boston; and in many private collections. Blunk's sketchbooks and papers are archived at Kansas State University. Much of his artwork is now housed by the 6th Floor Project in McCook, NE, where his artwork was featured at the opening in October 2023. His work has been featured in exhibitions at the Kansas City Art Institute and in numerous venues in Philadelphia, including Borelli’s Chestnut Hill Gallery.
He is survived by his wife, Diane Kelly; sons Scott Blunk (Lisa Kay) of Philadelphia, and Judd Blunk (Cyndy) of Woodacre, CA; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
His daughter, Rebecca Blunk, died in 2014. His first wife, Katherine, died in 2007 after 62 years of marriage.
He is also survived by his sisters, Pat Justice of Carbondale, IL, and Nancy Bradley of Lincoln, NE.
Also surviving are many friends and colleagues gained through his art and love of life in general. Scott Blunk said of his dad, “His motto, and eventually our family motto, is ‘Leave the campsite better than you found it.’ I think he got that done.”
Funeral services will be private. Memorials may be made to the 6th Floor Project: www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=GNH4FD99VEJPW
