Obituary of Dr. Andrew Jay Svedlow

Andrew Jay Svedlow passed away on November 24, 2021 surrounded by his family at age 65, after succumbing to head and neck cancer.

Andrew was an artist, poet, and educator born in Stamford, Connecticut on December 9, 1955, to parents Bernard Svedlow and Shirley Svedlow (neé Bush). He spent his childhood in and around Stamford with his older brothers Donald and Gerald. Andrew swam competitively in high school and made lifelong friends during his formative years in Stamford. After a trip to China in his teens Andrew developed a passion for Asian art and aesthetics which was fostered and encouraged by family friend and holocaust survivor Dina Pise. Andrew went on to study art and to flourish as an accomplished educator and artist.

Andrew studied fine arts at George Washington University where he earned his BA.  He completed his Master’s Degree in Leadership in Museum Education at the Bank Street College of Education in 1982 and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1985 from Pennsylvania State University. He has also studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the East-West Center in Hawaii, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Kansai Seminar Center in Kyoto, Japan.

For the past 16 years, Dr. Svedlow inspired young artists and students with his wit, knowledge, and passion at the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) in Greeley where he taught art education, art history, arts administration, aesthetics, and studio art. Andrew was the former Dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at UNCO, as well as the former Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Andrew previously taught at Penn State, Bank Street College of Education, Parsons School of Design, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Lowell, University of Kansas, New York University, University of Southern Mississippi, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Svedlow was a 1991 International Council of Museums/USIA exchange partner in Australia, a 1994 Research Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution, and a cultural exchange ambassador to Niigata, Japan. In 1996, Dr. Svedlow was presented the Distinguished Service to the Profession of Art Education Award by the New Hampshire Art Educators’ Association. He directed and administered museum and education programs for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Design, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University. He was a 2007 Fulbright Scholar for the Japan-US International Education program and a Fulbright Scholar again in 2010 to Ukraine.

Andrew was a prolific and accomplished artist, primarily in the non-objective and contemporary styles. Andrew’s work was shown in more than 40 exhibitions across the world, including New York, Colorado, Canada, and Ukraine. For the past decade Andrew was key in setting the direction for Artworks Center for Contemporary Art in Loveland as a member of the initial board, resident artist and integral contributor to the Colorado arts and poetry community. Andrew’s style evoked his surroundings, was a translation of human emotions, and reflected his empathy for humanity and natural beauty. 

Andrew’s joyous life was focused on family, education, culture, art, and a love of nature. His passion for knowledge, his gentle demeanor, and kindness left a lasting impact on friends, family, and students. A dignified, intelligent, kind, funny, and creative man he was at times goofy especially with his partner, his children, and grandchildren. Andrew loved life deeply, he appreciated the beauty in the mundane and the profound; he loved his work, his art, his family, and his partner. Andrew was a brilliant flame that sparked immense joy in all that knew him.

“Nothing is wasted, all is spent. I rise with the music and the clouds, into the fading blue sky. My heart immersed in the sweeping grandeur. And everything calls.” – Andrew

Andrew is survived by his partner Lisa Wolff, his brother Gerald (Cathy), his children Aaron (Stephanie), David (Claire), Hannah, Zoe, and Summer, and his grandchildren Torin, Helen, Maeve, Adeline, and Josephine.

Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday November 28, 2021, at Balfour at Riverfront Park, Denver, CO.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of these organizations:

Loveland Visual Arts Commission

503 N. Lincoln Ave.

Loveland, CO 80537

Loveland Integrated School of the Arts, https://www.thompsontef.org/

Thompson Education Foundation

800 S. Taft Ave.

Loveland, CO 80537

Artworks Center for Contemporary Art

310 N Railroad

Loveland, CO 80537

Think 360 Arts https://think360arts.org/