Campus News

Intellectual Achievement Medallion Goes to Artist

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 1, 2011) − Illustrator, painter and alumnus Adalin Wichman will receive the 2011 University of Kentucky Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement. The award will be presented to the medallion winner at the UK Libraries National Advisory Board Annual Dinner scheduled for April 13, at the Signature Club, located at 3200 Lansdowne Drive, in Lexington. This year's dinner will feature a talk by author, educator and UK alumnus Eric Moyen, who recently released a biography on former UK president Frank McVey.

The UK Libraries National Advisory Board Annual Dinner is open to the public and will begin with a reception a 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13. The dinner will follow at 7 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $60. Individuals wishing to attend should reserve a space at the dinner by Tuesday, April 5. To make a reservation, contact Sherree Osborne at (859) 257-0500 ext. 2158 or to sosbo3@email.uky.edu. Tickets will be held at door.

The UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement recognizes high intellectual achievement while encouraging education and promoting creativity throughout the Commonwealth. Candidates must have been born in Kentucky or studied, worked or lived in Kentucky for at least three years and have demonstrated intellectual excellence in a scientific, artistic, literary, social or humanitarian venue or who have produced some original work or contribution of lasting value. Past recipients of the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement include Wendell Berry, James Still, Bobbie Ann Mason and William Markesbery.

Born in Paris, Ky., Adalin Wichman is an internationally acclaimed painter, sculptor, illustrator and designer from central Kentucky. She is a magna cum laude graduate of UK with a bachelor's degree in English, member of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Society of Arts and Letters, and winner of numerous awards and honors during her illustrious career. After spending a few years abroad, Wichman accepted a position creating fashion illustration for Hymson’s in downtown Lexington.  From that she began a long association with the Keeneland Association, depicting horses and their environs on billboards, brochures and programs. In 1971, Wichman was commissioned by the Thoroughbred Racing Association to design the Eclipse Award trophy. One of her best known works is the "Foucault Pendulum Clock" in the atrium of the Lexington Public Library-Central Libary. The clock project, commissioned by late philanthropist Lucille Little, includes a terrazzo-mosaic floor map and horse racing frieze that circles the upper tier of the atrium.

Wichman’s work is held in many public and private collections including the Kentucky Derby Museum; Museum of Racing in Saratoga, N.Y.; UK Markey Cancer Center; Lexington History Museum; UK Lucille C. Little Fine Arts Library and Learning Center; Kentucky Horse Park; and the personal collection of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth II. She has received the Hellenic Ideals Award and the William R. Markesbery Senior Star Award, and she was featured in a 2005 solo exhibition, “Seeing Joy,” at the Headley-Whitney Museum.

Eric Moyen is associate professor of education and director of first-year programs at Lee University. A graduate of Taylor University, he earned his master's degree in history at the University of Alabama and his doctoral degree in educational policy studies and evaluation at UK.  While at UK He received the “Teacher Who Made a Difference” award and was a finalist for the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Moyen's research and writing interests focus on history and policy in higher education. He is the author of "Frank L. McVey and the University of Kentucky: A Progressive President and the Modernization of a Southern University," recently published by the University Press of Kentucky. His essays and reviews have appeared in the History of Education Quarterly and Inside Higher Ed.

The educator has also conducted research on the impact of international education experiences while directing cross-cultural student-teaching trips to Greece and Ghana.  Moyen serves as the primary professor of pedagogy and Lee University liaison for Teach American History grants.

As the major research library in the Commonwealth, UK Libraries provides comprehensive access to information essential to teaching, research and service at UK. The library system includes 12 facilities; more than 3.7 million volumes; more than 31,000 current periodical titles; more than 400 networked electronic resources; and 45,450 electronic journals accessible on and off campus.