Always Invested

Billy Mayer, who died unexpectedly at his home on Saturday, Nov. 11, at age 64, made it clear that it was possible to take art seriously and still have fun.

As an example of the former, the sculptor-professor had this to say in a 1994 feature in The Grand Rapids Press: “I try to find the kind of voice a material has to offer, tapping into the tone and letting it become articulate.” Later in that same story, though, while reflecting on public art and on his use of materials such as aluminum and steel, his sense of whimsy also shows: “I’d love to paint the transformers at the power plant — one of them really looks like a kind of Cootie…”

Both dedication and good humor marked his approach to teaching at Hope, where for nearly four decades he was committed to helping students find their voice, investing in them whether or not they planned to become artists themselves. It began with classes like Basic Sculpture, with projects that might include giant cardboard assemblages or a massive plastic inflatable (all displayed on campus), and continued as he mentored during upper-level courses and helped guide those majoring in studio art.

Hope held a memorial service on campus on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and the college’s fall Juried Student Art Show, running in the De Pree Art Center and Gallery from Monday, Nov. 27, to Friday, Dec. 8, was dedicated in his memory. In addition, a student scholarship fund has been established in his name at Hope.

Survivors include his wife, Michel Conroy.