The Life of Artist Marc Wurmbrand

Crafton Hills College (CHC) will hold a Celebration of Life for Marc Wurmbrand, former art faculty member who passed away last September. The celebration will be held in the CHC Art Gallery on Saturday, April 12th, from 2 to 5 p.m. and will feature his art. Wurmbrand was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Wurmbrand graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University in 1965. The art department at the University of Texas, Austin embraced Wurmbrand’s classically trained talent as well as his unique vision and natural gift for teaching. Wurmbrand later taught at San Bernardino Valley College, leaving to found the art department at Crafton Hills College. During his 35-year tenure there, he would receive honors for Teacher of the Year, warmly offering his talent to generations of students. Marc Wurmbrand brought a wide-open, experiential approach to his teaching and his artwork. Throughout his career Wurmbrand taught with focus, care, humor and passion. Every student was treated to the full force of his education and expertise. Across 50 years, Marc Wurmbrand participated in shows at San Bernardino Valley College, Crafton Hills College, Cooper Union, Yale University, University of Texas, Austin, University of California, Los Angeles as well as commercial venues. In a reflection on coming of age as an artist amidst Rothko, DeKooning, Guston, Pollack, and Kline, Wurmbrand wrote, “Painting was not about making pictures; it was a journey to another space and time.” This retrospective show represents the depth and breadth of Wurmbrand’s work, spanning the abstract introspection of his early work, to the essential simplicity of his last work in progress.