Tim Shuckerow has been labeled as Cleveland’s renaissance man. The John S. Diekhoff Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching recipient was a well-known and well-respected artist and faculty member in the department of art history and art. Tim passed away on July 22 at 71.
There was a celebration of life on Saturday, Aug. 5, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Read Tim Shuckerow’s obituary on cleveland.com.
The following was written by Betsy Bolman, professor and department chair, department of art history and art.
Cleveland’s renaissance man
Tim Shuckerow devoted his life to making and teaching about art. He directed the art studio and art education components of the Department of Art History and Art in the College of Arts and Sciences for thirty-two years, prior to retiring in 2020. These thriving parts of the college display both student and professional art twice a year in popular, packed events in the Art Studio Building at the corner of Adelbert and Murray Hill Roads.
Offering art classes to all students irrespective of school or previous experience, he and his colleagues provided important, creative and hands-on learning in the visual arts. The graduates of the master’s in art education that Tim taught have an excellent record of placement throughout Ohio and beyond. Tim served the Ohio Art Education Association (OAEA) in many capacities. In 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2020, they named him the OAEA Art Educator of the Year. In 2014 he received the John S. Diekhoff Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. He successfully raised funding for the renovation of the Cole Art Barn at the Squire Valleevue Farm (now University Farm) between 1997 and 2001, and to support the Art Education Program. Approximately one-third of the students Tim taught in his CWRU career come from underrepresented groups, the fruits of active recruitment.
Tim earned his bachelor’s in fine arts from the Cleveland Art Institute in 1975 and his masters in Art Education from CWRU in 1976. He also pursued non-degree granting educational experiences, including a Non-Profit Certificate from the Mandel School. Prior to working at CWRU, he taught graphic arts, design and painting at the Shaker Heights High School, the Ryan Jr. High School, the Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions in the area. He had an active life as a studio artist in his own right. He exhibited in Ohio and Pennsylvania, painted area murals and created works for theatrical and other arts events. In 1990, one of his collages was featured in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s juried May Show.
One of Tim’s passions was African art, which he collected and shared with schoolchildren. On a trip to Cameroon, he received the honorary title of “Woumbé Third-Ranking Counselor of Nine to the King of Bafounda, Fó Tchio,” in the Western Province. Tim fostered and collaborated with African American artists as well. The final exhibition that he co-organized with Georgio Sabino III in 2020 of African American Alumni received the title “Stellar African American Artists Alumni Exhibition at Case” in the Plain Dealer. In his own words, his “legacy is diversity.” “We’re teaching culture. It’s not just about how to do a watercolor painting, or how to teach a certain medium, but how to inspire the community.”