Richard & Joyce Monson Family Endowed Scholarship in Art

The Richard & Joyce Monson Family Endowed Scholarship in Art is available through the UCM Alumni Foundation for a first-year art student in good academic standing at UCM who completes all of the application requirements. This scholarship is made possible by way of a generous gift from Richard and Joyce Monson.

Please note that consideration for art scholarships requires a digital portfolio of 15-20 pieces of recent work which may include drawings and two- and three-dimensional pieces. This must be submitted by navigating to one of the following links:

• Current Students
  https://ucmartdesign.wufoo.com/forms/z1xqxag71x8d0dm/

• Freshman & Transfer
  https://ucmartdesign.wufoo.com/forms/zs2tglb1ahctip/

Contact the Art Department office at 660-543-4481 with questions.

A life-long interest in art developed for a rural Kansas youth at the age of six during art classes at his school. Richard Monson’s interest was deepened while attending Hutchinson Junior College where he received an Associate of Arts degree. Richard was then awarded a full tuition scholarship from the Kansas City Art Institute and in 1960, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and entered the University of Oklahoma. In one year, he completed the Master of Fine Arts degree and secured a position as Instructor of Art at Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos.
In the fall of 1965, the teaching position became available at UCM (then CMSU), and the young family of four moved to Missouri. UCM Emeritus faculty member Richard Monson taught art and design classes from 1965 until his retirement in 1997. During his teaching career, he inspired students and transformed and expanded the scope of art and design education. In 1996, as Chair of the Department, Monson was able to secure institutional accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, a major step up for the Department.

As an artist and a man of many talents and accomplishments, Monson received numerous awards and distinctions. His work has been shown in many exhibits regionally, nationally, and internationally. He has curated shows here and in Europe and, over the years, has created many works of art including murals, portraits, sculptures, and book illustrations. He continues to create his own works while still bringing art to the public by organizing shows/events and helping today’s inspired youth achieve their goals through this endowment.

“Most of us are not whole beings,” according to Richard Monson. “We marry to complete the package. Joyce and I are team players. My wife of 64 years is a very careful numbers person. For me, ‘close enough is good enough.’ But for her, there is no margin for error. Her attention to detail made her valuable to Hallmark Cards where she worked as an order filler, receiving clerk, and trainer in Kansas City where we dated and later married. Her care for detail and numbers also made her a valuable employee at Citizens Bank in Warrensburg and Chilhowee. We both believe life is a team effort, and our life together is a testament to that principle.”

Richard’s family includes his lovely wife, Joyce, their son John, and his wife, Ruth (Lichte); their daughter, Janet, and her husband, Brady Bryan; as well as five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. The couple continues to enjoy their natural surroundings from the house Richard and Joyce designed and built in 1969-70.

This scholarship endowment is in honor of a scholarship Richard received that provided him an avenue to a 32-year professional career and a life-long dedication to creating and teaching about art. That initial opportunity, the memory of his many wonderful students and colleagues at UCM, along with the fine education both his children received, combined to develop a strong loyalty to UCM and a desire to provide opportunities for others.

“And so, in the final analysis, this endowment is in celebration of the good fortune of being part of the wonderful UCM family in the great state of Missouri,” stated Richard Monson.