Robert L. Bornhuetter

Robert L. Bornhuetter

Died: November 20, 2020; DeKalb

Robert L. Bornhuetter, 85, of DeKalb, Illinois, died Friday, November 20, 2020, at Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb. His family will miss him deeply.

Robert was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1935, received his Bachelor of Science degree with Senior Honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1957. During the required period of military activity, he applied for graduate admission and assistantship funding at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and was admitted and awarded a graduate assistantship within the Department of Art for a 2- year period. He completed the Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking program with graduation in 1960.

He taught serigraphy, art history and remedial English and was the curator of the Art History Slide Collection at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland from 1960 to 1961. He then received an appointment in 1961 as Head of the Department of Art at Nazareth College of Kentucky in Bardstown where he developed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program which received accreditation in 1962. During his tenure at Nazareth College of Kentucky, he taught courses in art history, printmaking, drawing, crafts, ceramics, sculpture, design, and painting. Varied additional teaching experience was gained at Spalding College and Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky from 1963 to 1969. He joined the faculty of the School of Art at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 1969 and further developed his skills in all aspects of printmaking (with special emphasis in lithography), graduate seminars, all levels of drawing (basic, life, intermediate, advanced, and graduate), and beginning courses in illustration.

As a Full Professor of Art, Bornhuetter was the Director of the Graduate Programs in Art in the School of Art at Northern Illinois University from 1974 to 1977, Chair of the Fine Arts Studio Division from 1978 to 1988, and again directed the Graduate Programs in Art from 1992 to 1996 while instructing courses in lithography, intaglio and graduate seminars. He was also active in off-campus (Outreach) course instruction in the Illinois communities of Palatine, Hoffman Estates, Villa Park, Glen Ellyn, and Statesville Prison in Joliet. He retired from university teaching in July, 1996.

He has had numerous national, regional, and local invitational and competitive exhibitions with some international exhibition exposure. He has served as a juror for an impressive amount of competitive exhibitions including one in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Invitations have been and continue to be extended to him to create and publish editions of his personal artistry by Grafica Uno of Milan, Italy and Ymagos, Atelier de Arte, Ltda. of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

He is survived by his three children he loved dearly, Julia Bornhuetter Cyrier (Dave Ubell), Laura Gordon (Tom) and Ron Bornhuetter; seven grandchildren that lit up his life, Johnathan Cyrier, Brittany Gordon Heiden, Tyler Gordon, Kristin Colloton, Jake Gordon, Natale Swinbank and Sydni Bornhuetter and his former spouse and mother of his children, Joy Winters.

A private family service will be held and a celebration of life at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Robert L. Bornhuetter Memorial Fund, addressed to the Bornhuetter Family in care of Anderson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 605, 2011 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, IL 60115.

For information, visit www.AndersonFuneralHomeLtd.com or call 815-756-1022.