Robert Arthur Garrett

Robert (Bob) Arthur Garrett, beloved and inspiring West High art teacher, died November 18 at age 90.
Bob was an art teacher who encouraged many of his students to go on to achieve great things in the creative arts. He was the sweetest, funniest granddad of six, aka Papa Bob, who has left hilarious, lasting images upon the lives of his grandchildren: climbing trees in his eighties, waging war upon squirrels climbing the bird feeders, sledding down the back hill even while moaning that he was too old for such activity, and hoarding a prized donut he wasn't supposed to be eating. For his grandchildren, his friends' children and grandchildren, and hundreds of students at West High and in the Corning community, he was their first introduction to drawing, painting, and the wonderful world of the imagination.
Bob and his wife, Judy, arrived in Corning, NY in 1966 to make it their lifelong home, but life for Bob started in Summit Hill, PA, the tenth of eleven children of Thomas and Anna Garrett. Before college at Lycoming, where he met his future wife, he spent four years in the Navy from 1952-56, where he managed to find time on European bases to sneak out to galleries to see the works of Michelangelo, Picasso, and Monet. His interest in an artistic life rapidly grew. After receiving his BS from Lycoming College and his MS in Education from Elmira College, he studied lithography and etching at Nova Scotia College of Art & Design in Halifax, Nova Scotia, while on a grant from Corning Glass Works.
Bob taught art in the public schools of New York and Pennsylvania for 34 years, with 28 of those years at Corning-Painted Post West High School. He offered courses from Studio Art to Advertising and Design, Fashion Illustration, oils, screen printing, and ceramics. He was also the school's yearbook advisor and spent many years building and designing sets for the school plays.
In 1978-79, Bob and Judy packed up their two children and the family cat and headed to Taos, NM on a sabbatical year of art and adventurous living. They set up in a one-bedroom apartment above a library and art gallery, with Bob's easel in a corner of the living room next to their homemade wooden bed (not comfortable, but they were hardy pioneers). They spent the year immersed in art galleries and literary venues, studying the works and backgrounds of Georgia O'Keeffe, D.H. Lawrence, and Mabel Dodge Luhan. It was a formative year for the entire family and produced an incredible flowering of Bob's work as a landscape artist. Upon returning to Corning, he had art shows at 171 Cedar Street and later at Doris McKenzie's Centerway Gallery, and Lycoming College Juried Alumni Show in 2011. On his 80th birthday in 2014, his Wizard of Oz series of paintings was featured at the new Corning-Painted Post High School lobby, coinciding with the performance of The Wizard of Oz. Many of his post-teaching works also featured the landscapes and buildings of Ireland, where he and Judy spent several months every year.
Over the years there were many community projects. Bob designed several logos, one for the Robert Rockwell Memorial Fund honoring Mr. Rockwell on his November 8th birthday and another presently used by Corning Community Food Pantry. Along with several West High students, he screen printed the many kiosks (designed by Richard Greger) used to line Market Street for the 1972 Soundings. He designed and with students painted a mural for the swimming pool at West High and designed and built a work of art incorporating the seal of the City of Corning that resides in City Hall.
In 1998, with the faith and support of the congregation of his church, First Congregational UCC, and the assistance of ceramic professionals, John Brown, John Nelson, and Ken Jobe - all fellow church members - he embarked on a project to replace the sanctuary window that had incurred some damage. Despite having no previous experience with stained glass, it was decided that using powdered glass frits painted on 24 panes of glass at his home studio, which would then be fired in an available glass furnace, would accomplish their goal at a reasonable price. The window depicts the mission of the church and was finally dedicated in November 2000. In addition to this window, Bob's artistic hands can be seen in a classroom and the nursery of the church.
As an artist and a teacher, nothing made Bob happier than the success of his students after they left high school. A graphic designer for Nordstroms in Seattle, a marble sculptor in Colorado, a film creator now living in Spain, graphic designers, architects, and art teachers, as well as those who have used their talents to benefit their local communities – these former students have enjoyed wonderful fulfilling lives. The art room as a sanctuary is his legacy.
Bob Garrett is survived by his wife, Judith, of sixty years; his son, Ian Robert Garrett and daughter-in-law, Melissa Luznicky Garrett of Ithaca, NY; his daughter, Anne Garrett O Lionain and son-in-law Cian O Lionain of Wexford, Ireland; his six grandchildren: Hannah, Liam, Jacob, Eabha, Eoghan, and Bridget; his brother, Donald Garrett; many nieces and nephews, including Barbara Garrett Madea; many close friends, especially John and Margo Brown of West Third St. and their sons, Scott and Jason, who grew up with Anne and Ian as two more brothers; and, finally, his beloved Corning community. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers: Joseph, Russel, Vernon, Charles, Harold, and Kenneth; and his sisters: Mae, Mary, and Dorothy.
A Celebration of Bob's life will be held at First Congregational UCC at 171 W. Pulteney St. in Corning on January 11, 2025 at 11 AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made in Bob's name to 171 Cedar Art Center at 171 Cedar St., Corning, NY 14830, The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes at 79 W. Market St., Corning, NY 14830, CareFirstNY, 3805 Meads Creek Rd., Painted Post, NY 14870, or First Congregational United Church of Christ, at 171 W. Pulteney St., Corning, NY 14830.
Bob's family has entrusted his care to Haughey Funeral Home, Inc.,
www.haugheyfuneralhome.com.