Gary E. Zaruba
{{short description|American painter}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gary E. Zaruba
| image =
| caption = Gary elza
| birth_name =
| birth_date = April 6, 1940
| birth_place = Belgrade, Nebraska, U.S.
| death_date = October 16, 2014
| death_place = Kearney, Nebraska, U.S.
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| known_for =
| education = University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska at Kearney
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
| employer =
| occupation = Art educator, painter, potter, museum director
| title =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| boards =
| spouse = Mary Zaruba
| children = 2 daughters
| parents =
| relatives =
}}
Gary E. Zaruba (April 6, 1940 – October 16, 2014) was an American art educator, painter and potter. He was a professor of art at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the director of the Museum of Nebraska Art.
Life
Zaruba was born on April 6, 1940, in Belgrade, Nebraska.{{cite news |title=Zaruba, Gary E. |url=https://www.omaha.com/obits/zaruba-gary-e/article_5764a75f-5f42-53a6-b21c-a7f61a08bd89.html |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=October 14, 2014 |accessdate=April 29, 2019}} He graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he earned a bachelor's degree, followed by a master's degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and a doctor of education from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.{{cite news |last1=Ulrich |first1=Linda |title=Zaruba paintings study of patterns |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/312768507/?terms=%22Gary%2BZaruba%22 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |work=Lincoln Journal Star |date=March 22, 1981|page=71|via=Newspapers.com}}
Zaruba was a professor of art at the University of Nebraska at Kearney for 39 years, from 1965 to 2004.{{cite web |title=Gary E. Zaruba |url=https://mona.unk.edu/mona/gary-e-zaruba/ |website=Museum of Nebraska Art |accessdate=April 29, 2019}} He was also a painter. He argued that patterns were more important than subject-matters in his paintings. Zaruba also worked in ceramics in the early part of his career.{{cite news |title=Zaruba's Pottery in Sheldon Shop |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/313885848/?terms=%22Gary%2BZaruba%22 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |work=Lincoln Journal Star |date=June 22, 1975|page=90|via=Newspapers.com}} He was appointed as the director of the Museum of Nebraska Art in 1986.{{cite news |title=Zaruba heads art museum |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/311340155/?terms=%22Gary%2BZaruba%22 |accessdate=May 2, 2019 |work=The Lincoln Star |date=October 16, 1986|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}
With his wife Mary, Zaruba had two daughters, Janet Anderson and Karen Zaruba. He died on October 16, 2014, in Kearney, Nebraska. His work can be seen at the Museum of Nebraska Art.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaruba, Gary E.}}
Category:People from Nance County, Nebraska
Category:University of Nebraska Omaha alumni
Category:University of Nebraska at Kearney alumni
Category:University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni
Category:American art educators
Category:Painters from Nebraska
Category:American male painters
Category:20th-century American painters
Category:20th-century American male artists
Category:21st-century American painters