SADAH Professor Rich Hilliard named 2022 Madison Scholar

The School of Art, Design and Art History's Professor Rich Hillard has been named the 2022 CVPA Madison Scholar in recognition of his outstanding creative work. In addition to his 23 years of teaching at JMU, Hilliard is a commercially successful artist who specializes in science fiction and dark fantasy illustration and has produced more than 100 images for the market.

Hilliard has received national attention for his work promoting season two of the AMC+/SHUDDER series "Creepshow," and he has been commissioned by companies like Fangoria and Mad Duck Posters to create licensed commercial work quickly.

"It always starts the same way: I get the question 'How fast are you?' That's how it starts. And the good news is that being in New York for 20 years, working in graphic design, working in exhibit design, freelance illustration, you learn to work fast, or you don't eat. So, you just clear the boards, you put a pot of coffee on, you put on Biohazard or Rob Zombie, Judas Priest or Ronnie James Dio, and the pen hits the paper. And you make it happen."

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He was the featured artist in "Posters That Go Bump In The Night" at Nebraska Wesleyan University's Elder Gallery, having an entire room devoted to his work. The curator, Professor Matthew Jarvis, also interviewed Hilliard about his wealth of experience. He had exhibitions in Harrisonburg's Clementine's and Pale Fire Brewery; JMU's Sawhill Memorial Gallery, New Image Gallery and Duke Gallery of Fine Art; and has created 16 unique designs for various producers.

Hilliard's scholarship includes 10 years of designing posters, promotional postcards and newspaper ads for JMU's School of Theater and Dance, and his "Candyman" limited screenprinted poster for Mad Duck Posters is on display in the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, after being featured in an exhibition at Cal Arts Riverside campus.

"Posters That Go Bump in the Night" walkthrough

Artwork for the second season of "Creepshow" by Rich Hilliard

In 2018, Joseph Bouganim of Bottleneck Gallery in New York asked Hilliard to create a triptych of images for Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings, which focused on the villains of the movie. The triptych was offered to the public in March 2019, and the entire run of 400 sets (1200 individual prints) sold out in 10 hours.

Hillard has written and illustrated four published children's books and a book devoted to his passion for horror comics and illustrations, "The Resurrection of Horror Comics in the 1960s and 1970s (Lambert Academic Publishing). In addition to his published illustrations, Hilliard has work on display in pop culture galleries in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Hilliard is recognized as an accomplished illustrator and member of the New York Society of Illustrators, the most prestigious professional organization of illustrators in the world. Each professional-level nominee for this organization must receive the signatures of five sponsors and be voted into the society during a special session. Four of Hilliard's signatories were Hall of Fame members, and two were past presidents of the society, a tremendous honor. His work has been displayed in the gallery at the society alongside such luminaries as Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth.

Prior to joining JMU in 1999, Hilliard graduated from Pratt Institute and had a 20-year career in New York, where he worked as a professional designer for ad agencies, exhibit design firms and publishing.

As Madison Scholar, Hilliard will be keynote speaker at the Sparks Research Symposium next month.

Hilliard's triptych of images for "The Lord of the Rings," which sold out in a matter of hours.

SADAH Professor Rich Hilliard named 2022 Madison Scholar

"Posters That Go Bump in the Night" walkthrough

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