Dr. James was a former chairperson of the art department. In 1978, he created the JMU Summer Art Education Program.

He was one of the founding members of OASIS, "Our Art Space In the Shenandoah Valley," which opened in 2000 in downtown Harrisonburg.  OASIS is a collective gallery, exhibiting and selling the work of approximately 40 artists. The co-op is a non-profit, so the remaining profits of sales go to keep the gallery running.  James focused on ceramics since his retirement from JMU. Dr. Phillip James passed away in 2020.

Read a Professors-You-Love article about Dr. Phil James.