Colleagues mourn death of School of Art director
    When University members returned to campus after the holiday, the director of the School of Art and a founder of the Music and Art Digital Studio’s office remained empty.
News of Michael Daugherty’s death devastated and shocked members of the College of Art and Design. Colleagues saw Daugherty in his office less than five days before his death, said Marchita Mauck, College of Art and Design associate dean.
However, Daugherty died from leukemia during the Christmas holiday, ending his 30-year career at the University.
“Although we knew he was ill, no one really knew he would die so fast,” Mauck said. “No one was prepared to see him go, and for a while after the holidays, people didn’t even know.”
Daugherty’s contributions to the College of Art and Design and the School of Art ranged from initiating the sculpture garden helping to getting student artists work around campus to various joint projects on and off campus.
He assumed responsibility for almost all behind-the-scenes work associated with the School of Art, Mauck said.
“We will miss the quiet and reflective intelligence that he always directed to the good of the School of Art,” Mauck said. “He always had the welfare of the school as his priority.”
Daugherty also worked with Stephen Beck, an associate professor of composition and computer music, to develop the Music and Art Digital Studio, one of the country’s only studios of the kind.
Within the MAD studio, music and art students worked together in the studio to compose digital media.
“We had a shared vision of what art can be, and we both visioned that our work would be more fruitful, and the sum would be greater than individual contributions,” Beck said.
Beck said he will find others to work with him in the MAD studio, but Daugherty will be missed.
“He was a wonderfully descent human being and a wonderful artist,” Mauck said. “He was the kind of person who could always be counted on and will be missed.”
Daugherty served as College of Design associate dean from 1987 to 1996 before becoming the School of Art director.
“Michael’s death was not just a loss of a colleague, but also an enormously effective leader of the School of Art who will be difficult to replace,” Mauck said.
Tracy Simoneaux