Hamlett Dobbins

I really enjoyed the talk Hamlett Dobbins gave us in class. I feel like I hear his name mentioned quite often, but was never sure what he did, besides run the Clough Hanson Gallery at Rhodes. I am definitely impressed by all the many things he is involved in- Marshall Arts, Material, his own studio practice, Rhodes, and personal collaborations. I appreciate how much he divulged, starting with undergrad and how Dobbins worked then and what he went through after graduating, to Grad school, to the decisions he made after Grad school. He was thorough, but not in a bland way, he was candid and shared things that you don’t usually hear about, like crappy jobs and relationships. I especially appreciated him sharing why he went to the University of Iowa, what that did for him, and why he chose to return to Memphis. I think he might have lucked out career-wise, it seems as though his job at Marshall Arts kind of fell into his lap. I don’t think everything was by chance, though, it definitely seems as though he works hard and has continued to work hard in his studio while trying to make the art scene in Memphis better, and maintaining a family life.

Dobbins definitely stressed how making connections is important; people are more receptive when they actually know you. Also, how it can be challenging balancing home life with studio practice and a career, and how he separates them to keep his sanity. In general, he was just really helpful on all fronts, and I liked the way he set up his presentation and his way of speaking. I didn’t really have any questions because he covered everything so well.