• Courtesy Photo
• Bill Davison

Bill Davison, 78, distinguished print artist and emeritus professor of art, died at home in the company of his wife and family on August 12, 2020. Son of Robert Powers Davison and Janet Miller Davison (who predeceased him), seventh-generation Vermonter, duck hunter and mentor to countless young artists, he established the printmaking program at the University of Vermont, where he taught for 42 years.

Educated at Albion College and the University of Michigan (master of fine arts), Bill sustained a rigorous art practice and exhibition record for 55 years, recently completing a series of collage and collaborative artworks titled “Diamonds and Rust.”

Davison’s work has been exhibited internationally and resides in more than 50 public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; Yale University Art Museum; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; and the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art. Numerous awards and fellowships include the National Endowment for the Arts Artist’s Fellowship; Prix ARS Electronica Award of Distinction of Linz, Austria; and the McDowell Colony. His work has been represented by leading galleries including Brooke Alexander, Barbara Gladstone, Martina Hamilton and Kathryn Markel in New York City, and Roy Boyd in Chicago.

Bill is survived by his wife, Kathleen McGann Schneider; brother, Robert P. Davison Jr. and his wife, Marlene Paradee Davison; children, Karin “Kadie” Davison Salfi and her husband, Jason Salfi, and Tristan Davison and his wife, Keran Rose Davison; grandchildren, Lucia Salfi, and Maxine, Frances and Joe Davison; nieces, Stephanie Davison and Heidi Davison Noonan and her husband, Bill Levins; great-nieces, Amelia and Grace Kittell, and Erica Noonan; and great-nephew, Taylor Noonan.

Family and friends will celebrate Bill’s life when it is safe to do so with a party, exhibition, and rock-and-roll music, as he requested. You are invited to share photos, memories and condolences by visiting awrfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bill Davison Printmaking Fund, UVM Foundation, 411 Main St., Burlington, VT 05401 or uvmfoundation.org/giving.