Wikipedia

Richard Alan Masters

Richard Alan Masters (born August 5, 1955) is a graphic designer, studio artist, and coin designer.

Richard Alan Masters
Born (1955-08-05) August 5, 1955 (age 69)
Sioux City, Iowa
Alma materUniversity of Iowa
OccupationArtist

Academic career

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Masters graduated from the University of Iowa art school where he received a BA, MA, and MFA.[1] He subsequently moved to Wisconsin where he worked as a freelance illustrator and as a professor of graphic design at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where he was selected for the SNC Professor of International Relations Endowed Professorship Award.[2]

Studio art career

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Masters works most often in graphite or colored pencil, though he has worked in other media. His work is often described as painstakingly detailed, with subject matter ranging from nature scenes and architectural representations to the somber aspects of city life and homelessness.[3] His works have been shown at invited and juried exhibitions throughout the world, and have won numerous awards,[4][5] including the Allied Artists of American top award, the Audrey Love Memorial Award in 2021.[6]

Coin designs

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State Quarters Program Nebraska reverse, designed by Richard Masters
 
Little Rock Central High School Desegregation coin, designed by Richard Masters, winner of Coin of the Year

In 2004, Masters became an inaugural member of the United States Mint's Artistic Infusion Program[7] as a Master designer.[8] This program brought artists with expertise in visual arts to enrich and elevate the design of coins for the US Mint.[9] He applied to the program as a lifelong coin collector.[10] A prolific designer, his designs were selected for over 30 coins and medals. As of 2024, he is still an active member of the program, and the only remaining original member.[2][11]

His first design was the reverse of the Nebraska quarter for the State Quarters Program in 2006. His designs went on to garner awards such as the Coin of the Year award for best contemporary event in 2009 for his Little Rock Central High School Desegregation silver dollar design,[12][13] an accomplishment repeated with the 2021 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin, winning the award for best gold coin.[14]

One of his designs,[15] featuring a Samoa flying fox, a species of fruit bat, representing the National Park of American Samoa, was central to conspiracy theories that the United States government was involved in the dissemination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] This theory was thoroughly debunked, but gave the coin design some short-lived infamy.[17][18]

Minted designs[2]
Year Design Category Notes
2006 State Quarters Program - Nebraska reverse coin
2007 Little Rock Central High School Desegregation silver dollar - obverse coin Winner of Coin of the Year Award[12]
2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Coin Program (Birth and Early Childhood in Kentucky) - reverse coin
2009 District of Columbia and U.S. Territories Quarters Program - Northern Mariana Islands reverse coin
2011 Native American $1 Coin Program - reverse coin
2011 First Spouse Gold Coin and Medal Program - Julia Grant reverse coin and medal
2011 United States Army Commemorative Coin Program – Silver obverse coin
2011 Medal of Honor Commemorative Coin Program – Silver reverse coin
2012 Star-Spangled Banner Commemorative Coin Program – Gold revers coin
2013 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Program – Silver obverse coin
2013 First Spouse Gold Coin and Medal Program – Helen Taft reverse coin and medal
2013 Code Talkers Recognition Congressional Medals Program – Comanche Nation obverse medal
2013 Professor Muhammad Yunus Congressional Gold Medal – reverse medal
2014 First Spouse Gold Coin and Medal Program – Lou Hoover reverse coin and medal
2015 U.S. Marshals Service 225th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Program – Silver obverse coin
2015 First Spouse Gold Coin and Medal Program – Mamie Eisenhower obverse coin and medal
2015 First Special Service Force Congressional Gold Medal medal
2016 Presidential $1 Coins – Ronald Reagan obverse coin
2016 First Spouse Gold Coin and Medal Program – Patricia Ryan “Pat” Nixon obverse and reverse coin and medal
2017 America the Beautiful Quarters Program – Effigy Mounds National Monument reverse coin
2018 America the Beautiful Quarters Program – Apostle Islands National Lakeshore reverse coin
2019 American Innovation $1 Coin Program – Pennsylvania reverse coin
2019 Legion Commemorative Coin Program – Clad obverse and reverse coin
2019 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin and Silver Medal – obverse coin and medal
2019 American Veterans Silver Medal – reverse medal
2020 America the Beautiful Quarters Program – National Park of American Samoa reverse coin
2020 America the Beautiful Quarters Program – Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve reverse coin
2020 American Innovation $1 Coin Program – Connecticut reverse coin
2021 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin and Silver Medal – reverse coin and medal Winner of Coin of the Year Award[14]
2021 U.S. Armed Forces Silver Medals Program – Coast Guard obverse medal
2024 Katherine Johnson Hidden Figures Bronze Medal - reverse[19] medal
Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal – reverse medal
Presidential Medal Program – George W. Bush (Term 2) reverse medal
Presidential Medal Program – Barack Obama (Term 1) obverse medal

Personal life

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Masters retired from teaching in 2015, and now lives in New York City with his wife, MeeWha Alana Lee.[20] He continues to pursue studio art and exhibits his work broadly, garnering many honors for his works.[21][3][22]

References

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  1. ^ "Richard Masters - AIP Master Designer/artist at United States Mint". THE ORG. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  2. ^ a b c Hain-Kararakis, Phaedon (2016-06-03). "Richard Masters, AIP Designer | U.S. Mint". United States Mint. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  3. ^ a b "Richard Masters". KCCUS. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  4. ^ Lam, Anna (2022-07-22). "Connecticut Pastel Society award". Salmagundi Club. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  5. ^ "2007 Explore This! 4 Awards – Colored Pencil Society of America". cpsa.org. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  6. ^ "Annual Exhibition Medal Winners". AAAMainCopy2020 Copy. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  7. ^ See, Audralynn (2010-11-08). "Professor's design selected for Medal of Honor coin". UW Oshkosh Today. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  8. ^ "Newman Numismatic Portal at Washington University in St. Louis | Comprehensive Research & Reference for U.S. Coinage". nnp.wustl.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ^ Golino, Louis. "U.S Mint Continues American Liberty Series". www.govmint.com. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  10. ^ Byrd, Briana (October 2, 2008). "More than coining a phrase: Richard Masters is making cents with his art degree and circulating UI lessons among future designers" (PDF). Daily Iowan. p. 1.
  11. ^ Nyman, Shane (2020-08-07). "UWO professor emeritus artist plenty inspired by NYC—pandemic and all". UW Oshkosh Today. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  12. ^ a b Giedroyc, Richard (2023-04-29). "Little Rock Dollar a Coin of the Year Winner". Numismatic News. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  13. ^ "Prof's coin design wins international award". UW Oshkosh Today. 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  14. ^ a b "Canada Dominates in COTY Category Wins". Numismatic News. 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  15. ^ Kim, Allen (2020-01-12). "Samoan fruit bats will be featured on quarters released by the US Mint next month". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  16. ^ Grobaty, Tim (2020-04-26). "Quarantine Chronicles Day 42: A quarter for your conspiratorial thoughts". Long Beach Post News. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  17. ^ Fauzia, Chiara Vercellone and Miriam. "Fact check: 2020 US quarter raises awareness of Samoan fruit bat, not linked to pandemic". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  18. ^ Mikkelson, David (2020-04-23). "Do Bats on 2020 U.S. Quarters Show a Government COVID-19 Plot?". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  19. ^ "Katherine Johnson Bronze Medal | U.S. Mint". United States Mint. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  20. ^ Nyman, Shane (2020-08-07). "UWO professor emeritus artist plenty inspired by NYC—pandemic and all". UW Oshkosh Today. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  21. ^ Arnot Art Museum (2021-06-17). 3 Americans Curator Talk: Richard Masters. Retrieved 2024-07-31 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ "United Artists Professional League Eighty-eighth Grand National Exhibition" (PDF). Retrieved July 31, 2024.
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