Mr. Yankowski holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Louisiana Tech and has been a faculty member at NSU for 15 years.  He will use the funds of the Derby Endowed Professorship to study wood carving and wood carvers in the Tyrol area of Austria and Val Gardina in Northern Italy.  He first became interested in the media after receiving a NSU CURIA grant to study the art of carousel animal carving in Tennessee.  In 1999 he produced a full sized carousel horse and is currently working on a life size lion.  He also received a Louisiana Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for the year 2000 for his mixed media sculptures.  Mr. Yankowski has participated in numerous Regional, National and International art exhibits and is represented by the Gruen Art Gallery in Chicago and the Carol Robinson Gallery in New Orleans.

This endowed professorship will allow him to:

• Study for one week at the Geiser-Moroder International School of Woodcarving, learning traditional techniques and approaches to European carving.
• Meet, interview and photograph woodcarvers in Austria and Northern Italy and gain a better appreciation of the skills and attitudes of woodcarvers working in the traditional style and media of the area.
• Note differences in attitude, technique and style between American and Tyrolian carvers.