Barbara Campbell Thomas

Barbara Campbell Thomas is a Professor of Art and current Director of the School of Art at the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). She holds an MFA from the University of California, Berkeley (2000) and a BFA from The Pennsylvania State University (1998). With a career spanning over two decades, Campbell Thomas balances her expertise in studio practice with academic leadership roles, including Director of the Gatewood Gallery and Director of Undergraduate Studies at UNCG.

Her research explores geometric abstraction through a matrilineal lens, integrating ancestral domestic handwork into contemporary painting. This focus has led to national recognition, including the North Carolina Arts Council Artists Fellowship (2018) and the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency Fellow (2020). Her studio practice was highlighted in Art of The State: Celebrating the Visual Art of North Carolina (UNC Press, 2022).

Recent exhibitions include the 2024 Heart of Space solo show at Studio Break Gallery, Chicago, and the 2023 Edna’s Diamonds solo series at Hidell Brooks Gallery. She has participated in over 30 group exhibitions since 2013, and maintains active residencies at institutions like the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and Skowhegan School. Her work appears in permanent collections such as the Weatherspoon Art Museum and North Carolina Museum of Art.