The Independent

Moreland, artist and former UL prof, dies

by Herman Mhire

An early chairman of the fine arts department, William Moreland played a significant role in advancing the evolution of the visual arts in Louisiana.

Photo by Herman Mhire

William Moreland, an important Louisiana artist, professor of art and arts administrator at the UL Lafayette, died on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at his home in New Orleans. Active at the university from 1955 to 1986, and the early chairman of the fine arts department, Moreland played a significant role in advancing the evolution of the visual arts in Louisiana.

He was born in New Orleans on Aug. 25, 1927, and was raised in Baton Rouge by his parents, Charles Frederick Moreland (a professor at Louisiana State University) and Hilda Martinez Moreland.

He studied under Caroline Durieux and Conrad Albrizio at LSU, receiving his MFA there in 1950. The course of his career changed in 1955 when he accepted a teaching position at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. In 1957 he was appointed chair of the fine arts and art education programs. He enjoyed a reputation as an outstanding teacher and arts administrator at USL, and exhibited his paintings nationally.

In 2003, Moreland’s paintings were featured in the grand opening of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans. In 2004, he was the subject of a major retrospective exhibition, “William Moreland: Between Psyche and Sight, A Fifty Year Retrospective,” at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum on the UL campus. In 2008, he was the focus of an exhibition at the Ogden, “Southern Masters: William Moreland,” showcasing works from the museum’s Mary Lee Eggart Collection.

He is survived by his wife, Muriel Kinnaird Moreland, and a niece, Mary Lee Eggart.