Tennessee Arts Community Mourns the Passing of Visionary Painter and Educator Veda Reed
From The Tennessee Arts Commission –
The Tennessee Arts Commission, along with the broader arts community, expresses profound sadness at the passing of Veda Reed, an influential painter and dedicated educator. Reed, a formidable force in the Memphis art scene and beyond, died peacefully on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
A cornerstone of the Memphis College of Art (MCA) for over three decades, Reed shaped the careers of countless students. She began her teaching journey at the institution, then the Memphis Art Academy, in 1961, joining a distinguished faculty that included luminaries like Dorothy Sturm, Burton Callicott, and Ted Faiers. Her own studies commenced there in 1952, alongside notable classmates Dolph Smith and Henry Easterwood. After retiring, in 1996 Reed received a Tennessee Governor’s Art Award in recognition of her impact on the arts in Tennessee. Not only was she a recipient, but she was also the creator of one of the Governor’s Arts Awards.
Born in Granite, Oklahoma, in 1934, Reed adopted Memphis as her home and the wellspring of her artistic life. Her evocative paintings garnered national attention early, with exhibitions in prominent New York City galleries from 1956, earning critical acclaim in publications such as The New York Times and Arts magazine. Regionally, her work was a consistent presence, showcased at galleries including Great Expectations, Alice Bingham Gallery, and, from the mid-90s, David Lusk Gallery. Her significant contributions were celebrated in numerous career surveys at venues like the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, The Tennessee State Museum, and Rhodes College.
Reed’s artistic exploration was consistently drawn to the sky. Her canvases ranged from landscapes where trees met vast celestial expanses to intense focuses on the fleeting moments of a sunset. Her style evolved dynamically over her career, moving between recognizable imagery and striking stylization. “My paintings are very real,” Reed once stated. “Total abstraction doesn’t mean anything for me personally. I’m just trying to simplify enough to get to the essence of the thing.” This philosophy saw her techniques shift from dry, stained surfaces to highly-sheened, smooth finishes. Her final series memorably captured ethereal cloud forms adrift in deep, dark voids.
Veda Reed was known for her enduring friendships within the arts community, maintaining close ties with peers, students, dealers, and collectors. Her last solo exhibition of new paintings poignantly opened at David Lusk Gallery Memphis on January 5, 2024, her 90th birthday.
