Rob Bates, a student in the College of Arts + Architecture’s Department of Art and Art History, is the 2013 recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Col.John W. Thomason Jr. Award.
The honor recognizes Bates’ combat artwork that reflected his service in Afghanistan and his work on the “Joe Bonham Project,” which features portraits of injured U.S. and Allied service personnel. Bates will receive the award officially on Saturday, April 20, at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va. The award consists of a cash prize of $1,000 and an engraved brick that will be placed in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park on the museum grounds.
A former Marine who served eight years active duty, including two tours to Afghanistan, Bates began to create strategic combat art while in Afghanistan in 2004. He continued during his second deployment in 2009. This past December, he was embedded for 10 days with a battalion of Marines from Camp Lejeune.
Bates is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in illustration and a minor in art education.