About

Richard Gay joined the UNCP faculty in 2004 and became the associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences in 2015.  Since 2020, he has served as dean of the college. He previously led the Art Department as chair (2008-2015).   A native of Berea, KY, his teaching covers a variety of subjects, but his concentrations are Medieval and Roman art. 

His research interests include fifteenth-century French manuscript illumination, particularly the work Jean Colombe. He has published on Flemish manuscripts and scribes. Before joining the faculty at UNCP, Dr. Gay worked as an assistant curator at the Getty Museum, where he contributed to the international loan exhibition Illuminating the Renaissance. The exhibition's catalog was awarded The Mitchell Prize (2004), administered by Burlington Magazine, London; and The International Eugène Baie Award (2004), presented once every five years by the city of Antwerp for the best foreign language publication on Flemish culture.

Dr. Gay has received a variety of grants including: the James G. Hanes Memorial Fund Grant, Winston-Salem, NC (2006); Faculty Research and Development Grant, UNCP (2005), and a Samuel H. Kress Travel Fellowship (1997).