Thomas Woodruff (born 1957) is a New York based artist who was born in New Rochelle, New York. He received a BFA from Cooper Union in 1979. He taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York City for 39 years, and was Chair of the BFA Illustration and Cartooning Department for 20 years, stepping down as Chair Emeritus in 2021.[1]T: The New York Times Style Magazine praised Woodruff for "diversifying the curriculum" during is tenure at SVA.[2]
In 2023, Woodruff's work Francis Rothbart! The Tale of a Fastidious Feral, published by Fantagraphics was called "the Sistine Chapel of graphic novels" by Steven Heller in an article in Print Magazine[7] and praised as the "gorgeous" for being "Hand-lettered with lush color paintings and moody charcoal drawings" by The A.V. Club. [8] The book was nominated for four Eisner Awards in the categories Best Graphic Album (New), Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design. The nominations prompted criticism by former students, who described him as an emotionally abusive teacher, and the book as culturally appropriative. Woodruff initially responded in a statement provided by Fantagraphics that his "frank critiques" of his students "were intended to help them develop keen minds and strong spines," and to criticism of the book that "Artists must be brave, particularly telling the stories that they need to tell."[9][10] He declined the nominations a week later.[11][12]
Woodruff, Thomas, Thomas Woodruff's Freak Parade, Hardy-Marks, 2006 ASIN: B01JO27RQY
Woodruff, Thomas, Christopher Scoates, Debra Wilbur, Bill Arning, Christopher Sweet and Nick Debs, Nosegays and Knuckle Sandwiches, Work by Thomas Woodruff, Atlanta College of Art Gallery and City Gallery at Chastain, Atlanta, 1997
