In Memory

Richard Devine

Richard Devine

Fairport, NY:  July 4, 2012

Local artist Richard R. Devine, age 58, passed away unexpectedly on July 4th surrounded by his wife, Barbara, family & friends. He was a well known goldsmith for over 35 years who loved to share the joy of creativity, teaching jewelry making to his wife & numerous people of all ages.

Richard's jewelry showed locally, nationally & internationally at shows & galleries such as the Renwick Museum of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., & at Mall Galleries in London, England. He received numerous awards for his work including selection as a New Designer for Jewelers of America International Trade Show in New York City in 1987, & an American Gem Trade Association Award in 1994. He also received the Gertrude Herdle Moore/Isabel Herdle Award in 1990 & the Barnell Award in 1997 at the Rochester Finger Lakes Exhibition at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery.

In addition, Richard was active in the community as an advocate for dyslexics. He was always willing to share his own journey of empowerment with youth of all ages, parents & teachers. In 1981 he received a grant from the Kennedy Center for the Arts to create an arts program for dyslexic students at the local Norman Howard School. The program was highly successful & many of the students won scholastic honors for their work. Richard received national recognition for his dedication to the arts from the National Institute of Dyslexia in Washington, D.C. in 1987 when he was presented with The Margaret Byrd Rawson Achievement Award. Richard received congratulatory letters from President Ronald Reagan & Senator Moynihan acknowledging his achievements as a goldsmith as well as all his advocacy activities.

In 1997 Richard & Barbara merged as a collaborative team to design public art with an educational focus for the community. Their first multimedia sculpture incorporated satellite imagery of the earth inspired by the work of Richard's father, a physicist who worked with teams of scientists on satellite reconnaissance technology. It was donated in New York City to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a symbol of their commitment to helping others achieve their own unique creativity.

Richard & Barbara continued their public art with satellite images inspired by Richard's father to benefit education. In 2003 they participated in the Windows on Irondequoit Project, designing eleven windows to create "Cosmic Windows" with sixty-six images of our planets & the cosmos. It is a permanent installation at the Rochester Museum & Science Center.

More recently, the Devines formed a non-profit organization, Creativity in Motion, to offer to the community sculptural projects which merge science, technology & art. Their objective is to create learning tools which can connect people of all cultures by promoting life-long learning about the universe, our home & creativity, our birthright.

In addition to his wife Barbara, Richard is survived by his sisters, Susan Wellcome & Eloise Casto & their families.

Published in Rochester Democrat And Chronicle on July 8, 2012