Years in the Making

The Art of Joe Liles

I am from Wadesboro, NC, a small town in North Carolina’s piedmont. After attending the School of Design at NC State University and pursuing graduate studies at the University of Michigan, I got my start as an art teacher in 1974 at the Red School House in St. Paul, MN, a “Survival School” operated by the American Indian Movement with an emphasis on including traditional Native culture into education for living in the modern world.

I returned to North Carolina in 1977 to pursue my dream of being an artist in my homelands. I was hired in 1980 as Instructor of Art in the founding faculty of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

After 28 years of teaching “the best students in the world,” in both the Residential and Distance Learning programs of the School, I retired to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. I wanted to do this while I was still young enough to handle the physical demands of this endeavor.

“Years in the Making” is a way that I can give back to the school that was a major part of my life for many years. This exhibit looks back on my years as a fine art printmaker, concentrating on using serigraphic screen printing to produce most of my images. All prints are signed and numbered in limited editions. All the proceeds from the sales of this exhibit from our on-line platform will go to support the Art Program at NCSSM.

Yours truly in accepting the greater challenge,

Joe Liles

Faculty Emeritus

Instructor of Art

To read more about Joe, click here.*

*"Joe Liles, Generations apart from your ordinary art teacher," by Brian Faircloth, from NCSSM Magazine, Commencement Edition, 2004.