Student Success Stories
Ricky Allman
Ricky Allman ’03, from Orem, has been a professional exhibiting artist for the past four years. His work has been represented by contemporary galleries in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Boston, San Francisco and London. And behind his paintbrush hitting the canvas or his pencil touching the paper are his years at Utah Valley State College.
“Several of my teachers at UVSC told me art was something I should pursue,” Allman said. “It got me excited.”
His instructors not only taught the fundamentals of art, but also helped him think critically about his own work, taught him how to exhibit his work and assisted him with preparing portfolios and applications.
“My time at UVSC gave me a really strong foundation in my technical abilities,” Allman said. “Then a teacher told me, ‘You understand all the rules. Now it’s time to break the rules.’ That was a pivotal moment. It opened me up to explore a lot of different options. That’s when things really began to take off for me.”
After receiving his associate degree in Fine Art from UVSC, he went to the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.
During his years there, he was awarded the Rob Moore Grant and the Pace Award – the highest award given to any student. Graduating with distinction in 2005, Allman was one of ten applicants, out of 400, to be accepted to the top Master of Fine Arts program in the country at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he graduated with honors.
“It was my time at UVSC that set me on this path,” Allman said. “I attribute a huge portion of my success to the program at UVSC and more specifically to Assistant Professor Hyunmee Lee,” Allman said. “Hyunmee has been the most influential teacher I have ever had. She went far beyond what I would have expected from a teacher.”
He was recently hired, out of more than 300 applicants, as a professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He will be directing the painting and drawing program as well as creating and displaying his own work.
More information about Allman, his family and his art can be found at