Larry Cooper, an educator, book artist and printmaker who helped shape the UCF School of Visual Arts and Design for nearly three decades, died Sept. 4, 2026. He helped establish the university's book arts program, introducing generations of students to the craft of making books by hand. Cooper earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Memphis College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Georgia. He joined UCF in 1996 as an assistant printmaker working with Ke Francis, and went on to teach across undergraduate and graduate curricula and to serve as assistant director of the UCF Gallery and Flying Horse Editions.
Francis, who first met Cooper in Memphis, Tennessee, where Cooper had been a classmate of his daughter, Kerry, at Memphis College of Art, said he knew Cooper for almost 34 years and described him as a master craftsman, a collaborative partner to visiting artists, and a patient and thoughtful teacher. Kevin Haran, professor and associate director of studio art and Jenkins Distinguished Professor in Community Arts, said there is not an area of SVAD that Cooper did not impact, calling him a warm friend and an exceptional collaborator who was gifted at teamwork and creative problem solving.
Cooper mentored student interns at Flying Horse Editions and oversaw the internship program at the UCF Gallery. Chris Saclolo, a former student who became a book conservator at UCF Libraries, said Cooper was his first instructor in book arts and credited him with his love of the craft. Cooper wrote a recommendation letter for Saclolo's application to a book arts graduate program in Chicago, where Saclolo received a fellowship. Cooper regularly brought classes to Special Collections and University Archives to engage with artist books and rare materials, and one of his own artist books is held in the department's permanent collection.
Press release issued by UCF Today:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/remembering-ucf-gallery-assistant-director-senior-lecturer-larry-cooper/
🤖 AI-assisted content notice: This item was written with AI assistance from the source document linked above. The underlying facts come from that public source, not from our own reporting. No quotes, interviews or original reporting are implied. Spotted something wrong? Email corrections@theorlandoconnect.com.
