Education
Attended St. Albans School, Washington, D. C., 1965–1969. Studied welding, metal fabrication and design with Thomas D. Soles, Sculptor.
Received Morehead Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill, 1969–1973. Studied sculpture with Robert Howard.
Received a double B.A. in English and Fine Arts, 1973, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude.
One year of Master of Fine Arts Program at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1975–1976.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, North Carolina State University, Spring 2014
North Carolina Award, 2012 Fine Arts Recipient
Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011
Sir Walter Raleigh Award Appearance Award, Shimmer Wall, 2009
2008 Year in Review, Americans for the Arts, Public Art Network, Furrow Public Art, Charlotte Area Transit System
Sam Ragan Award for Fine Arts, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, 2008
Mayor’s Urban Design Awards, 2007 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Steward
Design Guild Award, College of Design, North Carolina State University, 2002
Raleigh Medal of the Arts Recipient, 2000
National Endowment for the Arts Grant, 1995 ISAF
National AIA Religious Art and Architecture Design Award, 1995 for Lenten Crosses: Burned, Shot, Sawn
North Carolina Artist Fellowships, 1993, 1986
Michigan Society of Fellows,
1974–76
Selected Commissions and Public Projects
Dervish, private commission, Wilmington, NC. 2024
Tapping Time, Twin Lakes Community, Burlington NC, 2023
Standing Water, Sawmill Community Land Trust, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2023
Kiddush, Temple Beth Or, Raleigh NC, 2022
Essary Place, Campbell Law School, Raleigh NC, 2021
Between Earth and Sky, Texas Tech University, El Paso, Texas, 2019
Anemos, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky, 2019
Oberlin Rising, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2018
Ripple Gates, Julian B. Lane Waterfront Park, Tampa, Florida, 2017
Flue, City of Kinston, NC, 2015
Overtones, Aloft Hotel, Raleigh, NC 2015
Forum, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 2014
Fallen Officers Memorial, Raleigh, NC, 2013-2014
Main Terrain, Main Terrain Urban Park, Chattanooga, TN, 2013
Kerf, Tri-Met Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project, 2011-2013
Across the Grain, Caldwell County, North Carolina, 2012
Scintillation, Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, Denver, CO, 2011-2012
Citizen, Public Square, Nashville, Tennessee, 2010
Chorus, Stapleton Westerly Creek, Denver, Colorado, 2010
Disk, Office of State Finance, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 2010
Tanque Verde, Tanque Verde Road Project, Tucson, Arizona, 2010
Curveball, Nationals Baseball Stadium, Washington, D. C., 2010
Map, San José Police Substation, San José, California, 2010
Corpus Callosum, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, 2009
Shimmer Wall, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2007
Axes, Living Learning Center, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 2007
Steward, Calgary Water Centre, Alberta, 2007
Tapping Time, Valley Metro Rail Station, Phoenix, Arizona, Implementation 2007
D’Arbonne, Lake D’Arbonne State Park, Farmerville, Louisiana, 2006
Furrow, Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Charlotte, North Carolina, 2007
Autoweave, Tampa International Airport, Tampa, Florida, 2005
Trajectory, City of Charlotte Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina, 2005
Jury Garden, Criminal Justice Center, Pinellas County, Florida, 2005
Mangrove Islands, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida International Airport, 2005
Phuket Cheddi, Phuket, Thailand, 2004
Almost Freezing, Eastern Oregon University, LaGrande, Oregon, 2004
Wapato, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Portland, Oregon, 2004
Stacking Tower, Fire Station No. 6, City of St. Petersburg, FL, 2003
Nest, Stanton, Virginia, 2003
Black Rock, Black Rock Cultural Arts Center, Germantown, Maryland, 2002
Grandiflora, Wendover Heights Commission, Charlotte, North Carolina, 2000
Terra Firma, Lobby Floor, South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina, 1999-2000
Gyre, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1999
Wings Torn Off, Visual set by Thomas Sayre in collaboration with choreographer Shiu–Chin Yu. Taipei Theatre, New York
City, New York, 1996.
Tables, Fordham University, New York City, New York, 1996
Green Flash, Hartsfield International Airport, International Concourse, Atlanta, Georgia, 1996
Nepenthe, San Francisco, California, 1993
Skylights, Istanbul, Turkey, 1993
Untitled, Kowloon, Hong Kong 1990
Sacramento Cairn, Sacramento, California 1989
Warrior, Perth, Australia
EXHIBITIONS
“Four Walls, Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington. NC. 2024-25
“White Gold”. Tampa Art Museum, 3/2020- 12/2020
“White Gold”. Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, NC, 8/2018-2/2019
“Between Earth and Sky”, Craven Allen Gallery, Durham, NC, 2018
"White Gold”. Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS; 11/2017-7/2018
Thomas H. Sayre: New Work, Solo Exhibition, Cheryl Hazan Gallery, New York, NY, April 2017
White Gold Solo Exhibition, CAM Raleigh, October, 2016
Thomas H. Sayre: New Work, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, January-May, 2009
Thomas H. Sayre: Smoke Paintings, Glance Gallery, April–May, 2004
Thomas H. Sayre: New Works, Fayetteville Museum of Art, August–November, 2002
Thomas Sayre: Gun Shot Paintings, Hodges Taylor Gallery, Charlotte, NC, 2000
Thomas Sayre, Carillon Building, Charlotte, NC, 1996
University of North Carolina – Visiting Artist, 1991
Fayetteville Museum, Fayetteville, NC, Winter, 1988
St. Johns Museum, Wilmington, NC, 1988
Raleigh Contemporary Gallery, Raleigh, NC, 1987, 1990
SECCA, Winston-Salem, NC
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, NC
Alpena Museum, Alpena, Michigan
Rackham Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Group Shows
NEA Regional Award Recipients, NEA Panel, Atlanta
South Florida Art Center, Miami, Florida, 1996
South Carolina State Museum, 1994
Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1993
John Portman Invitational, Atlanta, Georgia, 1992
North Carolina Triennial, 1986, 1990, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
ArtQuest ’87 (Merit Award Winner), Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA, 1987
NC Arts Fellowship Award Exhibition, SECCA, Winston-Salem, NC 1985
Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Art Plans
South Washington Street Revitalization (One City Block), Rocky Mount, North Carolina
The Body Shop North American Headquarters (100,000 SF), Wake Forest, North Carolina
Exploris Children's Museum (85,000 SF), Raleigh, North Carolina
Pine State Creamery Multi-Use Historic Revitalization (One City Block), Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh Convention Center, (506,000 SF), Raleigh, North Carolina
City of Lenoir, Lenoir, North Carolina