Paul A. Tarantino

Paul A. Tarantino was associate professor emeritus of design at Buffalo State College.

Tarantino joined Buffalo State in 1964 as an assistant professor of design. Before coming to Buffalo State, he served as assistant professor of design and metalsmithing at the School of Art at Syracuse University, where he established the metalsmithing program.

After serving in the U.S. Army, Tarantino earned a B.F.A. in art education from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh and an M.F.A. in metalsmithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He also taught at Seoul National University. At Buffalo State, he quickly established a reputation as a dedicated teacher, offering evening studio sessions for students. He was promoted to associate professor in 1968.

He played an active role in the community, serving as a judge for regional art shows and as a visiting professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology College of Fine and Applied Arts. Working with metal fabricators, he linked industrial and artistic metalworking in the production of fine silverware and jewelry, with an emphasis on the spinning process. He served as a technical adviser to the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Buffalo waterfront, and executed a number of commissioned art works. He retired in 1993.

For more information on Paul Tarantino, visit http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/obituaries/paul-a-tarantino-buffalo-state-professor-emeritus-20140506.