EXPERIENCE
1986 - Present Owner, Whoplah, LLC
Creating works in media, ranging from video games to television for broadcast and distribution.
Sculpturelab division creating works in Fine Art for public and private commission in a variety of
media. Sculptural works for municipalities, theme parks, cruise lines, architectural, toy and amusement.
2020 - Present Professor
New England Institute of Technology, East Greenwich, RI.
2015 - 2020 Associate Professor
New England Institute of Technology, East Greenwich, RI.
2010 - 2014 Assistant Professor
New England Institute of Technology, Warwick , RI. Teaching 3D Computer Graphics Modeling, Sculpture, Animation and Drawing
in the IT-Video Game Development and Design Department.
2001 - 2010 Instructor/Visiting Lecturer:
Framingham State College, MA (Illustrator, Photoshop & Quark Xpress)
Rhode Island School of Design CE (Animation)
New England Institute of Technology (Drawing, Sculpture, CG Modeling)
1984 - 1986 Design Director, Hasbro, Inc., Pawtucket, RI.
Responsible for Research and Design Sculpture staff of thirteen. Including all aspects of managing projects and personnel, and corporate interactions necessary to successfully meet and exceed departmental goals.
1983 - 1984 Senior Industrial Designer, Hasbro Industries, Inc.
Responsible for design and execution of toy prototypes and production patterns in three-dimensional format and generation
of new product concepts.
1981 - 1983 Industrial Designer, Hasbro Industries, Inc.
Responsible for design and execution of toy prototypes and production patterns in three-dimensional format. Licensed
characters worked on include Peanuts, Smurfs, Sesame Street, G.I. Joe, Charmkins, and My Little Pony.
EDUCATION
1981 Master of Art Education, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI.
Thesis Concentration: Two-dimensional character design.
1978 B.S. Degree, Towson State University, Towson, MD.
Fine Arts Major (Studio Emphasis), Honors in Art.\
Awards / Commissions / Exhibition List
2022 Platinum Viddy Award for setting the standard of video excellence, Pollywog Pond COVID-19 interstitials.
2022 Inked agreement with RI PBS for development and production of children's series, Pollywog Pond."
2022 Invited Guest Speaker, Pony Friends Forever Conference, San Antonio, TX
2022 Telly Award: Pollywog Pond Covid-19 Mask Wearing Interstitials for Kid. Bronze Winner: General -Local TV General-Public Interest/Awareness
2022 Telly Award: Pollywog Pond Covid-19 Mask Wearing Interstitials for Kid. Bronze Winner: Social Video Series-Series: Health & Wellness
2022 Communicator Award of Distinction - Pollywog Pond Covid-19 Mask Wearing Interstitials for Kids for RIPBS
2022 Citizens Bank Small Business Community Champion Award - Pollywog Pond Show Series
2021 Authored textbook 3ds Max Basics for Modeling Video Game Assets, Vol 2, CRC Press
2019 Authored textbook 3ds Max Basics for Modeling Video Game Assets, Vol 1, CRC Press
2019 Kidscreen Awards nomination for Best Video Game- Original, Pollywog Pond.
2018 Invited Speaker, Serious Play Conference, Buffalo, NY
2017 Published “Pollywog Pond,” a video game portal for children, distributed by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Marketplace
2017 Guest speaker, Hascon, Providence, RI- One of 24 “GI Joe Legends,” GI Joe Development team.
2016 Guest speaker, Serious Play Conference, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC
2014 Direct Capital National Small Biz Entrepreneur Competition – Winner of the Award
2012 Commission for Muppet Dawn, Jim Henson Memorial, City of Hyattsville, MD.
2011 Commission for 9-11 Freedom Memorial, North Smithfield, RI .
2011 Commission for four 5’ diameter historical relief medallions depicting Westshore, Tampa, FL.
2010 Guest Speaker, Tri-State Sculptors Conference, Towson University , Towson , MD
2008 Commission for Puritas Promenade, Greater Cleveland Rapid Transit Authority, Cleveland , OH .
2007 Commission for Timberwolves Sculpture, Lake City Community College, Lake City, FL
2006 Commission for Nature's Trust, Cooperative Extension Education Building, Orange County Public Art, Orlando, FL
2006 Commission for Student Body Promenade, Pennsylvania State University, State College PA
2006 Commission for East Innes Portal, City Gateway Sculptures, City of Salisbury, NC, Public Art Project.
2006 Crystal Award of Excellence for each Episode, 2 & 3 of “Li’l Rhody!”, The Communicator Awards
2006 The Telly Award, “Silver Telly” Awards for Episode 2 and Episode 3, “Li’l Rhody!”
2002 Commission for four 6’ diameter medallions of Ybor City, Interstate 4 Bridge Project, City of Tampa, Florida.
2001 Commission for large scale monument, Ames Circle of Arts, Ames, Iowa. Juried competition.
2001 Appearance on WGBH’s production of "This Old House" (show #2013) as concrete sculpture restoration specialist.
2000 Commission for Sculptural Clock Tower, Tampa Union Station, City of Tampa, Florida. Juried Competition.
2000 Commission for Architectural restoration of exterior details at Rock Cliff Mansion, Newport, RI
1999 Commission for fourteen Sesame Street Character sculptures for Hopi Hari Theme Park in San Paulo, SP, Brazil.
1999 Convergence XII, Providence, Rhode Island. Commission for four sculptures, Relics, Juried competition.
1998 Invitational commission to design and execute a large scale piece for the Guilin Yu-Zi paradise Sculpture Park,
Guilin , Peoples Republic of China. The twenty-two foot tall sculpture, Guilin Harmony installed December, 1998.
1998 Convergence XI, Providence, Rhode Island. Commission for three large scale sculptures, River~Beacons.
1997 Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Countdown to Extinction, Walt Disney World. Commission for six sculptures.
1997 Just Kiddie Rides, Commission for three Sesame Street Ride-on vehicles and characters.
1997 Commission for sculpture of Sesame Street’s "The Count" .Strong Museum, Rochester, NY
1996 Commission for Shepard Building, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Providence,RI. Juried
1995 Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Norway, Commission for fourteen major works.
1995 Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Norway, Commission for ten, themed sculpture figures.
1994 The John Singleton Copley Award, The Copley Society of Boston, for Excellence in Art.
1994 Parque Plaza Sesame, Monterrey, Mexico, Commission for twenty themed sculptures.
1993 20th International Dogwood Art Exhibition, Atlanta, GA, Juried Exhibition, Award.
1993 Clay & Fiber Exhibition, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, Iowa. Juried.
1993 Stuart Levy Fine Art Gallery, Group Show, CAN, New York, NY.
1993 Dallas Area Rapid Transit National Competition, Awarded large scale sculpture commission, Garland, TX
1992 Out of Clay, Farrington-Keith Creative Arts Center, Dexter, MI. Juried.
1992 Anticipation ‘92, Chicago International New Art Forms Exposition, Chicago, IL, Juried
1992 Art Boston, Boston Park Plaza, Boston, MA, Invitational Exhibition.
1992 43rd Annual Art of the Northeast, Silvermine Guild Art Center, New Cannan, CT, Juried.
1992 Uihlein-Peters "Sculpture in the Plaza’92", National Juried Exhibition, Milwaukee, WI.
1991 Two Person Exhibition, The Copley Society of Boston, Newbury Street, Boston, MA.
1991 Accepted as a Member Artist of the Creative Artist Network, Philadelphia, PA. Juried.
1991 The North American Sculpture Exhibition, The Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO, Juried.
1991 The Copley Society, Boston, MA, Juried, Award, conferred Copley Master.
1987 Distinguished Alumnus Award, College of Fine Arts Commencement, Towson State University, Towson, MD.
Press
Video Interviews
5 minute interview of sculptor Bill Culbertson, broadcast by Rhode Island Magazine:
4 minute interview of sculptor Bill Culbertson about sculpting toys, by CBS/FOX News:
4 minute interview of sculptor Bill Culbertson, in Ames, IA
1 minute interview with sculptor Bill Culbertson