David Eckard died from complications from cancer on April 16, 2025. He was 60 years old. He died in Clackamas at the Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center surrounded by his beloved husband Eric Alberty and a few dear friends. David left a legacy of love throughout all the communities (and there are many) of which he was a part. 

David was born in 1964 in Spirit Lake, Iowa to John Keith Eckard and Alice Darlene Eckard (Rasmussen). He is survived by three brothers: Dennis and his wife Kathy of Bella Vista, Arkansas; Dean and his wife Linda of Hanover, Minnesota; Dana and wife Elizabeth of Klamath Falls, Oregon and a sister, Deanne of Titusville, Florida. He was favorite uncle to: Darcy, Eric and Melissa; Jake and Jessica; and John. David’s early life growing up on a farm in Iowa shaped his pragmatic and sensible approach to making.

David was an innovative and influential artist. He created a body of unique work that sprang from his own authentic voice and experience. David Eckard was David Eckard, he imitated no one else. Since his time in Chicago where he graduated with a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, he combined beautifully crafted objects with performance. His earliest works arose from Queer protest groups during the AIDS epidemic. He took that mix of the poetic form, political action and bodily identity into subsequent works. He presented several times at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s TBA festival. David’s work always contained some combination of grace, the grotesque, strength and tenderness. Float for TBA had him floating on the Willamette River through Portland perched on a huge metal buoy with massive megaphones (all exquisitely designed and built by David). As he floated through downtown he recited a poetic monologue surrounded by a flotilla of kayakers. 

His performances were also a tradition during Pacific Northwest College of Art’s Focus Week, a week set aside for public presentations of students’ theses. Combining wit and vulnerability, the works enlivened the public spaces of both the old NW Johnson location and the current 511 Broadway building. PNCA is what it is in large part thanks to David Eckard. He was a dedicated teacher. As an Associate Professor and eventually Chair of the Sculpture program, he worked with hundreds of students over the last twenty-five plus years. Some students went on to become beloved colleagues creating generational root systems of artists. David’s kindness and humor, his technical virtuosity and improvisational intelligence made him an exemplary teacher. His influence on contemporary art in the Pacific Northwest is vast. One episode of his teaching career that changed his trajectory was when he spent two years in Pont Aven, Brittany, France as head of the Pont Aven School of Art. The school was associated with PNCA. His work became more international as his connections widened. 

David has had many accolades over his career including being awarded one of the first Hallie Ford Fellowships. He was a Bonnie Bronson Fellow and an Oregon Arts Commission Fellow. His work is represented in private and public collections. He has an extensive exhibition history. In 2024 alone, he was artist in residence at Archer Gallery in Vancouver, Washington and presented Totter, an installation and performance at Building Five. He has collaborated with many other artists, dancers and performers, including Three Trick Pony with Linda Austin and many collaborations with the drag artist Anthony Hudson/Carla Rossi.

Often overlooked were David’s paintings and 2D constructions. While he was primarily known as a sculptor and performance artist, his body of two-dimensional work displays an incredible depth. Over the last decade his work concentrated more and more on the paintings. The works contain the usual technical prowess, poetic wit and beautiful strangeness. Forms morph from flat to three-dimensional, from body parts to plant forms. Since 2020, the works became more overtly topical addressing the rage inherent in American culture and the pervasiveness of racial violence. One of his last portraits was of his husband Eric. The portrait depicts Eric as a beacon of light in the dark.

David’s life changed when he met Eric. The two found each other when they most needed it. They channeled their creativity and generosity into a home full of joy and beauty. David’s students were often regaled with descriptions of Eric’s delicious meals packed for lunch. David often showed up for work or at openings decked out in the bespoke crocheted clothes that Eric made. Their intertwined lives were full of great meals and travel. Their yard, a site of great celebrations, was their dog Ryelee’s favorite race track, often documented running mad circles in the yard. Ryelee would then go rest on his Papa’s legs that were covered with a crocheted blanket made by Eric. Eric’s encouragement helped David create some of the most complex and heartfelt work of his career, but the most important achievement was the home he made with Eric and Ryelee. 

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A public celebration of life will be held at PNCA (511 NW Broadway) on May 10th from 2-4 pm.