Robert Gale Skinner began his career in the arts as a set designer for the Charles Playhouse in Boston and continued as an art professor at the University of Rhode Island, Ohio University, and finally Southampton College, where he taught from 1966 until he retired in 1996 as a professor emeritus.
Mr. Skinner, who was 94, died on Oct. 4 at home in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Beyond teaching, Mr. Skinner was "a talented creator of three-dimensional sculptures, a designer, a fine-art appraiser, an art collector, and an antiques dealer," his family wrote. His work is featured in private collections in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, New York City, and on Long Island. A collector of antique tools, he often incorporated them into his art, and his interests extended to Native American art and artifacts.
"Bob was the definition of an art collector," wrote Tom Kerr, a friend and neighbor in Saratoga Springs. "He not only collected, but understood the process that went into the creation of everything he collected. Whether it was the ironwork required to create a whaler's harpoon or the sweetgrass collected to weave the intricate Lowland baskets of South Carolina."
In the early 1970s, Mr. Skinner designed and built the first geodesic dome on the East End, a residence on Cosdrew Lane in East Hampton that he called Dome One. Later, he designed and built Barn Again, a multi-building complex of old New England barns that he deconstructed and reassembled on his property in Water Mill.
He and his wife of 50 years, the former Elizabeth DeBarto, who survives, traveled extensively across the United States and Western Europe, "sharing a life filled with adventure and creativity," his family wrote. She was an elementary school teacher in East Hampton, so both of them had summers off and spent them at their farmhouse in West Hebron, N.Y. In 2015, they left the East End to retire to Saratoga Springs.
Mr. Skinner was born on Nov. 15, 1929, in Dracut, Mass., to Frederick Skinner and the former Zelma Richardson. He attended the Milford Central School District in New Hampshire, and went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire, a master's at Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. at Ohio University.
In the midst of this, he also served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.
He "will be remembered as a true gentleman who viewed the world through the eyes of an artist," his family said.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his three daughters, Rebecca Skinner of San Francisco, Tracy Stowell of Saratoga Springs, and Katherine Skinner of Beaufort, S.C., and by his grandchildren, Zachary Kerr of Cooperstown, N.Y., Kaley Kerr of Charleston, S.C., Uddhava Stowell of Brooklyn, Celena Stowell of Saratoga Springs, Abigale Skinner of Australia, and Katherine Skinner of San Francisco. A sister, Joanne Ainsworth, died before him.
A celebration of his life will be announced at a later date. His family has suggested donations in his memory to Fort Salem Theater in Salem, N.Y., at fortsalem.com, or the Kennedy Willis Center on Down Syndrome in Edmeston, N.Y., at pathfindervillage.org.
Compassionate Funeral Care in Saratoga Springs is handling arrangements, and condolences can be shared on its website, compassionatefuneralcare.com.
