He is Professor Emeritus of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and served as head of the Herron School of Art Sculpture Department for 33 years, from 1968 until his retirement in 2001.
In 1968 he was hired as professor and chair of the Sculpture Department at the Herron School of Art at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI) due to his expertise in metal casting.
In January 1970, after 16 months of preparation converting a radiator shop into an operational facility, Freeman debuted the new foundry with a demonstration of a metal casting for students and faculty.
Freeman had acquired all of the tools for carving, casting and building sculptures, from a pair of crucible furnaces, to a walk-in kiln, welding equipment, and sandmillers, grinders, and drills.
"[9] Freeman utilizes the bases of his sculptures to define the space,[10] brace the work, and anchor it to the ground to make it seem monumental.
[1] Freeman has been praised for his, "extraordinary sense of scale and fine awareness of the relationship among size, proportion and weight," which allows for the interplay of these elements to "impact and compose his statement.
His pieces have been featured in multiple shows in the Herron Gallery, IUPUI, including Sculpture Indiana: Breath and Beauty in 1980 and Boundaries, 1989.
[8] Gary Freeman: A Decade of Sculpture 1979 to 1989 was a retrospective exhibit held at the Herron Galleries at IUPUI from January 19 to February 21, 1990.
The "A.U.L" series (1985) included sculptures created for the American United Life Company competition, which were made to seem as if the pieces were in mid-fall.