August 11, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ethiopia: Art: Ceramics: Hampton Chronicle: Bill Mateer didn't plan on becoming a ceramics artist, but a college requirement many years ago and a stint with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia led him to eventually teaching the discipline
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August 11, 2005: Headlines: COS - Ethiopia: Art: Ceramics: Hampton Chronicle: Bill Mateer didn't plan on becoming a ceramics artist, but a college requirement many years ago and a stint with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia led him to eventually teaching the discipline
Bill Mateer didn't plan on becoming a ceramics artist, but a college requirement many years ago and a stint with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia led him to eventually teaching the discipline
After college, Mateer and his wife spent two years with the Peace Corps in an Ethiopian village where all the women were potters. That was all it took to get him hooked on crafting art out of clay.
Bill Mateer didn't plan on becoming a ceramics artist, but a college requirement many years ago and a stint with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia led him to eventually teaching the discipline
Sheffield Man's Vocation, Avocation Collide in Ceramics
By Ray Baltes 08/11/2005
Bill Mateer didn't plan on becoming a ceramics artist, but a college requirement many years ago and a stint with the Peace Corps led him to eventually teaching the discipline.
"I started (ceramics) when I was in college, in about 1967," Mateer explained. "I was an art major, and I took ceramics to fulfill a requirement, and I enjoyed it a lot."
After college, Mateer and his wife spent two years with the Peace Corps in an Ethiopian village where all the women were potters. That was all it took to get him hooked on crafting art out of clay.
When Mateer returned to Sheffield and the family farm, it didn't take long for him to build a ceramics studio.
Today, his work is widely known, partly because he has been teaching ceramics for North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in Mason City since 1987. His work has also been exhibited at the Charles City Art Center, Waldorf College, the Jennison Meacham Arts Center in Belmond, and NIACC.
An exhibition of his work, titled, "Exploring Variations,"
is currently on display at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City.
For Mateer, beauty is often found in simplicity.
"It's basic, traditional shapes," he stated. "I just make the things that I want to make and I enjoy making. The shapes and decorations all evolve. I basically make what I enjoy making, which is mainly bowls and jars."
"The NIACC course I teach is taught at the MacNider Museum," said Mateer. "The museum has several people who are active in ceramics who are working in (the MacNider) studio. One of those is Sally Baker. She wanted to purchase something of mine to donate to the museum in he husband's memory. They thought it would be good to have a show to go along with the two donated pieces."
Mateer said one of the highlights of "Exploring Variations" is his unique practice of spraying his pieces with glaze, creating some very interesting effects on the surface.
"Most of the pieces are glazed with several glazes that are sprayed on, so the glazes can overlap, flow, blend, and create their own personalities through the combinations," he pointed out. "This results in pieces that are more individual and unexpected than if I had tried to control the complete process."
So far, said Mateer, he doesn't have many markets for his work, but he has sold a few pieces.
"Clay: Exploring Variations" is on exhibit in the Kinney Lindstrom Gallery at the MacNider Museum through Aug. 28. The Museum is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Admission is free.
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Story Source: Hampton Chronicle
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ethiopia; Art; Ceramics
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