1958...Graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, in penn. was a public school teacher before getting masters degree from Penn State Un iv.
1961...graaduated from the Pennsylvania State Un iv. with a masters degree.
also in 1960-61 additional courses in ceramics at Alfred Univ...(no degree)
1961-1968....instructor / assistant professor of art at PURDUE UNIV. Teaching ceramics/ drawing/ education. received grants from Purdue Univ to design and build kilns. specifically studied salt glazing and its effects on various clay bodies. (after a bizarre event in which the univ fire dept poured water and demolished our kiln project during a firing. i left Purdue for the Art Institute of Chicago)
1968--to 2002...associate and full professor of art at the SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. being a teacher at this prestigious school, aroused many questions concerning the validity of current ceramic activity..in the early '70's.../pottery, decorating and glazing/.as a ceramic artist, interested in pushing boundaries, seeking to make the esthetics of ceramic art parallel those of painting and sculpture, i spent the next 10 years using neon, crayons/pencils, found objects and rubber latex as clay surfaces. many being in the unfired state.

1981-2.....first prize NATIONAL ENDOWMENT OF THE ARTS, in ceramics. for sculpture with crayon surfaces. this media exploration continued until 1990, with presentations in SOFA, and ART EXPO, invitational and competitive exhibitions, and chicago area
galleries.
In 1990 I "wandered" into a lecturing situation in the art school in LISBON,PORTUGAL. from there, i traveled and taught (during sabbaticals and summers) in 7 EUROPEAN and ASIAN countries, building kilns, lecturing, and teaching, until 1998. including;
Denmark,Finland, England, Scotland,Belgium,Italy, Portugal, Norway, Korea, Bangladesh, and some others. Observing artists IN (not from) other countries, their traditions and economic constraints, brought a new focus to my work....wood firing became a
passion! simple traditional forms became more difficult to resolve than previous complex ones. i concentrated for the next 5 years on cups..teabowls...small jars, and pitchers.

i retired from teaching in 2002. built a studio with a wood firing kiln, in Galena Ill. i am still there slugging it out with the esthetic nuances of those elusive cups and tea bowls . forms that enjoin ourselves with nature. objects that most potters treat too lightly .

-bill