UNL Alumnus Matt Kelleher (M.F.A. 1999) has accepted an assistant professor position in ceramic art with an emphasis on functional pottery in the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in New York.
“The Alfred MFA program is renowned in the way the Yale painting program has been renowned,” said UNL Professor Emeritus of Art Gail Kendall. “It is the oldest highly acclaimed graduate program in ceramics and has had a great reputation since the 1950s, when it was one of a handful of institutions granting the terminal degree of Master of Fine Arts in ceramics, with an equally prestigious degree in ceramics engineering. Alfred grads have dominated academic positions in ceramics for the last several decades, so when Matt Kelleher, along with another former UNL grad student were short listed for the Assistant Professor position, you can be sure the faculty at UNL were very pleased.”
Kelleher and his wife, Shoko Teruyama, who met in Lincoln, previously both worked as studio potters in North Carolina for 10 years. He and his wife also lived in Kansas, Ohio, Alaska and Connecticut through various teaching positions and artist residences before landing in North Carolina.
In 2005, he left university teaching to pursue full-time studio work through a three-year residency at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. He has also been an artist-in-residence at Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana (2001); and Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shigaraki, Japan (2003).
In 2012, he served as a sabbatical replacement at Alfred University.
“During the experience, I felt filled up like a balloon,” he said. “I felt pushed in many directions from both the students and my own ideas. Alfred is a large program where students are focusing on all aspects of ceramics and incorporating many other materials. In that semester I focused on pottery and how pots relate to each other through ‘sets’ with my junior class. I worked on ideas with clay, wood, glass and installation while advising my senior students. My graduate advisees were deep into personal research that included large unglazed wheel thrown sculpture, highly decorated earthenware pots and video. I felt alive in that environment and knew if the chance to apply for a position came up, I would.”
He said he is still “amazed” to be in the program now.
“Reality will catch up at some point, but the semester has begun and we are off and running with the work that needs to get done,” he said. “I fit well in this position. My experience and focus of study is pottery, but what really gets my blood flowing is students passionate about their own interests and ideas. I can plug into any students research, not only pottery.”
Kendall thinks the job is a good fit for Kelleher.
“For Matt, the position combines financial security with the challenge of teaching talented students and consorting with a talented crew of faculty colleagues in a fertile artistic environment,” she said. “For Alfred, it means that they are continuing to garner the best and most talented artists of each generation to further enhance their position in the field.”
His position at the undergraduate level is to teach the pottery classes.
“I will teach courses that focus on the potter’s wheel as a tool and other courses that investigate pottery and the practice of studio pottery,” he said. “There are many benefits to this position and working with my colleagues is most important for their experience, wisdom and nurturing of students. They are my teachers. I look forward to growing here.”
Kelleher grew up in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and his interest in clay began in high school.
“We had amazing art teachers for junior high and high school,” he said. “I knew I had an interest in making as a child, but I don’t know if I would have dedicated myself so fully without the support of early teachers.”
He received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1995, where he had UNL Department of Art and Art History Chair Pete Pinnell for technical classes.
“My interest in UNL started when Pete joined the faculty,” he said. “I remember visiting the program before applying and meeting Gail Kendall. After the visit, I felt confident the team of Gail and Pete was whom I wanted to work with.”
He received his MFA in ceramics from UNL in 1999 after receiving a M.A. in printmaking from the University of Northern Iowa in 1997.
“All my memories of the ceramic program at UNL are warm and fuzzy,” he said. “My experience there is a large part of my foundation for research, teaching and overall perspective of the ceramic field. I was part of a group of grads that came in at the beginning of what is now known all over the country as UNL Ceramics. My colleagues and I established a lasting relationship with the faculty as we tried to figure the new program out. Gail Kendall and Pete Pinnell were our leaders, and they brought Eddie Dominguez on board during my final year. It was a very unique time and I will always feel a ‘belonging’ to the program.”
Kelleher said he received many congratulations when he accepted the new position at Alfred University.
“I was told how lucky I was to have the financial security of the job,” he said. “I understood these compliments, but I was making a living as a potter and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, I had good insurance. The true gift is to work in Alfred’s environment, with the students, faculty and resources. In this position, I have a deep joy that security cannot ignite alone.”
He hopes to learn about 3-D modeling and rapid prototyping at Alfred.
“We are building this program at Alfred in collaboration with ceramic engineering,” he said. “I don’t know how this will influence my research, but I do hope to incorporate these tools in my teaching. I think all processes that help us find new forms are valuable, and I want these tools in my toolbox.”
He is also preparing for three small solo shows in 2016.
Kendall said Kelleher has “remarkable” qualities as a teacher and mentor.
“Matt has a way of speaking to the life and the work that is open-ended and inspiring,” she said. “I am confident that it is these attributes that set him apart and above the many other applicants for the position he recently gained.”
His current research is still tied to his masters thesis at UNL.
“I am trying to find layered atmospheric surfaces to fit handsome sculptural form that suggests utility. While this is the direction, I try to pay attention to what is going on around me,” he said. “My curiosity is distracting, but I think that is the point. I am so happy to be around students who are trying to figure things out. I have a strong kinship with them.”
To view Kelleher’s artwork, visit his website at http://www.MattKelleher.com.