| Kirk Mangus | ||
| Birth Date: 1952 |
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| Death Date: November 24, 2013 Artist Gallery |
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| Kirk Mangus grew up in a family of craftsman and was greatly influenced by them. His other influences ranged broadly and included comic book illustrations, abstraction, Asian culture, and artists from the “Bad Painting” movement. Known for his mastery of ceramics, Mangus also worked across multiple disciplines, including painting, drawing, and sculpture.
Mangus studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), going on to receive his MFA from Washington State University Pullman. Mangus became the Head of Ceramics at Kent State University from 1985-2013, and also taught at Alfred University Summer School, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Mangus intentionally utilized locally-sourced materials as much as possible. He and his wife, fellow ceramicist Eva Kwong, would collect clay from local sand pits and firewood from local trees for their kilns. Because the materials varied so much, each piece has its own unique sense of time and place.
John Balestreri, head of ceramics at Bowling Green University stated the following: “Working with Kirk was like working with five people. He could be doing sculpture, pots, ink drawings, Raku, wood firing, cone 1 with slips on the same day. The range of conversation and perspective could be equally vast from day to day. His facility with material, whether clay or paint, pots or the figure, was unrivaled. He was a creative tour de force.” |
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