Artist Services
Photography
 ©Tony Ferguson, 2008

Biography

Born in St. Paul, raised in North East or “Nord East” Minneapolis, I was exposed to and participated in many creative activities through my childhood. These included:  Calliope Children's Theatre, Fuller Young People's Theatre, Cricket Theatre, musicals, dance, playwriting, fiction and poetry writing. 

My first experience with a studio medium was as a blacksmith apprentice when I was 13. I was also exposed to carpentry and photography through my father, cooking through my mother, and a general "can do" attitude toward all forms of problem solving. My teaching debut was my first class at a community center when I was 15.  It was break dancing. He he.

When I was 16, we moved to Osceola, Wisconsin where we restored a 20 acre farm, tore down out buildings and saved every piece of wood.  

After I graduated from high school, I attended University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire where starting out in theatre and communications, I finished with a degree in English and philosophy with certainly enough extra credits in writing, composition and art to have another degree.  As an undergraduate in English, it was my dream to be a writer and published my first poem in the Wisconsin English Journal. I also gave poetry readings in Eau Claire, Milwaukee and Duluth. Also while in college, I danced on a troupe and danced in a production in England while studying abroad. The Arts in some form have always been a part of my life.  It was in my last semester I discovered my ability in clay and decided I would become a super senior for 2 years in order to develop my new found skills.  Clay was to be the new form of my expression that I would pursue vigorously.

Mike Weber, a now retired professor from UW-Eau Claire, completely inspired me to pursue clay after taking that first clay class during my last semester. When one of the first 3 pots I had ever thrown made it into a juried art exhibition, I thought I might have some natural talent or at least hoped I did. Mike Weber, who I refer to as my old professor, provided priceless guidance and inspiration and helped me design my first Anagama wood kiln. He is truly an example of an Artist who is a teacher, who has been down the developmental pathways one must go down in order to create something exemplary. He shared his passion with his students about the self discovery and development aspects of clay, about focus, teamwork, and seeing something through from beginning to end. I will be eternally grateful to him.

After extending my graduation to take clay classes, I graduated with honors, and from an invitation to study traditional Korean ceramics in Korea after working on the University of Minnesota’s Korean wood fired smoke kiln, I traveled to Korea and taught English while I worked out of a studio for two months. Realizing that I definitely wanted to pursue clay and more education, I returned to America and was accepted into the Masters in Art program at UW-Superior under Jim Grittner. There I complete my coursework in a year, extended my education further for further development as I was rejected from the best graduate MFA programs in the country. 

While in graduate school, I met my wife, we started a family and I also completed the coursework and student teaching for a K-12 teacher certification from UW-Superior. While completing my teacher certification, I had the privilege of teaching at Lake Superior College for three semesters. Unfortunately, the college was unable to accommodate the rapid growth of the successful program under the leadership of Dorian Bealeau. As a consequence of that lay off, I started my own pottery and sculpture program and made the commitment to making a living from my artwork.

My wife, who is a certified elementary teacher, and I have desired a life style that puts family first and allows flexibility and quality time together. By living in Artspace where we can express and teach our Arts.  We are able to live our philosophy for the moment and yet we hope to acquire land and either restore or build a house, studios, and offer classes to the community. Currently I am also looking to develop and teach more courses online or face to face resulting in full time tenured employment.

What you or I might call “Art” I think of as “expression.” I create pottery, write poems, capture moments in time in photography or dance because I can and because I must. I have discovered that creating Art, expressing myself has taught me about myself and this and other cultures.  Art brings your strengths and weakness out in front.  It is apparent in your work.  It is the looking glass of dirt.  There is no lack of honesty in the clay. When working honestly, there are no secrets other than those within your self waiting to be discovered.  Honest work is there for all to see who are willing to look, but more importantly, to see.  Everybody looks but not everybody sees.   That is part of goal of what I do.  Honest expression is an expression of strength.  Somewhere in time men were taught that other than grunting, the degree to which they could reproduce, and showing their might--everything else expressed was a sign of weakness. I have found that it takes a stronger man to display his feelings, to put them out there in the open--open to scrutiny, yet possessing enough strength and sensibility to not let what others say or think affect him negatively, stray him from his vision, as well as listening to others in his attempt at refinement. The artistic process not only builds character, but it builds strength and one’s ability to refine, define and better one’s self. It is an opportunity open to all.

Pay off my $54,000 in student loans, buy land, build a modest house, studios, and eventually accommodation for visiting artists.  There would also be apprenticeship type programs with visiting artists, workshops, local artists exchanges, networks with the local schools to get the children and adults involved with the artists.

To his or herself and commitments made to others. The greatest artists are those whose work is an attempt at an accurate expression of themselves, their current state of mind, body, spirit—where the artwork attempts to capture that moment in time—it is more of consequence of working in the medium then the reason for working in the medium—THAT IS WHY MANY OF US ARE DRAWN TO ART--BECAUSE THERE IS TRUTH WITHIN AN ARTIST'S EXPRESSION THAT HAS INTEGRITY AND SOMETHING INSIDE OF US WANTS TO KNOW THAT TRUTH AND SO WE ARE DRAWN TO IT. Of course, there are always exceptions to this and plenty of Art out there that is quite poor.  What I've learned about working as an artist is if you pursue your Art with integrity, it becomes the looking glass of dirt, offering you a way to learn about yourself, develop yourself for the better.  Our science of today can validate increased brain function, intelligence, creativity and over all efficiency by working in artistic, kinetic tactual/audio visual expressive mediums. I work with clay at this time because I am compelled too, a challenge, and fun.

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