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1937 Born, Fairfield, Maine
EDUCATION
1958-1959 St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota
1965-1967 Art Students League, New York, New York
APPRENCICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES
1962 Apprenticeship with Henry Takemoto, Lacey, WA
1991 Chateau La Napoule, La Napoule, France
1991 Watershed Center for Ceramics, Edgecomb, Maine
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1955-1969 Monk, St. Martin’s Abbey, Olympia, Washington
1965-1967 Instructor, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, New York
1982 Adjunct Instructor, Adirondack Community College, Queensbury, New York
BIOGRAPHY
Bruno LaVerdiere produced functional and nonfunctional vessels. His sculptures range from abstract to figurative. He wass comfortable with the potter’s wheel however he often hand-built pieces either using slabs or coil techniques.
His work was not limited by scale. Pieces range from small functional objects to large sculptural works. His ideas came from historic sites such as monuments, temples, and shrines. He was also interested in pursuing the house image in both clay and painting.
After meeting Henry Takemoto in the early 1960s the two worked together pushing each other to explore new ceramic possibilities.
He was a Benedictine monk for 14 years before he left the Abbey in 1969 and pursued a career in ceramics.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Bloomsburg State College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio
Dowd Fine Arts Gallery, State University at Cortland, New York
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, New York
Lannan Museum, Palm Beach Community College, West Palm Beach, Florida
Mills College, Prieto Memorial Collection, Oakland, California
Monsen Collection, Seattle, Washington
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York
Roberson Museum, Binghamton, New York
Schenectady Museum, Schenectady, New York
University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Coyne, John, ed. The Penland School Book of Crafts Book of Pottery. Indianapolis, IN: Rutledge/Bobbs-Merrill, 1975.
Delius, Jean. “Bruno LaVerdiere.” Craft Horizons (October 1977).
Harrington, LaMar. Ceramics in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1979.
Hess, Thomas B. “For Each Man Kilns the Thing He Loves.” New York Magazine, August 1, 1977.
LaVerdiere, Bruno. “From Monastery to Studio: An Autobiography.” Ceramics Monthly (October 1989).
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified April 25, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/laverdiere