Robert Archambeau (18 April 1933 – 25 April 2022) was a Canadian ceramic artist and potter. He also had an academic career in

post-secondary Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

art studies.

Personal history

Born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, in 1933, he immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1968. He served four years in the U.S. Marines, before undergraduate Studies at Toledo University, the Toledo Museum of Art School and

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He earned his Masters of Fine Arts degree from New York State College of Ceramics on the campus of Alfred University in 1964. In addition to his prominence in the field of ceramic art, he was known as an educator and an art collector. These three facets of his career are chronicled in the exhibition catalogue ''Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector,'' with essays by Helen Delacretaz and Edward Lebow. His son, also named Robert Archambeau, is a poet and literary critic, whose works include the books ''Word Play Place'', ''Home and Variations'', and ''Laureates and Heretics.''

Body of work

His work, heavily influenced by Japanese ceramics, has been exhibited internationally. His works are held in many major public and private collections around the world. While living in Japan he worked closely with the artist Akio Takamori and in the studio of Jun Kaneko. He is particularly noted for his production of wood fired ceramics. He also worked closely with painter Don Reichert, who was a colleague at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. Both artists operated studios in the remote Canadian town of Bissett, Manitoba.

Academic career

He was Professor Emeritus of Art at the

, where he taught for 23 years, retiring in 1991. He also taught at the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase th ...

Awards and prizes

In 2003 he became an artist laureate recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts, Canada's highest artistic honor. In 2008 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual NCECA conference held in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Bibliography

* Delacretaz, Helen, and Edward Lebow (2004). ''Robert Archambeau: Artist, Teacher, Collector,'' exhibition catalogue, curated by Helen Delacretaz. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery. .

External links

Virtual Museum

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archambeau, Robert 1933 births 2022 deaths 20th-century United States Marines 20th-century Canadian artists 21st-century Canadian artists 20th-century Canadian male artists 21st-century Canadian male artists American emigrants to Canada Canadian ceramists Canadian potters New York State College of Ceramics alumni Bowling Green State University alumni Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Rhode Island School of Design faculty Academic staff of the University of Manitoba Artists from Toledo, Ohio