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Fergus native back home to mold minds [UPDATED]
Published 10:38am Monday, September 24, 2012 Updated 10:38am Monday, September 24, 2012Robert “Boomer” Moore has come back to Fergus Falls for a week to spend some time giving back to the community that helped set him on track to achieve his goal of becoming a prolific ceramic artist and teacher.
Moore is spending his time in Fergus Falls giving demonstrations, leading workshops at M State and talking to local artists and instructors.
Moore graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1988 before spending two years at the Fergus Falls Community College.
His search for knowledge in the field of ceramic art then took him to Montana State University-Bozeman. After earning his undergraduate degree, Moore attended grad school at Utah State University where he received his Masters of Fine Arts in 1999.
Moore took a job as Artist
dio coordinator and instructor at Ohio State University for nine years before accepting a position at West Virginia University as an assistant professor in 2008.
“This is the first time I’ve really been to Fergus in 22 years,” Moore said. “It’s nice to be back.”
Moore said a lot has changed since he went to the community college and graduated in 1990.
“I’m impressed with the new building,” he said. “The facilities are really nice for this kind of school. It’s wonderful to see my old school still growing.”
The school’s progress has gone beyond just the facility as well, Moore said.
“I’m really impressed with the talent of the faculty here,” he said. “They are truly blessed to have the faculty line they do.”
His experiences at Fergus Falls Community College helped shape Moore into the artist he is today, he said.
“This school is really where I started to see what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “It’s nice to come back and share some of that inspiration with students. I’m proud and honored that they wanted me to come back.”
Moore does about three visits per year to other institutions to put on demonstrations and teach workshops, but this is the first year he has come back to M State.
“For me, it doesn’t matter how many people show up,” he said. “If somebody takes what I have said and utilizes it to work toward a new philosophy or way of looking at things, it’s been successful.”
Teaching is a two-way street for Moore, and while the primary goal is to share knowledge with students, teachers can learn a lot from students as well, he said.
“Teaching and sharing knowledge is a big passion for me,” Moore said. “I’m always learning from students. That’s what I truly enjoy about being an educator. You always have the challenge or thrill of students changing your thoughts and views on art. It’s a wonderful side note to being a teacher.”
