Peter Aberle

Peter Aberle received his B.F.A. degree in 1977 from the State University of New York, New Paltz, and his M.F.A. from the New York State College of ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, in 1979. Peter spent a year as the studio technician in the sculpture and ceramics department at Alfred, then taught at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, from 1983 to 1985. During and following graduate school, Peter had been drawn to using materials other than clay. It was the nature of the Arts/Industry program which drew Peter to use clay again; and, in fact, the work done at Kohler was the last large body of clay work Peter completed prior to his death in 1985. The eight weeks Peter spent in residency were productive and intense. He was able to create a variety of mixed-media installations utilizing plaster, clay, metal, and wood scraps as well as found objects and discarded factory ware. He made many molds and castings and incorporated these into the installations which he laid out on the factory floor much to the amusement and curiosity of the Kohler Co. workers.