Bunny Allen McBride

Bunny McBride’s ceramics are made to please the owner or user and are grounded in function, utility, and high quality design. He performs each step himself in the creation of his art, from the building of the body, to the mixing of glazes, and finally firing. Originally from Montana, McBride received his M.F.A. from Alfred University in New York, which is renowned for its ceramics program. He came to Iowa City in 1970 to teach ceramics at the University of Iowa, eventually becoming the chair of the Ceramics Department. He retired from teaching in 2010 after a long and exceptional tenure. McBride has received a National Endowment for the Arts grant from the Archie Bray Foundation and an Arts Humanities Initiative grant. His ceramics have been exhibited both nationally and internationally. His great interest in the ceramic art of China, Japan, and Korea led to numerous lectures, exhibitions, and symposiums throughout Asia. As a teacher, McBride made a point of continuing to foster relationships with those students that had gone on to be working artists and also bringing in numerous visiting artists to show his students that there could be a life made from art. Bunny McBride’s long career in Iowa as both a teacher and working ceramicist has and continues to have a lasting impact on the arts of Iowa through those he taught and those who love his beautifully functional ceramics.

Obituary

Bunny Allen (B.A.) McBride of Cape Coral, Florida and Solon, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021 at Arden Courts in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Bunny was born in Butte, Montana on April 8th, 1938 to Flossie and Lawrence 'Mac' McBride. He spent his youth hiking, camping, and fishing throughout Montana. He graduated from Whitehall High School in 1956 in Whitehall, Montana. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Art in 1960 and a degree in Art Education in 1965, both from Montana State University. After serving in the United States Army as an illustrator, he received an M.F.A. from Alfred University in Alfred, New York in 1970.

Bunny McBride devoted his professional life to his students. Bunny began teaching at the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History, Ceramics Department in 1970 where he remained until his retirement in 2010. The phenomenon of University of Iowa trained professors who studied under Bunny has been labeled the 'Iowa Connection' by the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA). NCECA coined this term in 2010 when Bunny was honored with the 'Excellence in Teaching Award' at the National Ceramics Educator's Conference in Philadelphia.

While spending nearly forty years teaching at the University of Iowa, Bunny continued to create his own work. His work received critical acclaim both nationally and internationally. His pieces were honored at the International Ceramics Competition, Nine States Ceramic Exhibition, the Cedar Creek National Teapot Show, and countless others. His pieces have been purchased by the State of Iowa and the University and are permanent installations in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the Iowa Memorial Union and other campus buildings.

SOURCE: https://www.press-citizen.com/obituaries/icp021453