I have a long-standing interest and involvement with clay which is now a basic starting point for my art practice. I have had the very good fortune and privilege to have learned from some of the most well-known and highly knowledgeable instructors throughout my path through college and university, most especially Alfred University.
I have also worked very closely with curators, designers, and artists, as well as paintings and objects of all eras and from many cultures as a result of close to 30 years with design departments in two Smithsonian Museums, and finally with the National Gallery of Art, all located in Washington, D.C.
I’m interested in making “things,” objects made in clay. Ceramic objects have been critical in human survival and art through their use in food utensils and food storage, the making of durable shelter, and territorial barriers, as well as sculpture, for millennia.
Clay has also been, and remains, critical in human culture in many areas - industry, art, ritual and metaphorical use. It is in these areas of the ceramic tradition that I am presently most interested.
I have also returned to drawing, primarily with gouache and pastel. The medium of drawing allows me to use a wider range of color than is possible in ceramic work (primarily because of the significant technical restraints in the firing of ceramic work) and allows me the ability to use my imagination more freely.
Born in Washington, D.C.
1976
Undergraduate studies in painting, drawing, printmaking, art history, design, sculpture and ceramics; BFA – Alfred University, College of Ceramics
1976 – 1979
Set up and maintained a pottery studio in upstate N.Y., selling work through galleries and craft shows. I taught ceramic classes periodically at the Chautauqua Institution and the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester
A developing interest in eating and paying bills regularly prompted a return to the Washington area in late 1979. I continued work in ceramics on a part-time basis while the below unfolded:
1979 – 1981
Part-time Museum Assistant at the Phillips Collection
1980 – 1982
Smithsonian American Art Museum (formerly the National Collection of Fine Arts) and Renwick Gallery, Design Department, Art Installation
1982 – 1985
National Gallery of Art, Office of the Registrar, Art Installation
1985 – 2009
National Gallery of Art, Design Department, Project Coordinator for Special Exhibitions, Retired from the NGA in April, 2009
2009 - Present
I have been maintaining a regular studio practice and have had bi-annual exhibitions/sales at my home. Upon my recent move to Philadelphia, PA, I have a maintained a studio at the Crane Arts Building.
I have also provided mount making, design and installation services on a contract basis through my business, William R. Bowser Art & Art Services.
Among my clients since 2009 were:
1976
BFA, Alfred University College of Ceramics
Undergraduate studies in painting, drawing, printmaking, art history, design, sculpture and ceramics.
I was at Alfred at a time that was very exciting and allowed me to study under some of the legends in the field of Ceramic Art, namely Val Cushing, Bob Turner, Wayne Higby, and Betty Woodman; and others, such as then graduate students John and Andrea Gill, Frank Ozereko, and Bill Brouillard, all of whose work, contact and influence were hugely important in solidifying for me the seriousness of my work as a ceramic artist.
1999 - 2002
Board Member, University of Maryland University College Arts Program, College Park, MD
2000 and 1999
National Gallery of Art Employee Incentive Awards, Washington, D.C.
1997 and 1995
National Gallery of Art Employee Incentive Awards, Washington, D.C.
1986 and 1984
National Gallery of Art Employee Incentive Awards, Washington, D.C.
1985
Brandeis Art Exhibition, Waltham, MA
Honorable Mention
1976
Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY
First Place Award in Pottery
2024, 2022, 2021 and 2020
Member Exhibition, Studio Gallery, Washington, D.C.
2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2014
Home Exhibitions, Chevy Chase, MD
Sale of Ceramic Works and Drawings
1998
The Art Barn at Rock Creek Park Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Exhibition of Ceramic Art
1992
Afterworks, Washington/Alexandria Center for Architecture, Alexandria, VA
Multi-Media Group Exhibition
1988
Ordinary Form, Arlington Art Center, Arlington, VA
Solo Exhibition of Sculpture
1987
Contemporary Viewpoints, New Art Center, Washington, D.C.
Group Exhibition, Curated by Michael Monroe of the Renwick Gallery
1986
Ambiguous Relationships, Strathmore Hall Arts Center, Rockville, MD
Multi-Media Group Exhibition Curated by David Tannous
1976
Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY
Teacher of beginner and advanced students in Summer Ceramics Program
1977
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY
Summer ceramics teacher
2019 - 2025
Studio Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Artists’ Member Cooperative
2018
Rediscovered: Faberge, Hillwood Museum, Washington, D.C.
Mount-making and installation services for 45 objects
2018
Riverside Metropolitan Museum & Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA
National Park Service, Chaco Canyon Historical Park, NM
Mount-making for NMAI ceramic objects
2013
National 9/11 Memorial & Museum, New York, NY
Mount-making for ceramic object
2012
Ceramicas de los Ancestros and Inka Road, Smithsonian Museum, National Museum of American Indian, Washington, D.C.
Mount-making for exhibitions
2012
The Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX
Subcontract through Robert Fuglestad Design
2011
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Subcontract through Benchmark Mount-making
2010
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Various mount-making projects through Artex Fine Art Services
Various Private Collectors
Consultation, design and mount-making services
1982-2009
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Design and Installation Department, Production Coordinator, Exhibits Specialist
Department of the Registrar, Museum Technician
Select Exhibitions Produced
2006
DADA, Wide range of media including collages, assemblages, photographs, prints, drawings, paintings, posters, films, and audio recordings
2002
Egypt The Quest for Immortality, Sarcophagi, tomb furnishings, sculpture
1999
Edo Art in Japan 1615-1868, Including 47 National Treasures of Japan
The Golden Age of Chinese Archeology, Significant objects including the Terracotta Army and Sanxingdui bronzes
1998
Alexander Calder, Metal sculpture and jewelry
1996
Olmec Art of Ancient Mexico, 15 monumental works, including the 13-ton colossal head from San Lorenzo, as well as jade and serpentine figures and jade masks.
Johannes Vermeer, Included 21 of the 35 works known to have been painted by Vermeer
1992
John Singer Sargent, Paintings, drawings and water colors
1988
Japan, Folding screens, works on paper, sculpture, ceramics
1985
Treasure Houses of Britain, Furniture, paintings, objets d’art. This was the largest and most complicated exhibition undertaken to date by the National Gallery of Art.
1980 - 1982
National Museum of American Art and Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Exhibits Specialist
1980
Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Museum Assistant
1976 - 1979
Artist and Owner, Ceramic Studio, Geneseo, NY
I designed and produced original artwork and participated in exhibitions and sales through retail stores and galleries
