Gerard Justin Ferrari, holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Berea College. He began his artistic career in 1989 and has extensive experience teaching at the college and university level as well as various other student populations. In 2009 he left academia to concentrate on his art career and become a stay-at-home parent for his son. Gerard has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout the country and his artwork is in a variety of personal and public collections, most notably the Everson Museum of Art Ceramics Collection, Arizona State University Art Museum Ceramic Research Center, and the Northern New England Museum of Contemporary Art. In addition, his work appears in multiple publications, most notably, Confrontational Ceramics by Judith Schwartz and Artful Jesters: Innovators of Visual Wit and Humor by Nicholas A. Roukes. Gerard is also among two recipients of the