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Brother Thomas
Brother Thomas Bezanson, OSB, was a Canadian-born Benedictine artist known primarily for his porcelain pottery and mastery of complex glazes. He was strongly influenced by Asian pottery, often adapting traditional Chinese and Japanese forms, methods and materials to his work.
He was born Charles Bezanson in Halifax, Nova Scotia; in 1950 he graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. He began working in pottery in 1953. In 1958–59 he traveled and studied in Europe, then joined the Order of Saint Benedict at Weston Priory in Vermont. In 1968 he graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Master's degree in Philosophy and a University Gold Medal. In 1976 he was a visiting lecturer at Alfred University School of Ceramics. In 1978 he traveled in Japan and to Taipei. While in Japan he met with five "Living National Treasure" potters. In 1983 he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant. From 1985 he was the Artist-in-Residence at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery in Erie, PA.
He exhibited widely during his lifetime, and his works are included in public and private collections around the world; these include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Vatican collections. His work can be seen in the Pucker Gallery in Boston.
Brother Thomas died at his home in Erie, PA on August 16, 2007.
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