Art teacher honored for 30 years of service to MPCC

MCCOOK, Neb. -- In 1979 Steve Clapp got a call to see if he'd be interested in teaching a pottery class at McCook Community College. Now, 37 years later he's still teaching art and was recently honored by the college for his commitment.

Technically, since ceramic and sculpture classes were not offered every semester, Clapp was recognized for 30 years of service to Mid-Plains Community College.

"The college offers courses at all times and days during the semester, and to make a lot of that happen, we rely on adjunct faculty to teach a number of classes for us," said Dr. Jody Tomanek, area vice-president of academic affairs and North Platte Community College. "Without them, we would have a difficult time offering the variety of classes that we do.

For Clapp, that means Mondays are long days. Until his retirement from McCook High School after the 2014-15 school year his days were filled with high school art students and his nights filled with college students.

"Steve's commitment as an adjunct faculty helps me cover the demand for classes, and I can rely on him to address certain elements that are essential and carry over to my other classes," said MCC art instructor Rick Johnson.

Despite the sometimes long hours Clapp admits he's enjoyed his time teaching at MCC.

"It's a nice break working with a different age group of students from the 19-20 age-level to a mixture of individuals up to retirement age." Clapp said. "They've brought a lot of diversity into the classroom and a lot of unique ideas and perspectives. We do a lot of learning from each other."

He's also taught students with a wide range of experience from those with no ceramic background to professionals taking the class so they had access to the kiln. "In that case I was the one who learned a lot from those students."

He's had students from other countries. He once had a first-time pottery student who had no fingers, and a married couple who left the area and moved into a missile silo in North Dakota. Always, he's had characters in the classroom and the common thread is the art.

"Ceramics is a craft that you learn one step at a time then move on to the next one. It's a progression where after you learn the basic steps then the creativity comes," Clapp said.

He likes how the internet has opened up a lot of possibilities with video demonstrations and social media sharing.

As an MCC alum, Clapp said he likes how the arts programs have grown at Mid-Plains Community College from the large variety of classes to the level of instruction both at North Platte and McCook. The demand has grown to the point that in addition to teaching pottery and sculpture, this semester he's teaching an art structure class as well.

"We've got quality instructors leading both campuses and they are focused on providing students with a quality starting point for their art. Students get a lot of one-on-one instruction and MPCC is great place for any students interested in art," Clapp said. "I know a lot of my students have gone on to get art and graphic design degrees."