柯克·马库斯的父母都是艺术老师，在很小的时候，他的父母就让他接触艺术。 柯克主修制陶业，选修雕塑和绘画，获得了罗德岛设计学院的美术学士，华盛顿州立大学的美术硕士。

柯克是肯特州立大学陶艺系系主任，教学28年。

柯克是一位多产的艺术家，制作了许多罐子、线圈形状的雕塑和动物雕塑、泥塑木雕、水彩画和水墨画，制作了版画和大型壁画。 他乐于做实验，为了满足自己的求知欲，一直在研究新的材料，创作过程和技术。 他把对有历史意义的艺术品及丰富知识和对当代生活的观察融合一起，创作了独特的、令人感怀和叹服的艺术品。

他的作品获得了国家艺术基金会、麦克奈特联谊、俄亥俄州艺术委员会和宾夕法尼亚艺术委员会的资助。

我非常幸运使用过许多不同的粘土和烧制方式。 我想让我的罐子不仅可以容纳物质材料，而且还融合创作过程的思绪。 历史一直都是我最大的挑战，即是竞争对手，也是引导者。 这些容器是我生命的例证和史实。 粘土的类型决定我如何在其进行绘画。 我描绘我周围的世界，我的内心以及外在的生活。
素描、油画、书写是同一性质的。 雕塑和陶瓷就像在还愿。 我们把自己的所想所感变成具体的物质形态，也把我们对世界的观点赋予到其他物质上。
从根本上说，我必须在我的工作中秉承正确的价值观。

Kirk Mangus grew up as the son of 2 art teachers. His parents introduced him to art at an early age. Kirk received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from Washington State University with a major in Ceramics and minors in Sculpture and Drawing.

Kirk taught for over 28 years at Kent State University where he was the head of the Ceramics department.

Kirk was a prolific artist who threw lots of pots, coil -built figurative and animal sculptures, carved clay and wood, painted watercolors and ink drawings, made prints and large murals.  He was experimental, always investigating new materials, processes and techniques for his own intellectual curiosities.  He fused his deep knowledge of historic artwork with his own observations of contemporary life to create his unique, heart-felt and compelling artwork.

His artwork was awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the McKnight Fellowship, the Ohio Arts Council and the PA. Council on the Arts.

Selected Public Collections:

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH.
The Newark Museum of Art , Newark,NJ
Archie Bray Foundation, Helena,MT.
Shigaraki Ceramics Museum, Shigaraki, Japan
City of Panevesys Civic Art Gallery, Panevesys, LITHUANIA
Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Finnish Craft Museum, Helsinki, FINLAND
Weisman Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN
National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, KOREA
National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts, Erie, CO
Univ. of Iowa Museum of Art , Iowa City, IA

I am fortunate enough to have used many different types of clay and firing methods. I want my pots to contain not only substance and sustenance but also a sense of the material and process. History has always been my challenge, competition and guide. The vessels are Illustrations and documentation of my life. The type of clay dictates how I proceed with the drawing possibilities. I draw what I see around me. I draw my inner and outer life.

Drawing, painting and writing are kin. Sculpture and pottery are like votives. We put what we think and feel into physical form. We offer our views of our world to others.

Basically, I have to keep making work to get things right.