Alumnus developed his artistic talents with guidance talents with guidance from GWU Art professors

“My show was bright, crazy colors, which was inspired by my graffiti background. I ended up painting acrylic on pottery. I learned to express myself freely though art.”

Tyler Myers ’17 entered Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą University ready to explore his career options. Undecided on a major, he took an art class with Assistant Professor Paula Spangler Casper. “I always loved art, but I hated showing people the art I made,” Myers shared. “I was very skeptical as to what art was and looked like when I started my journey. I disagreed with a lot of the points Professor Casper made.”

He didn’t like abstract art, but as he learned more about it, he started creating his own. Myers also liked to draw graffiti, and Casper encouraged him to complete a mural for his final project in her class. “After that I was kind of hooked,” he reflected. “I painted a mural in the art building. I finished the assignment at 6 a.m. the morning it was due. It was so cool to put so much effort into something, and to see the final result.”

He chose to major in art and through his classes, discovered his passion and skill for making pottery. His senior show combined his talents. “My show was bright, crazy colors, which was inspired by my graffiti background,” he described. “Ceramics was my focus, but I actually came up with the painting idea first, and the ceramics came later. I tried to blend the two worlds together. I ended up painting acrylic on pottery. My senior show taught me a lot about myself. I learned to express myself freely though art.”

Professor Doug Knotts encouraged his creativity, and Casper gave him confidence in his abilities and helped him refine his artwork. Dr. Nancy Bottoms, assistant professor of art history, helped him put his thoughts and ideas into words. Professor of Art Susan Bell reminded him that his talent is a gift from the Creator. While improving his skills, Myers started to deepen his relationship with God. “I kept thinking that maybe I was called to ministry full time in some way,” he related. “My mom was a children’s minister. A friend went to the residency (at Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, S.C.), and encouraged me to apply.”

Midtown Fellowship is a family of churches that offers yearlong residencies to train young leaders. “I was skeptical and wasn’t sure I could do it,” Myers confided. “I did not feel prepared for it, but ultimately, I had this momentum going in my faith, so I ended up applying. They brought me on in their kids and family ministry.”

At the residency, he continued to share his talents as an artist. In a video promoting the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s Impact Conference, he is shown painting the word, “hope.” Myers was also asked to make 300 mugs for Midtown to give to volunteers as a way of thanking them for serving God faithfully. “This experience was so life-giving to me,” he said. “Working at Midtown helped me to realize that God has gifted me in different ways, namely with the desire and passion to create or produce the thoughts and ideas he has put in my head. Making the coffee mugs brought me joy and taught me how passionate I am for creating, and it’s something worth pursuing. I’ve started taking and making commissions for different clients and hope to gain momentum.”

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“Everything I learned through the communication courses has helped me—from public speaking, designing print materials and ceramics. I make a living creating art, preaching, communicating and telling stories.”

On a highly traveled street in Cologne, Germany, one storefront draws attention. Through the window, people watch as Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą University alumnus Dave Byers (’99) works at his potter’s wheel.

Byers creates pottery and recycles it when necessary. “I have opportunities to share hope through the process of making clay pots, as well as what happens to them when they break or fail to meet expectations,” he related. “Most people will want to just throw it away, because it is junk, but the process of recycling clay—of taking the hardened clay pot, breaking it down and making a new one—makes it easier to describe to people why I believe in a God who created me while I’m creating something.”

He also draws people into his shop by writing clever sayings on a chalkboard. “Germans have an innate curiosity,” Byers shared. “That curiosity led more people to come in and talk. I focus on building relationships with people and through that, I share kingdom ideas and God’s word.”

Byers and his family have lived in Germany for 11 years. In partnership with Greater Europe Mission, they work with a church and youth ministry. His pottery studio has flourished, and his wife has focused her talents to minister to victims of human trafficking through the International Justice Mission and the A21 Campaign.

Byers’ journey to Cologne was the result of a series of opportunities, including his decision to attend Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą and major in communication studies with a photography concentration and minor in art. He transferred to GWU after being placed on academic probation at another college. The caring faculty and staff at Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą worked with him to help him succeed.

His professors taught him the skills he needed, but more importantly, they gave him confidence. “Professors like Ms. (Susan) Bell and Bob Carey, and others on campus seemed to be glad I was here,” Byers observed. “They made me feel welcomed and they saw a gift in me.”

He also discovered his talent and passion for making pottery at Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą. “Once I took my first ceramics class, I knew whatever I did for the rest of my life, this would be a part of it,” Byers described. “Everything I learned through the communication courses has helped me—from public speaking, designing print materials and ceramics. I make a living creating art, preaching, communicating and telling stories.”

Additionally, Byers is thankful for the friends he made at Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą, who encouraged him to make better choices. “They were the ones who pulled me out of where I was headed in the wrong direction for my life,” he revealed. “We are still close and they are supporters of our ministry.”

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GWU student relates crafting pottery to discipleship truths

“These have been incredible experiences and have matured my understanding of the pottery tradition and technical aspects of making.”

Alex Stewart (’17) of Gastonia, N.C., decided to attend Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą University to pursue an education in discipleship. Then, his sophomore year he met a student who introduced him to the art of pottery. “I made a friend named Devan Vandenbark. He made some of the most beautiful mugs—perfectly poised and unique in character,” Stewart explained. “I realized then that handmade crafts are honest, personal forms—the products of divinely-endowed, creative minds at work. This simple beauty of life grasped my interest deeply, so I began to contribute to this tradition of beauty by learning the craft.”

Because of Stewart’s positive attitude and natural skill with clay, he received support from Doug Knotts, chair of the Department of Visual Arts. Knotts worked with Stewart to create a specific art minor with an emphasis in ceramics. “Professor Knotts equipped me with the technical skills I needed to make great pottery that I am proud of and that is of commercial quality,” Stewart assessed. Through Professor Knott’s connections, Stewart was able to study with two famous potters in the Southeast, Mark Hewitt and Ben Owen III. “These were incredible experiences and matured my understanding of the pottery tradition and technical aspects of making,” Stewart affirmed.

Stewart continued to major in discipleship, so that he could minister in less formal, everyday scenarios to the people he meets. He learned that his two interests share a common theme. “As pottery is a patient activity, so is discipleship. As pottery is an art of gentleness, so is discipleship,” he observed. “With gentle hands and the most positive of attitudes, you try to help the clay into a beautiful form. This is just like discipleship in which one person gently and lovingly attempts to help the other become what they were meant to be.”

While at Ă۶ąÖ±˛Ą, Stewart also participated in a GWU study abroad trip to Florence, Italy, where students learned art history and viewed famous works of art. Along with that, Stewart built his own kiln for his independent study class. He constructed a wood fired Anagama kiln (hole kiln), which is a type of kiln that has been developing in Japan for hundreds of years. This style of kiln is known to be extremely efficient and produce beautiful pottery. “Japanese pottery is considered some of the finest in the world and has a lengthy tradition of excellence,” expressed Stewart.

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