Marvin Bartel, professor emeritus of art, dies at 87
Marvin Bartel, professor emeritus of art at Goshen College, who became a regional and national leader in ceramics, creativity and art education, died on Monday, November 18. He was 87 and taught from 1970 to 2002.
In his 32 years teaching at Goshen College, Bartel’s courses included art education, ceramics, design, drafting and photography. He firmly believed in the “try it and see” approach to art, limiting demonstrations in the classroom in favor of allowing students to complete an assignment on their own first.
Bartel’s work as an educator has had a broad influence, from teaching some of the most gifted potters in the country, helping create a regional ceramics hub and nurturing many teachers who would go on to be mentors of creativity themselves.
“His influence shaped the lives of many of the potters in this region, which has a very active and accomplished community of people working in clay — lots of them doing it professionally,” said Merrill Krabill, retired professor of art and the successor to Bartel as ceramics instructor. “The life he modeled, working on the wheel, building his own kilns, mixing his own clay and glazes, and building his own home in the woods was a pattern for many of us to follow or be jealous of.”
Bartel first came to Goshen College in 1970, where he rapidly grew the ceramics program into something that students of all disciplines could engage with and expand their understanding of what a class at GC could look like.
At the core of Bartel’s work was the importance of creativity, which he drove home in all his classes. He prioritized each student’s individual work and their methods of creating it over creating a polished piece that was similar to others. He put that same idea of creativity to work in his own life, creating a specialized kiln that significantly reduced fuel usage by using waste fuel gases.
“A generation of elementary education majors learned that giving all students a context and encouragement that nurtured exploration was at the heart of all successful education,” Krabill said. “As important as Marvin’s contribution to the world of ceramics is in my mind, his work as a promoter and practitioner of creativity is even more so. We are grateful for Marvin’s example of a life well lived and for the boundless energy he put into sharing what he knew and what he discovered with those who were following him.”
Bartel was born on Jan. 26, 1937, to Henry and Linda (Penner) Bartel, on a large farm in Hillsboro, Kansas. He graduated from Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, in 1960, and then earned master’s and doctorate degrees in art education from the University of Kansas. Before moving to Goshen in 1970, Bartel taught art at Bethel College and Northeast Missouri State University.
After retiring, Bartel volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club, authored multiple books for children and spoke at a number of workshops for art educators. Bartel’s work is displayed in the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana; the Tulip Tree Nature Center in Ligonier, Indiana; the Vera I. Mott Memorial Collection in Columbia, Missouri; and the Haan Museum of Indiana Art in Lafayette, Indiana. Much of his work and essays can now be found online at bartelart.com.
Marvin will be deeply missed by Delores, his wife of 66 years; his children David Bartel (Sabbi Lall), Bonnie Bartel (Seiichi Matsuda) and Beth Bartel (Christopher Miller); his grandchildren Steven Bartel, Aaron Bartel, Laura Bartel, Ella Matsuda (Jade Tonos), Emma Weaver (Luke MacCormick) and Luke Bartel; his brother Dean Preheim-Bartel; his sisters-in-law Gwen Preheim-Bartel, Justina Neufeld, Elvera Suderman, Judy Beechy and Helga Edvardsen-Dyck; his nieces and nephews; his many friends; and his countless former students.
A memorial service will be held on Jan. 11 at Eighth Street Mennonite Church. Visitation will be from 9:30-10:30 a.m., with the service at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Eighth Street Mennonite Church Preschool.