Profile: Adam Shiverdecker

Pursuing his passions to the Silicon Valley, Adam Shiverdecker is the newest faculty member to join the Department of Art and Art History. Having taught previously at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, University of West Florida, and University of Toledo, Shiverdecker brings a wealth of practical skill to enhance the learning of San José State University students. He is also an accomplished spatial artist, focusing on ceramics and structural forms in his own work.

Shiverdecker is excited to join the San José State faculty and to be a part of a region that cultivates creative solutions to difficult problems while encouraging innovation. The fields of visual art and ceramics have long been considered effective methods of critical inquiry, and Shiverdecker brings a variety of skills he acquired through his experiences in the field. He hopes to add to the study of innovative approaches to ceramics, a tradition that has been promoted by Stan Welsh, a retiring San José State faculty member greatly admired by Shiverdecker.

“I enjoy building upon existing methods, skills, and frameworks for discovery, and I find that the classroom is an excellent device for that,” Shiverdecker elaborated. “I also enjoy cultivating a community that responds to challenges with thoughtful and engaged responses.”

Drawing upon his training from The University of Toledo, where he earned his B.Ed., as well as from his M.F.A. studies in studio art at the University of South Carolina,Shiverdecker seeks to expand the techniques and ideas of his future students. His practical experience as the Studio and Fabrications Manager of Greenwich House Pottery in New York City enables him to give students a glimpse into what it is like to be a practicing artist in today’s society and also address some of the challenges they might face.

“Take risks and make good work,” Shiverdecker advises, and he strives to incorporate this philosophy into his daily life. Even when he is not in the classroom, Shiverdecker adapts to wherever he is, having lived in Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York over the course of his career. Adjusting to California is but one new step as he continues to create and make his visions come to life through his ceramic art.