Daniel J. Anderson

1945 - 2023

Daniel J. Anderson
Edwardsville - Daniel J. Anderson, a revered artist and educator from Edwardsville, died Feb. 5, 2023, at his home at age 77 after a yearlong battle with cancer.
Dan was born Nov. 2, 1945, in St. Paul, MN. He grew up in Hudson, WI, the younger son of the late Lawrence "Lars" Anderson and Harriet Anderson. His older brother David Anderson also preceded him in death, in 2004, but not before helping Dan and his wife of 50 years, Caroline, build an "art house" and studio complex virtually adjacent to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where Dan led one of the nation's most highly regarded ceramic arts programs for 32 years.
Exuberant, inquisitive and unfailingly inclusive, Dan reveled in making lasting, meaningful connections. His passion for collecting great art and good friends filled his house and his heart for the 53 years he called Edwardsville home. In that time, dozens of luminaries in the American studio pottery movement spent hours visiting Dan's classes at SIUE and making clay pieces in his anagama-style wood-fired kiln.
Besides his wife, he is survived by daughters Sarah Sturgill and Molly Anderson, sons-in-law Jason Sturgill and Curt Kentner, grandson Archer Sturgill, and granddaughters Penelope and Loretta Kentner, all of Portland, Oregon.
Dan and Caroline traveled often to Portland over the past two decades to stay close to family and reconnect with artists and former colleagues on the West Coast. He embraced the Pacific Northwest with the same enthusiasm he applied to every pursuit, be it playing softball in Edwardsville recreation leagues, vacationing with family and friends in Holden Beach, N.C., mentoring students and fledgling art collectors, or hosting legendary Thanksgiving celebrations at the Wagner Complex in Edwardsville's historic Leclaire neighborhood, where SIUE's art department was situated until 1993.
Dan retired from SIUE in 2002, continuing as professor emeritus and maintaining a studio art practice for the past 20 years. His own work, informed by travels throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, reflected a reverence for his Midwest roots and the architectural forms of rural America. Dan never saw a water tower or granary he couldn't transform into a finely detailed piece of art that celebrated ingenuity and hard work. His clever use of decals paid further homage to a time when advertising was equal parts public art and social media. His work is held in museums across the country, including the St. Louis Art Museum, and in public and private collections worldwide.
Dan graduated from Hudson High School in 1963 and pursued his love of learning at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (BS in art education, 1968) and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI (MFA in ceramics, 1970). He was instrumental in the creation of the Edwardsville Arts Center and his family encourages memorial gifts be directed to the Edwardsville Community Foundation-Edwardsville Arts Center Fund (ECF-EAC Fund, PO Box 102, Edwardsville, IL 62025). Friends and family will organize a celebration of Dan's life this summer. Meantime, take heed of Dan's favorite saying ascribed to the late Yogi Berra: "You can observe a lot just by watching."
Weber & Rodney Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be expressed online at weberfuneralhome.com.