Chuck Purviance has been working in the arts and education field as a potter, sculptor, educator, and community arts organizer For the past 15 years. Chuck was adopted at a young age and grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He resided there until his mid 20s when he started his education journey at the local community college where he took his first ceramics class and fund a passion for the arts. He then went onto Edinboro University to pursue a BFA in ceramics. After Edinboro, Chuck was accepted into a residency program at, Brockway Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) where he began teaching and working with high school students in their afterschool and summer camp programs. He then became the studio coordinator and teaching artist for the next 3 years at BCAT. Purviance then pursued his MFA in ceramics from  Wichita State University where he graduated from in spring of  2020. His graduate studies inspired his current research and body of work that revolves around creating abstract sculptural forms  inspired by his personal experiences working through mental health issues like anxiety and depression that he has dealt with throughout his life. Chuck is currently living in Des Moines Iowa where he is the Senior Studio Manager at the Des Mines Art Center overseeing the school and education classes and has a home studio where he makes his work. ​