Faculty Spotlight: Professor Scott Anderson
by Karl Heine
Scott Anderson is a professor of Art and Design at Cape Cod Community College (4Cs). Anderson is currently in his 16th year of teaching at 4Cs. Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, Anderson was raised in a family of artists. Along with the arts, Anderson has a passion for sport as well—namely, long distance running.
“I was nine years old, impatiently waiting at my school desk for the bell that signaled play time,” said Anderson. “I can’t recall how long I had, but my goal to run around the perimeter of the playground 100 times, before the bell to signal the end of play time, was set and accomplished.”
“I was running marathons at an international level until 2002,” said Anderson, exemplifying his strength in his sport of choice. He still runs, but says you “can’t excel after a certain age.”
Before Anderson was at 4Cs, and before he was even in the United States of America, he taught at a community college in his native Edinburgh for eight years. After receiving a Master of Fine Arts from the Edinburgh College of Art in 1999, Anderson has been teaching art to students.
Looking for a change of pace, Anderson moved to the United States after graduation. Living in Boulder Colorado, Anderson wanted to train in long-distance running at altitude. Things didn’t work out in Boulder, so in time Anderson moved to the west coast.
Living in Portland, Oregon, Anderson taught part time as an adjunct professor. He supplemented his income working in ceramic studio as a professional production potter—a job which requires one to shape pottery in mass. Anderson would have to shape pottery at a wheel, making hundreds of the same item a day. Then, the person who paid him to do so would fire the pottery and paint it themselves. He would be paid per pot he made.
By 2004, Anderson was teaching in his current position at 4Cs.
“I like the students best at 4Cs,” says Anderson. “I like the fact that they’re very passionate about learning, discovering where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and that the majority of students haven’t made up their mind quite yet as to what they are passionate about.” Anderson hopes by following his passion in teaching art he “might inspire, in some way, students to find their passion.”
“Wonderful colleague, always thoughtful, intensely focused on students and art,” said colleague Dr. Maureen O’Shea, 4Cs Director of Institutional Research & Planning.
Scott Anderson has managed to find a way to combine his love for both art and running. In 2016, Anderson began a project called “282 lines”, which entails walking and running up the Munros—Scotland’s highest mountains which have 282 peaks—while laying down a string behind him. The pictures he took of this art project, as well as many of Anderson’s other works can be found on his website www.282lines.com.
Anderson values that at 4Cs, “the education of the individual is the primary focus.” An undeniably valued member of the 4Cs community, Anderson demonstrates just how diverse and skilled the staff is at Cape Cod Community College.
Categories: Professors, People