Bernard LaMarr Ferguson (1911-1977) -- student

A native of Ottumwa, Iowa, Bernard Ferguson graduated from the local high school in 1929 and soon gained statewide recognition for his talents. One of four young men chosen for Carnegie Foundation-sponsored training at the Davenport Municipal Art Center (1931), Ferguson spent four weeks studying with the Hungarian painter Jaroslav Brozik, sharing the honor with his future, colony attendees John Sharp, Everett Jeffery, and Arnold Pyle. After attending the first session of the Stone City art experiment, Ferguson returned to Ottumwa and lived there through 1933, then embarked on employment with the WPA, assisting in the opening of five, Iowa art institutes, including the Sioux City Art Center (1938). There, Ferguson was a member of the art association, a teacher, and the facility's exhibition secretary. Research also indicates Ferguson had a role in establishing the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery.

During the World War II era, Ferguson worked in the industrial sector, first as a unionized steamfitter, stationed in Iran, Aruba, and off the coast of Venezuela, performing needed tasks. He married in 1964 and relocated to Red Wing, Minnesota in 1970, where he continued working in the construction industry. He died, in May 1977, while residing in Red Wing.