Kirk Mangus served as head of ceramics at Kent State from 1985-2013. He also taught at Alfred University Summer School, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Cranbrook Academy of Art, the University of Georgia’s Cortona (Italy) program, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Appalachian Center for Craft, Penland School of Crafts, Peters Valley Craft Center and numerous other institutions. He was a lecturer, visiting artist and resident artist in China, Japan, Korea, France, Italy, Finland, Lithuania, Canada and throughout the United States.

Mangus was a prolific artist whose ceramics and drawings have been exhibited and collected worldwide for over 35 years. He was the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts grants, four Ohio Arts Council fellowships, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts fellowship, and a McKnight fellowship residency at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis.