Bede Clarke was a Professor of Art at MU since 1992. He received his Master of Fine Arts from The University of Iowa (1990) and a BFA from Eckerd College (1982). He has been working in ceramics for 50 years.

Bede's work is found in collections in the U.S. and abroad, such as: Taipei County Yingke Ceramics Museum, Taiwan, Ichon World Ceramic Center, South Korea, Bermuda National Gallery and Martin Museum of Art, Baylor University.

Bede maintains a studio in Columbia, Missouri where he produces his ceramic art work and continues to exhibit worldwide, recently at: Aspen Gallery, Kuwait City, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky, Shepparton Gallery Sydney Myer International Ceramics Award, Victoria, Australia, Baltimore County Center for Art and Visual Culture, Baltimore, Maryland.