Bill Kobe, at 71, continues being un-retired and enjoying new adventures in the world of art.  Originally from the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota, he now lives in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan area with his wife, Barbara, also an artist and art educator.  Bill attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth, but two quarters shy of graduating, fed up with college and wanting to see the world, he entered the United States Army in 1969.  After basic training and pathology lab training, he was sent to what was then West Germany to serve for two years.  It was there that he met his wife, Barbara who was working for the U.S. Army,  Within two weeks they were engaged and headed back to the States.  After a year of living and working in Sarasota, Florida, they drove to New Orleans and were married.  From there they went back to Duluth for Bill to finish his B.S. degree and from there they moved to Davenport, Iowa (Barbara’s home town).  Bill started a Master’s program in learning disabilities and after a year started a doctorate program in chiropractic and Palmer College.  Upon graduation he and Barbara moved back to Minneapolis where Bill set his practice and they settled down and raised their family of Jane and Kristopher.

 

After twenty-five years of practice Bill returned to art education and has been teaching now for 17 years.  During these years he has taught in numerous educational settings form k-12 and adult, and consulting for Triarco Arts & Crafts, he has designed numerous lesson plans and presented at state and national art educator conferences.

 

 

 

 

Three years ago he started teaching in China during the summers using visual arts to teach English.  He presently teaches full time at the middle school level, continues going to China and now developing an Arts-English-Science-Environment program.  In his spare time he works in his basement clay studio and works on an adolescent book that he would like to have published in China.