MBC sponsor Eric Herman collecting data on the Desert Tortoise in the Sonoran Desert near Lake Pleasant, AZ.

Eric Herman formally launched his biology career in 2004 when he became an environmental planner/biologist for an engineering and environmental company in Phoenix, AZ. But his passion for biology and nature began at a very early age when his family, who lived in a suburb of Chicago, would take backpacking trips out West.

Even in the big city, Eric had an affinity towards nature. He says, “I was always drawn to nature. Outside of Chicago there were ravines running into Lake Michigan. They were like big canyons. I was attracted to the mystery of nature. I would run around and explore rocks, water, birds, trees and plants. I’d see man-made and nature-made objects. In a word, I saw adventure! This set my pattern in life.”

Eric lives between Sonoita and Patagonia, Arizona. He gives to several local nonprofits, donating both his time and financial resources, because he believes that helping, giving and sharing is what keeps the system growing.

It was partly Mat Bevel Company’s (MBC) work with children that prompted Eric to recently become a sponsor. “Children are our future,” he says. “Any changes we need to make as a community come through educating our children. Mat Bevel Company does this in a super creative way that’s different. These kids may not even realize what creative problem-solving skills they’re learning until they’re older, but those skills will be vital to their success and ours as a society.”

Eric received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Ripon College in a small Wisconsin town. He received his Master’s degree in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University and became a resident of the state he fell in love with as a child during visits with his family to the Sonoran Desert.

“I love the Sonoran Desert. She’s a fierce but gentle lover if you pay her your proper respects,” he says. “With the desert, resources are scarce, but she’ll provide enough water, food and shelter if you take the time to learn from her.”

Eric launched his environmental business AtoZec in 2014 first and foremost to share his passion for wildlife. If you ask him what his company’s mission is, he’d say: “Passion. Period.”

He says, “I saw in niche in the market for passion-oriented accurate science. Often decisions are driven from the business end, but I lead my business with passion. I start with no assumptions. This helps me find and implement solutions without biases.”

In his line of work, Eric understands that solutions are always a compromise between the environmental and development. This can only be achieved through communication. He says, “I find ways to communicate so that we can work together. That’s how we solve our problems. You will never solve the worlds’ problems without reaching out and communicating.”

As a scientist, Eric’s sponsorship supports further development and implementation of The Universe Within world-building course. Eric sees the curriculum as the intersection of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with super creative art which is really important to him. He says, “There is a massive artistic side of my brain that’s always trying to speak to me. I feel like an artist when I’m on the land.”

Eric’s Nature Board for the Greater Roadrunner using found-object art from Cochise Stronghold, AZ.

And like MBC founder Ned Schaper, Eric is also a found-object artist: “I enjoy crafting with repurposed wood. I love finding treasures in nature, sometimes in bizarre places. These relics have a story. I may not know the story, but my art provides a window to the past. I call these nature crafts, random projects that become functional walking sticks or decorative items.”

In retirement, Eric has a strong desire to create a wildlife rescue facility. He’s done a lot of raptor rescue volunteer work for Wild At Heart in Phoenix, rescuing and building habitat for raptors that were rescued with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.

Eric also enjoys a simple wonderful lifestyle. He says, “I like to kick back and enjoy the quiet. I like feeding the birds. I try to make sure that I’m living that simple life, keeping the noise low so that I can hear the quiet.”

As far as what advice he’d give young people, he says, “I would say, love your self, love your life and enjoy it. Kids are driven into career and the system too much and too early. If you find what you love, then your career will follow.”

MBC sponsor Jack Zittere with his beloved dog Javier in beautiful nature.

Biologist Jack Zittere has supported Mat Bevel Company (MBC) for many years and in many ways. His love for the organization’s mission fuels his support. He says, “I love the idea that the nonprofit employs Founder Ned Schaper’s creative practices, Available Resource Technology, or A.R.T., which I would describe as a resourceful response to an extremely wasteful culture.

As an analog to this type of resourcefulness, Jack reflects back on high school kids from a poor part of west Phoenix that beat out students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a robotics competition because they were resourceful. (Reference:

https://www.wired.com/2014/12/4-mexican-immigrant-kids-cheap-robot-beat-mit/)

And it’s especially relevant to our current situation, as we read how our planet and oceans are filling up with waste. Jack thinks that to turn a problem into revolutionary art form is brilliant! He believes this is just the type of system that’s needed to solve some of our pressing social and environmental problems.

Jack also enjoys spicing up everyday life with the excitement of watching MBC”s progress and being part of the visions of an art pioneer who’s growing an art lab. “I see the seeds in the field sprouting and flowering. It’s visionary and inspiring.”

MBC President Ned Schaper showing Jack Zittere and Braxton Hamer (Kid Bevel) prototypes from a new Museum Of Kinetic Art virtual tour and Bevel Café: A Junk Reality Show.

During a recent tour of Launchpad Artspace, Jack watched a prototype of Ned’s video for “Bevel Café: A Junk Reality Show” with the Coffee Guru character. He says, “I saw a very beautiful prototype of things to come, which I would describe as a moving stained glass surreal landscape. It’s very beautiful and very unique.”

Jack remembers live performances of Ned’s Surrealistic Pop Science Theater that bend space and time. The work reminds him of Dali’s beautiful surreal landscapes but infused into theater.  After his recent visit, he has a much better vision of how scale and form can be used to introduce characters in video landscapes of the moving sculptures with greenscreen technology.

“Ned’s making short time capsule movie vignettes from our culture and the medium is very beautiful,” says Jack. “I think this short format is a direction we’re already moving towards with decreasing attention spans. I envision people receiving short inspirations from the Surrealistic Pop Science Theater via “The Bevel Café.” The soundtrack will be so important, too Ned’s done a good job with his own sound tracks, and teaming up with launchpad musical artist Thom Jordan will add new dimension to the theater.”

Ned Schaper showing Jack Zittere the new camera rig at Launchpad Artspace.

Most of all Jack is excited about the emerging video content coming out in 2021. I see some very exciting prototypes with all the programs, especially with The Universe Within STEM world-building curriculum, Bevel Café and Kid Bevel.

“It’s inspiring to me that someone would dedicate their life to inspiring others and making visionary art. And now, with these new programs extending Ned’s work into tangible benefits for society, I’m extremely excited about opportunities as MBC scales its work. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for as someone who has contributed over the years. Imagineering at its finest!”

MBC sponsor Bill Taft has dedicated his life to researching and preserving wildlife. He lives near Lansing, Michigan with his wife Barbara (Gussie) Kennedy and their British Lab, Luna.

William (Bill) H. Taft Jr. is a sponsor of the Mat Bevel Company (MBC). He is a retired senior aquatic biologist for the State of Michigan where he worked for 25 years. He still pursues, collects and shares one of his greatest passions, moths of the family Sesiidae (clearwing moths), through his research and published findings.

Bill has supported MBC for many years, because he believes Ned Schaper’s unique body of work has multiple real-world applications. He likes how the nonprofit is infusing Ned’s work into STEM education in a very personal and engaging way. He says, “That’s real hands-on education! And it’s not just rote memorization for students or boring in any way.”

Bill working on a biological stream survey for the State of Michigan near Mount Pleasant, MI in 2012. 

A scientist himself, Bill recognizes the tremendous amount of physical science incorporated into  Ned’s work. “The framework for Beveldom is perfect for STEM,” he says. “Ned could have taught physics, engineering or been an astronomer, if he had wanted. He’s got that mindset and knows a tremendous amount about mechanics, motion and force, as you can see in his kinetic sculptures. Now, these cool mechanisms are being used to educate and inspire students into making something of their own that’s sculptural and mechanical. That’s a much better way to learn as opposed to watching someone else’s creation.”

Bill admires the nonprofit’s unique ability to extend one person’s intellectual property, in this case Ned’s unique body of work, into an additional tangible benefit for society. “Students can look at the museum, but when they understand ‘the why and the how,’ that’s where the learning starts,” says Bill. “The sculptures open the door to the imagination, and the curriculum makes the science real.”

He supports MBC because the nonprofit is utilizing Ned’s unique art to benefit the next generation. He sees it as a perfect arrangement, but he understands that it takes a great deal of commitment. He says, “There’s more to it than just money. MBC is using new creative teaching techniques because they see a need in the world of education. They want to provide programs that are different, yet meet requirements while also making life more interesting.”

And he knows science and education of students doesn’t happen by osmosis or magic! MBC has been working diligently over the last 6 years to convert the live theater and museum tours into 21st century programming using tools and technology that kids grew up with. Before COVID-19, MBC was already on the path to integrating digital media into collaborative and hands-on activities. COVID-19 moved the timeline forward for this type of programming as the demand for remote learning has been accelerated.

Thanks Bill, for your continued support of Mat Bevel Company!