Obstructures

In 1992, Nathan Matteson threw away his relatively prodigious ability in mathematics and the sciences and enrolled in a BFA curriculum at the University of Tennessee. In 1996, he matriculated, summa cum laude and with all the foil-stamped tidbits, whatever such a curriculum confers.

After a brief though invaluable stint as a commercial printer, he enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Chicago. Upon graduating in 1999 (and thus adding to his collection of paper encrusted with foil-stamping, ribbons, and blackletter), he began a rather hectic career of working/making/teaching.

In the years since, while providing himself with an autodidactic design education, he’s worked myriad jobs. From research assistant at one of the country’s leading graduate schools of childhood developmental psychology, to pandering shill at a now-thankfully-failed art gallery. Along the way, he’s taught at half a dozen colleges and universities in the Chicago area.

As a professional, he’s won a few awards. Unfortunately they’ve been misplaced along with his Mathlete and Quiz Bowl ribbons.

Currently he teaches web design and typography courses at DePaul University. He also works with the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Department Graphic Arts Group. Most of his time is spent developing web-based interfaces for research dealing with the ecnomy and climate policy for the RDCEP group at UC’s Computation Institute.