Mat Bevel Company sponsor Jack Zittere, field ecologist in the Rocky Mountains.

Jack Zittere has been closely connected to nature since he was a small child. He says, “I’ve always liked being outdoors and exploring the natural world. I like understanding nature, and relaxing in it.”

The son of an engineer and an art historian, he’s always looked at nature with a scientific and artistic eye. He studies how science, art and nature come together. Collecting data on spotted owls and yellow billed cuckoos takes him into the pristine mountain ranges of Southeastern, Arizona. He says, “I feel at peace when I’m in nature. I feel fulfilled.”

Jack cites Ned Schaper’s Surrealistic Pop Science Theater as one of the best examples of how art, science and nature come together. The sculptures, which serve as the set for the theater, hold particular interest for Jack, who always wanted to be a sculptor. He explains, “I would find great junk elements and give them to Ned, then he would turn the parts into a clever and brilliant combination of mechanics and art for the theater. His work deeply inspires me.”

Jack Zittere with Mat Bevel Company President Ned Schaper’s grandson, a burgeoning artist in his own right!

He continues, “Ned’s theater environments are incredible. His theater is a fantastic confluence of music, poetry, sculpture, performance and lighting. It’s a totally new amalgam, a new direction in theater that has to get out to the world. People need to see it to understand it. That’s where the magic is.”

Jack sees  the imagination as the spark of creativity. He became a Mat Bevel Company sponsor during the “Escape Velocity” campaign because he believes, through Bevelvision, Ned is producing a whole new way for people to experience cinematic theater in the future.

He thinks Ned’s involvement with The Universe Within world-building curriculum will help him re-imagine how Bevelvision will unfold. “Having kids involved is great. Students at Patagonia Elementary School are participating in the filming of The Universe Within and Ned and his grandson are working on a kid’s TV show. I’m excited to see what will emerge over the next year or two with Ned and kids exploring art, science and nature in a surreal landscape.”

Jack loves to find treasures among the stuff others throw away. Lucky day—He found some great books in the dumpster!

Jack’s personal mission is to leave the world a better place than he found it. His vocation is a vehicle for him to do that. When he finds a rare plant or animal in an area slated for development, his discoveries have sometimes saved critical habitat. His ecological research has led to a greater understanding of endangered species’ population dynamics and behaviors.

Supporting Mat Bevel Company is another way Jack feels he’s making the world a better place.

He says, “Mat Bevel Company takes on really big and innovative challenges. They are not doing the ordinary. By supporting Mat Bevel Company, I feel I’m helping other people use the imagination to further the appreciation of art, science and nature.”