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S O C I E T Y F O R C O N T E M P O R A R Y C R A F T
CONTEMPORARY WORKS IN CERAMICSThe Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize Exhibition
TRANSFORMATION
Front cover:Lauren Mabry, Cylinder, 2014Red earthenware, slips, glaze, 6" ! 8" ! 8"
Inside front cover and spine:Linda Swanson, Cypreus Lumen, 2013, detailCrystalline glazed porcelain, painted aluminum22" diameter x 51/2"
Transformation 9: Contemporary Works in Ceramics, the 2013 Elizabeth R. Raphael
Founder’s Prize was made possible by Alexandra and Catherine Raphael, the
Elizabeth R. Raphael Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Allegheny Regional Asset
District, The Fine Foundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Our mother’s passion for art influenced everything she did in her life.
She was committed to bringing art to her community. She was particularlyinterested in supporting emerging artists. The Society for Contemporary Craft reflects this commitment.
Our mother passed her interest andenthusiasm for the arts along to us andimpacted our life choices significantly.
This award allows us to honor her andshare her legacy.
Alexandra RaphaelCathy Raphael
Contemporary Works in CeramicsThe Elizabeth R. RaphaelFounder’s Prize Exhibition
April 25–November 1, 2014
Society for Contemporary Craft2100 Smallman StreetPittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222www.contemporarycraft.org412.261.7003
TRANSFORMATION NINE
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Since 1997, when the Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize exhibition series was launched to recognize excellence in contemporary craft, each of the ninebiennial shows has focused on the theme of transformation. This theme wasinitially suggested by Elizabeth Raphael’s daughters—Alex Raphael, CathyRaphael, and the late Margaret Raphael. They felt it was an appropriate themefor this series created in honor of their mother, a woman who believed passionately in the transformative effect art could have on our lives. Raphael’slifelong ambition was to provide opportunities for Pittsburghers to be exposedto great art by artists whose work they wouldn’t have the opportunity to see otherwise.
Although transformation wasn’t initially intended to be the theme for all subsequent Raphael Prize exhibitions, it soon became clear that it could providea flexible framework for the series over time that would remain fresh and opento interpretation across different media. Since our mission at ContemporaryCraft is to engage the public in creative experiences across all craft media, wework within a very large field and thus are challenged to stay current with newartists and trends emerging in all media. The Raphael Prize series has enabledus to dive deeply into one specific medium with each biennial show and thusexpand our reach. Through these shows we have documented a series ofimportant visual conversations that reflect new directions and current concernsthat have taken place within the craft field over the past two decades.
While our initial intention was to create a Raphael Prize series that would makea significant difference in the life of each winner, helping to launch an emergingartist or move an established artist’s career in a new direction, we didn’t realizehow much it would also transform our organization.
Through nine biennial exhibitions, we have showcased the work of 280+ finalistsrepresenting the highest levels of excellence and innovation in contemporarycraft. We have dramatically expanded our network and discovered excitingopportunities for additional programming (not only the finalists selected foreach exhibition but many other talented artists who entered these competitions).We have been honored to work with 18 guest jurors (exemplary artists, curators, directors, and other thought leaders in the field) who shared theirexpertise, their passion, and their rigorous standards through lively debatesthat pushed us to reach consensus on work that was exceptional and meriteddesignation as a prize winner. Additionally, the growing number of internationalartists selected as Raphael Prize finalists has taken us beyond the boundaries of the American craft movement to participate increasingly in global conversations about craft. These secondary benefits of hosting the RaphaelPrize series have truly benefitted our organization and our staff, and informedour artistic direction.
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We are deeply grateful to the Raphaels for having the vision to see what thepotential impact of the Raphael Prize could be and for so generously funding it over the years. When a donor steps forward and commits to a new idea, you never know where it will lead or how it might change the course of anorganization’s future. What the Raphaels have made possible has truly honoredtheir mother’s legacy in the field of craft and has brought about transformationon many levels. We are indebted to them for this gift.
I would also like to thank all of our jurors for their generous commitment oftime and effort, and particularly catalogue contributors Josh Green and JaeWon Lee for their essays. Josh’s informative catalogue essay provides excellentinsights into current trends and concerns in contemporary ceramics that areevident in this year’s exhibition, and Jae Won Lee’s heartfelt and compassionatereflection on the jurying process is a gift to anyone who has ever dared applyfor a juried exhibition.
In closing, I want to recognize the dedication and professionalism of our staffand volunteers at Contemporary Craft who worked for over a year to bring thisshow to fruition. I gratefully acknowledge their contributions, especiallyDirector of Exhibitions Kate Lydon for her leadership, fine installation, andunflagging commitment to excellence at every step along the way; ExhibitionsApprentice Natalie Sweet for her assistance across all phases of exhibitiondevelopment; and our long-time Raphael Prize volunteer Suzie Scott, whohelped organize the jurying process and made a special trip back to Pittsburghto help with the initial jurying session. We were also fortunate to work onceagain with Paul Schifino, who has created yet another elegant design in ourseries of Raphael Prize publications.
Transformation 9: Contemporary Works in Ceramics, the 2013 Elizabeth R.Raphael Founder's Prize was made possible by Alexandra Raphael andCatherine Raphael, with additional support from the Elizabeth R. Raphael Fundof the Pittsburgh Foundation, the Allegheny Regional Asset District, The FineFoundation and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
Janet L. McCallExecutive Director
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The art world we have come to know in the modern to contemporary era is afluid one. Like a volume of water, its shape invariably transforms to correspondwith whatever construction or void it fills. As soon as we imagine we knowwhat art’s limits, meaning or purpose might be, it will immediately take thatform. As we move beyond initial sensory experiences using our minds to construct conceptual frameworks for analysis, synthesis and judgment, ourunderstanding of art’s scope and meaning can attune our perception of previously unnoticed currents. We make continual adjustments to influencesflowing within. While creative achievement is sometimes celebrated throughcompetitive reviews like the Raphael Founder’s Prize in Ceramics, the imagining,inquiry and labor out of which the work is born remains focused on the intrinsicjoy and struggle of making.
Many of us have a first artistic encounter with clay in early childhood. Thematerial is so widely available. The fact that it exerts little resistance to humantouch makes it an extraordinarily accessible medium through which to exploreform, shape, texture and volume in three dimensions. Clay’s receptive capacityalso connects us to the earth and to one another like no other form of artisticpractice. These qualities of accessibility sometimes lead to blind alleys of artistic inquiry. The material’s complexity and nuance can absorb decades, simply working to grasp, build on or rediscover what came before. Seducedfirst with clay’s receptivity to touch, the challenge of art is to wed knowing waysof the hand to social, conceptual and expressive aspirations.
The sensory experience of art can be immediately gratifying, but it is only a first important stage of an unfolding correspondence with a creator’s work andmission. Following initial captivation by color, texture and form, it is throughsustained looking, thinking and assessment that we enter more fully into thework. Ceramics is both an art form and a technology. For thousands of yearshumankind has fashioned useful, decorative and ritualistic articles from plasticearth. Subsumed in the heat of fiery chambers, raw earth materials becomedurable ceramic objects that survive the batter of everyday use and natural disasters to persist beyond the dangling thread ends of generations. The elemental mysteries of these materials, and the knowing hands that transformthem into durable objects embody legacies of nuanced tradition critical to our understanding of who we are.
The works we encountered in consideration of Transformations 9:Contemporary Works in Ceramics demonstrate that artists are re-imagining the ceramic medium as a continuing discourse within the broader realm ofartistic expression. They are also reflective of other trends affecting art’s perception and role in society. In art history and criticism, the notion of thepainterly is a term applied to works that display visually open form and evidence of gestural process. This sense of open form was apparent in theworks of the artists that we singled out for awards and honors. The works ofLinda Swanson, Lauren Mabry, Lee Somers, and Lauren Gallaspy share a senseof experimentation and freedom in their use of material and its formal
CLAY CRAFTS THE MOMENT
FLASH OF TRANSFORMATION:
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precedents. Moreover, their methods and inquiry embody fluent understandingof ceramic processes while opening new ways of looking at the material as avehicle for ideas and expression. Rather than eschew ceramic history in searchof untethered innovation, they are diving deep into the medium’s correspondencewith a broader art-world and a culture marked by concerns for environmentalfragility, the fleeting nature of time and continual reinvention of identity in a complex world.
This is not to say that other works did not make strong impressions. The adjudication of the Raphael Founder’s Prize is somewhat unique in two respects.The first is that it involves a two-stage review with artists first submitting anarray of digital images and a work statement. Following this, finalists arerequired to create and share new actual works. An additional unique feature isthat artists are asked to respond to the theme of transformation. Each review of work demanded difficult decisions about what to include and ultimately whatworks to single out for special honor. The jury team approached this challengefrom different backgrounds and perspectives. Shared respect, communicationand dedication to the process of consideration were essential and valued. All the artists submitting work deserve commendation for responding to so rigorous a challenge.
While history’s artifacts may seem immutable, craft is a living sensibility andcontinues to evolve. Lewis Hyde wrote, “the material world speaks back to us constantly, by its resistance, by its ambiguity, and by the way it changesas circumstances change…”
Once understood through a vernacular of objects (vessels), utility, and purpose,craft is undergoing re-examination as an attitude about being in the world.Respectful of skill, time and mindfulness required to advance it, craft is responsive to the natural world of materials. It understands that masteryengages intimate correspondences of hand, eye and mind. Craft invites us towork autonomously in relation to tradition and guides us to align our conceptsand labor with awareness of the earth’s limited resources. Craft is relational,teaching us that objects and environments inform our social interactions, aspirations and concepts of identity. Writing on craftsmanship, Richard Sennettuses the term “corporeal anticipation” to describe the embodied awarenessthat enables a creator to be one step ahead of where her material wants toflow. This sense of intuitive responsiveness is evident throughout the work of the Raphael Founder’s Prize finalists. It binds work to play, the wellspring of imagination, cooperation and invention.
Joshua Green
Executive Director of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), Joshua Green studied ceramics at Bennington
College and Cranbrook Academy of Art. His writings on clay, art, education and community have appeared in American Craft, Ceramics:
Art and Perception, Studies in Art Education (NAEA) and publications of NCECA, the National Endowment for the Arts, and UNESCO.
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JANUARY 8, 2013 SHOULD I DO IT?
I am considering serving as external juror for the Raphael Founder’s Prize and Exhibition. I can participate in this selection process as a practicing artistwho knows what it is like to be a maker, then an exhibitor. What goes on inbetween? As juror, I can be in that limbo space between the private and thepublic, to notice strengths and weaknesses on other artists’ behalf. I found theSociety for Contemporary Craft (SCC) fascinating from my first visit to Pittsburghduring the 2008 NCECA. Pittsburgh left on me an indelible impression and thecity hosted NCECA wonderfully after a sudden shift from New Orleans due todisastrous hurricane Katrina. Learning about the Raphael Founder’s event, I am humbled to be asked to serve as a juror. To honor Elizabeth Raphael, thelate SCC Founder, her three daughters made this event possible with their generosity and passion.
AUGUST 12, 2013 IN & OUT
I recall a burger joint in California called In and Out. As the name indicates itwas speedy to get your quality burger. One of the most daunting jury tasks is to judge other fellow artists’ long artistic endeavors with such a short timespan of only a few hours. A diverse range of artistic expressions and technicalapproaches were assembled in this competition. Continual development in thefield of contemporary ceramics toward outstanding artistic standards and technical mastery make the jurying process complex. The jury panel raised initial questions to make decisions; is this work in or out, why? We viewed anddiscussed all the entries, but most of the time, it was quick and agreeable todecide ‘in and out’ for the first round, to my dismay. What makes the ‘in’ category out of various styles and diverse approaches of ceramics practice?How do jurors come to a decision despite differing viewpoints and opinions?Six of us were polite in listening to and accommodating different viewpointsand tried to be fair and thoughtful, but the jury process is actually subjectiveand seemingly unkind. Selecting work sharpens my critical opinions. Somedeliberations were followed by votes to a democratic arrival in selecting 31 artists.
AUGUST 13, 2013 ACCEPTANCE VS. REJECTION
Leaving Pittsburgh, I felt relieved to have the first part of the job done, but alsofelt like a villain for rejecting those who didn’t make the list of 31. I applaud allthe artists’ courage and hopefulness for entering this competition. A lot of us,artists, often enter the juried shows, quite reluctantly for various reasons.Waiting is no fun. Rejection hits hard. I know how discouraging it is, or evenhurtful to the core, to be rejected and I felt the disappointment of those whomust have felt that they failed. I have been there. Nobody seems to know wehave been working so hard. We don’t want to enter art competitions any more.We can’t deal with rejections any longer. Enough is enough! I encourage all the artists who entered this competition to stay in the studio, keep exploring,testing, succeeding, and persevering through the rejection to keep makingmore. Being artists is not about wining or losing, but rejection is part of ourlives. We simply keep moving forward. In the very same sanctuary of our studio, we continue our creative journeys with faith in our own work.
SOME GIBBERISH ON THE ROAD...
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MARCH 1, 2014 HOW FAR CAN WE GO?
While driving back home in another blizzard in March in Michigan, I was pondering what comment I should write down on my role as an external juror.I’m heavily burdened by the uncertain safety of driving in the dark as well as by the jury task of selecting of prizewinners on February 22. I was shaken as thefinal result might differ if I weren’t on the jury panel.
Honestly, when I embarked on my artist’s career path, I thought, if the work is good, then that good work naturally deserves recognition. People would recognize that quality of your work, but in reality? Not really. So not onlyyoung, emerging artists, but also established ones enter for juried shows andcompetitions for exhibiting their works in public. Art making is so serious and difficult that often I question how far I can go. But why do I still keep struggling with the beginner’s seriousness of creative life, in solitude, inanonymity, without much reward? Why? Because I can’t think of anything else I want to do. We are called to make things. We’ll see how far we can go.
MARCH 5, 2014 ALL THE WAY...“Surely all art is the result of one’s having been in danger, of having
gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further. The further one goes, the more private, the more personal, the more singular an experience becomes, and the thing one is making is, finally, the necessary, irrepressible, and, as nearly as possible, definitive utterance of this singularity.” Rainer Maria Rilke
Now, which work merits a prize? For my part, as I humbly firm up and embrace my 3H philosophy, I approach others’ artwork with the philosophy ofHeart-Hand-Head. I expect that visual impact shakes my head to think hard andthe compelling quality stirs something in my heart. It should do something forme-I should be smitten, moved, or disturbed. They should inspire me, so I wantto return to my studio again, as a total novice, renewed. My head is clear, myheart pounding, and my hands busy… There is nothing new under the sun, butstill I need to see the uniqueness and subjectivity that arrived in a new territory.I am drawn to work that manifests authenticity and sincerity.
I congratulate the artists whose work was selected to the Transformationexhibition and especially those four prize-winning artists. Ceramic art is thematerial evidence, the most humanistic, honest, and humble kind (another 3H combo)… The selected works evidence artists’ hard work of trials and errors,developing and deepening concepts, and pushing all the way. Then materialtransformation occurs when an artist recognizes the harmony, to which viewersare aspired to hope again in their lives as human beings.
It was my honor to serve as external juror with Joshua Green and I would liketo thank Kate, Janet, and their staff for their hard work in organizing for thecompetition and preparing for the upcoming exhibition in April. I believe SCCwill make this year’s Transformation 9 exhibition another excellent showcase of contemporary ceramics.
Jae Won Lee
Jae Won Lee is Professor of Art at Michigan State University in East Lansing and has been visiting artist, educator, and artist-in-resi-
dence at many universities, museums, and residency programs. Her porcelain and mixed media work has been included in many col-
lections and widely exhibited nationally and internationally.
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10 TOM BARTEL12 SUSAN BEINER14 BRIAN BOLDON16 PATTIE CHALMERS18 ANDRÉA KEYS CONNELL20 THADDEUS (TJ) ERDAHL22 HEATHER MAE ERICKSON24 MICHELLE ERICKSON26 LAUREN GALLASPY28 GERIT GRIMM30 CHUCK JOHNSON32 ALEXA KUS34 MARTINA LANTIN36 CALVIN MA38 LAUREN MABRY40 JONATHAN MESS42 ANDREA MOON44 JULIE MOON46 PETER MORGAN48 ERICA NICKOL50 SARA PARENT-RAMOS52 JESSICA PUTNAM-PHILLIPS54 KEVIN SNIPES56 LEE SOMERS58 MILES SPADONE60 LINDA SWANSON62 RYAN TAKABA64 IAN F. THOMAS66 SHALENE VALENZUELA68 VALERIE ZIMANY70 LILLY ZUCKERMAN
THE ARTISTS
Fertility Figure
My work is constructed to refer to the body and to stylized surrogates for
the body, such as dolls, toys, and figurines. The questions that arise from
this cultural mishmash fuel my creative practice.
I use the human condition as a point of departure. Themes relating to gender,
rites of passage, fertility and mortality are constant “threads” within my
creative practice. The concepts of mask, disguise and transformation are
fundamental to my concerns.
TO
MB
ART
EL
10
S O U R C E : Decorated skeleton, Chiesa di San Cristoforo, Siena, Italy
Unintended Consequences
As we continue to negatively impact our environment and deplete the
earth’s natural resources plant structures are adapting, releasing energy
of color and becoming sterile.
In trying to balance these changes, we are attempting to control the
characteristics of plant life by promoting hybrids and germinating new species
in laboratory environments. The results of these plant experiments performed
in artificial environments and reproduced repeatedly for commercial needs,
is the creation of a flora rich in color but artificial and sterile. Plants’ loss of
pigment foreshadows future disruption of our ecosystem.
SUSA
NB
EIN
ER
12
S O U R C E : Looking Out the Window, concept sketch for Unintended Consequences
13
UnintendedConsequences, 2014
Wall PiecePorcelain, foam, wood42" x 30" x 10"
Floor PieceStoneware, porcelain, foam43" ! 11" ! 11"
Photo: Susan Beiner
to move like liquid
Our relationship with technology is primal, it is how we access and
navigate the world, extend ourselves beyond the limitations of our bodies,
create meaning, and share ideas. Physical material transformation
embedded in the human record reveals our intimacy and inseparability
with technology as a pre-condition for creating our “World.”
The synthesis that I create between digital images and clay suspends the
viewer between what appears to be incompatible technologies as
electronic imagery fuses into form in space. I use the physical materiality
of clay and the ephemeral aspects of digital media to tap into our biological
virtual selves, our internal framing, our inner sense of where we are in
our bodies in the world.
BRIA
NB
OLD
ON
14
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for to move like liquid
15
to move like liquid, 2014
Stoneware, digital ceramic prints, stainless steel
24" ! 120" ! 120" (installation variable)
Photo: Amy Baur
Stumpland
As a sculptor I create narrative tableaux rendering solid accounts that
dance between the familiar and the unfathomable. By depicting a reduced
distance between fact and fiction a new perspective from memory
enhanced by imagination is revealed in an expanded pictorial space.
Stories from a parent, a teacher, a movie, a dream—bits and pieces
exaggerated or diminished—are collaged together in an order that
corresponds to my memories. Emotion and honesty are the glue of the
assemblage. The stories I depict are false and true, a merging of
experience with imaginings, drifting together into semi-fictional vignettes.
What results is a reflection on a family history, a layer of fancy, a
misremembered fact and then the collision of ideas into something new.
PAT
TIE
CH
ALM
ERS
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S O U R C E : Concept image for Stumpland
Don’t Forget We’re Connected
Don’t Forget We’re Connected deals with the transformative power of
relationships over time. Transformations are often considered abrupt, with
a clearly defined before and after. The transformative power of a
relationship is different if that transformation occurs over time.
Two figures are connected, one growing from another’s windswept hair.
The figure on the bottom appears distant, unaffected, and oblivious to
unstable conditions. The top figure, in an undefined stage of development,
is vulnerable, unsteady, and exposed. The hair that connects them is
evocative of wet clay. This shared malleability suggests that, though who we
become is our responsibility, our transformations are never ours alone.
AN
DR
ÉA
KE
YS
CO
NN
ELL
18
S O U R C E : Concept sketches for Don’t Forget We’re Connected
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Don’t Forget We’reConnected, 2014
Terracotta, oil paint, stains,india ink, acrylic paint
60" ! 22" ! 23"
Photo: André�a Keys Connell
King for a Day, Queen for the Night
King for a Day, Queen for the Night is a narrative bust depicting an aging
drag queen. Her cracked weathered skin is a testimony to layers of
makeup, that create a veneer, hiding his true identity. Her pink hair, rigidly
cut off at the ends is a glimpse into the structures underneath the facade.
He is purposefully lacking much of the glamour and glitz associated with
many drag queens, exposing the fading light of her youth.
I am intrigued by the subculture surrounding drag queens; the double life,
the secretiveness, and the concealment of identity. Masters at camouflage,
they purposefully over-expose themselves through flamboyant
showmanship and pride, theatrical makeup and costuming. Some lead
double lives, while others exist primarily in drag. Visually and emotionally,
their transformation is full of heightened drama as it exploits, almost
via caricature, very specific and extreme feminine stereotypes.
TH
AD
DE
US
(TJ)
ERD
AH
L
20
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for King for a Day, Queen for the Night
21
King for a Day, Queen forthe Night, 2013
Ceramics, glaze, slip, underglaze, acrylic paint, fake eye lashes
34" ! 24" ! 23"
Photo: Thaddeus (TJ) Erdahl
Pick Mix/All Sorts CollectionComposition No.1
Our knowledge of the objects used in the dining ritual, and their assigned
functions, born of historical usage and innate familiarity, is limiting and lacks
creativity and vision. I explore the possibility of changing the way we treat
the vital ritual of dining. By designing functional tableware, I seek to direct the
eye, hand and mouth to treat food differently.
At the forefront of a trend where both industry and design play roles in
studio art practice, my work raises awareness of the situation and sparks
contemplation before merely devouring the elements. I question function
by combining the common and understood methods of use, and proposing
new formats.
HE
ATH
ER
MA
EER
ICK
SO
N
22
S O U R C E : Candy composition
23
Pick Mix / All Sorts CollectionComposition No.1, 2014
Porcelain
(installation variable)
Photo: Wes Magyar
Rake’s Progress: The Orgy Scene
Through my practice as a contemporary artist, I rediscover lost ceramic
techniques and consider the social, political and environmental context of
ceramic history during the age of colonialism.
For the subject of this work, Rake’s Progress: The Orgy Scene, I have
chosen to portray a curiously captivating character created by the 18th century
satirist William Hogarth. An orgy of ceramic history, the portrait bust is
writhe with Ming porcelain dragon tattoos, grotto conglomerations of shell
dishes, life cast shells collected along the River Thames and octopi from
London’s famed Billingsgate fish market.
MIC
HE
LL
EER
ICK
SO
N
24
S O U R C E : A Rake’s Progress: The Orgy, engravingfrom William Hogarth’s 1735 painting series (detail)
Giving Up the Ghost
The things that I love and the things that I fear refuse to balance out. They
scrap like cats, cloak and conceal like kudzu, terrify and delight like a large,
shaky lake or a dog swimming hard towards a floating ball.
My work is about imbalance: the vulnerability of living things, and the
sometimes violent, sometimes pleasurable, almost always complex
consequences that occur when bodies and objects in the world come into
contact with one another.
I use ornamentation, obsessive mark making, and imagery as a kind
of devotional or transformational act, a way to render interior spaces and
intense psychological experiences physically. For me, clay is a covert
material, a wilderness in which animals of association hide, a co-operative
contradiction both molecularly and metaphorically.
LA
UR
EN
GA
LLA
SPY
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Giving Up the Ghost
26
Honorable Mention
GE
RIT
GR
IMM
28
S O U R C E : The Farnese Bull (AD 222–235), Farnese Collection,Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Naples, Italy
PHOTO: Marie-Lan Nguyen, ©Creative Commons, The Farnese Bull,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Farnese_Bull_MAN_Napoli_Inv6002_n07.jpg
Looting of the Farnese Bull
On my last trip to Italy I was so blown away by the artwork I saw that
I created a series of sculptures that reinterpreted my favorite masterworks
from the history of European art and exhibited them in my installation
Triumphzug (Triumphal procession) at the Northern Clay Center.
For instance a tree I created, one of the 30 pieces in the show, was inspired
by the fresco from Andrea di Bonaiuto in the Spanish Chapel of Santa Maria
Novella. Looting of the Farnese Bull is inspired by the Farnese Bull
sculpture now on view in Naples, one of the most impressive sculptures
I have ever seen.
CH
UC
KJO
HN
SO
N
30
S O U R C E : Concept images for Goat
Goat
This work is part of an ongoing series that references ideas of social mobility,
institutionalized religion, cultural conflict, and especially our declining
environment. I combine these broad concepts with my more formal interest
in three-dimensional forms including Gothic architecture, industrial objects,
and endangered animals. Basically, I am interested in exploring contemporary
issues by creating narratives using imagery with metaphorical possibilities.
In this piece, the goat is sculpted in a rough and organic fashion emphasizing
its temporary and vulnerable qualities. Contrasting the goat are the
hard-edged and linear portions of the sculpture including the accordion
imposed on the animal’s back.
Everything I need to say,everything you need to hear
Shifting between the familiar and the unrecognizable, that which is
considered solid and certain is redefined. Often presenting risks and
opportunities for disaster, this shifting state of the unknown creates doubt,
confusion and frustration. Even so, rearrangement and alternative
interpretations are essential for transformation. The uncertainty they create
allows meanings of the indistinguishable to become infinite.
AL
EX
AK
US
32
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Everything I need to say,everything you need to hear
33
Everything I need to say,everything you need to hear,2013
Porcelain, found wood
45" ! 85" ! 2"
Photo: Alexa Kus
MA
RT
INA
LAN
TIN
34
S O U R C E : Map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania overlaidwith concept sketches for where we meet
where we meet
I strive to create work that synthesizes historical modes of display and
contemporary design sensibility. This installation exemplifies my continued
exploration of the interface between the functional and the decorative.
Drawn from a map of the center of Pittsburgh, the lines of asphalt and water
delineate the heart of the city. Repeated, these lines become the wallpaper
motif that, in turn frame and display plates ready for use. This interaction
fosters the mutable relationship between usable object, display, and
viewer that forms the core inquiry of my work.
35
where we meet, 2014
Thrown and altered earthenware,slip, glaze, digital print
Installation: 96" ! 72" ! 1""
Plates: 13" diameter ! 1""
photo: Martina Lantin
Not Out There
I utilize action figures in my sculptural work to explore personal struggles
with social anxiety. As an adult, I face difficulties in the social environment.
Even as a child I was reserved and apprehensive, so I turned to toys to
keep me entertained. I believe the tactile activity of playing with them
coupled with my active imagination helped establish this passion for the
action figure early on. There was something about picking up your favorite
character and creating adventures that captivated me. It felt only natural
to tap into this childlike sense of storytelling through my artwork.
CA
LVIN
MA
36
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Not Out There
Curved PlaneI make painterly, abstract, ceramic art. I’m a calculated risk-taker with
a keen attraction to color, movement, and material. Primarily my work
communicates directly through its formal and aesthetic qualities, but it may
also be understood in relationship to Post-Minimalist and Process Art.
Ultimately, my work is a synthesis of intuitive, expressive surfaces and
elemental forms. The intricately glazed surfaces sometimes look weathered
and aged, but at the same time colorfully lush and wet. There is a sense of
immediacy to the mark making, and at moments a sense of play.
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S O U R C E : Process image for Curved Plane
LA
UR
EN
MA
BR
Y Merit Award
Curved Plane, 2013
Red earthenware, slips, glaze,burned resin
24" ! 60" ! 15"
Photo: Lauren Mabry
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Reclaim No.9
My artwork is characterized by experimental abstraction. Using reclaimed
ceramic materials and referencing natural landforms, I constantly push my
materials and processes into new territory. Conventional wisdom says never to
make solid clay objects, but I have learned how to break that rule. I created
Reclaim No.9 by slowly pouring layers of colored casting slip and reclaimed
materials from Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts—slop clay, cast-aside
glazes, discarded, and broken work—into a manipulated cardboard box mold.
This sculpture delivers a monumental impact on a restrained scale, bridging
painting and sculpture in three-dimensional abstract expressionism.
JON
ATH
AN
MES
S
S O U R C E : Reclaimed ceramic material
40
41
Reclaim No.9, 2013
Various reclaimed ceramic materials fromWatershed Center for the Ceramic Arts
16" ! 11" ! 10"
Photo: Kate Mess
Between
In my practice I create sculptures that confront personal transitions and
challenge structure. I use multiple clay parts to create volume, form, and
balance. Through the raw surfaces and physicality of the material, I obsessively
preserve stability and the importance of structure in my everyday life.
I constantly strive to maintain a balance between feelings of calmness and
apprehension. My forms visually demonstrate the contrast between a state of
control and one of unsteadiness. Slight bends or subtle gestures in the clay
are intended to express a timid strength. I use the negative space to question
emptiness and fulfillment.
AN
DR
EA
MO
ON
42
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Between
Cornucopia
My work focuses on the notion of excess and explores aspects of materialism
and relationships between form and surface and bodies and culture.
An amorphous and bloated form, Cornucopia embodies the idea of abundance
and accumulation, and its brightly colored, horror vacui surface addresses
the fear of empty space.
As with most artists and creators, the transformation of materials is inherent
to the process of creation. For me this process of making relies heavily on play
and invention, and is what motivates my practice.
JUL
IEM
OO
N
44
S O U R C E : Concept images for Cornucopia
The Awful Waffle Walrus Surprise
The Awful Waffle Walrus Surprise is the most recent iteration of my
sculptural series in which I combine food and animals to create landscape.
These works seek to transform the known and familiar into the grandiose and
absurd. This is achieved by juxtaposing dissimilar objects, and shifts
in scale, to generate an expanding and contracting spatial experience. This
continues my exploration of how representations affect our perception
of the world. Sure, few people have experienced an iceberg up close and
personal, but undoubtedly whipped cream topping a waffle would make
an excellent environment for a walrus.
PET
ER
MO
RG
AN
46
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for The Awful Waffle Walrus Surprise
The Tie that Binds
Porcelain is an ideal material to express movement, tension, and emotion
in my sculptures. During the different stages of working with clay,
transformations occur which allow me to stop a moment. An impression
becomes permanent. A slump that occurs when the kiln reaches
temperature freezes time. Through this process, the work captures physical
and ethereal elements, transforming material into gesture; a trace
preserves the energy present during the moment of creation.
ER
ICA
NIC
KO
L
48
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for The Tie that Binds
Amassing Presence
When I was a child I spent many summers in Rome, the place where my
mother grew up before immigrating to America from Italy in the 1970s. During
those summers, on walks with my grandmother, I noticed medieval churches
covered in baroque adornments wedged in between fading ’70s apartments.
Since childhood, I have traveled extensively witnessing firsthand how the
accumulation of everyday debris can lend a physical presence to history. In my
work I draw upon this awareness recombining recognizable architectural and
historical imagery. In this manner, the layering of visual information becomes
a stand-in for the temporally fleeting passage of human events.
SAR
APA
REN
T-R
AM
OS
50
Neo-Baroque - Through the gratuitous use of accumulated objects, the vulgar is lent elegance.
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Amassing Presence
Polly, Poppy and Delilah
Reflecting on my own military experience, my work explores the juxtaposition
of US service women in combat with the domestic and decorative nature
of heirloom ceramic tableware. Playing on the notion of “serving” I create
objects associated with dining ritual, and use military iconography with
traditional elements of transferware patterns to depict military women serving
their country. Through non-traditional imagery I seek to challenge the
entrenched ideas of domesticity and gender roles while exposing the social
and cultural issues faced by military women.
JESS
ICA
PUTN
AM
-PH
ILLI
PS
S O U R C E : Transferware platter
52
53
Polly, Poppy and Delilah, 2014
Porcelain with mishima inlay, slip,underglaze, glaze
42" ! 17" ! 1"
Photo: Jessica Putnam-Phillips
Thug
I think of myself primarily as a storyteller. I use ceramic forms ornamented with
animated narrative drawings, and am fascinated by the concept of otherness.
With this in mind, my work explores human conflicts on a personal level and
the ways in which the fringes of society are consumed by popular culture.
KE
VIN
SN
IPES
S O U R C E : Lisbon street art featuring artists,Os Gêmeos and Blu
54
Scape IV
My process is a coupling of fleeting notions and physical realities. Collage
is a key strategy in both the physical and conceptual organization of my work.
Drawing from a variety of sources, ongoing acts of sampling, collecting
and cataloging lead to a critical mass of components. Weaving a matrix
of relations between these parts, I find compositional epiphanies—parallels
to aesthetic experiences etched in my memory. Within the framework
of landscape, my work explores ceramics as material metaphor for the
intersection of natural and cultural processes. Fragmentary glimpses of place
and time underscore the temporality of our present location.
LE
ES
OM
ERS
56
S O U R C E : Concept image for Scape IV
Honorable Mention
Mytosis
I am interested in the essence of form through reduction. Void of
decoration, the surface of my work is expressed like skin over ribs, where
rigid meets languid. The work strives to suspend an emerging moment,
the point when impression and inflation clash. My work captures a tactile
image of materials moving in opposition—like the instant before an object
rips through taut plastic, water sheds off your hand, or bone protrudes
through elastic skin—moments in transformation. This work expresses the
conflicting space in-between.MIL
ES
SPA
DO
NE
58
S O U R C E : Concept image for Mytosis
Cypreus Lumen
Despite our ability to scientifically explain the natural world, there is still
a certain mystery to how matter changes form, seeming at first to be one thing,
then becoming another. Light things become dark, soft things become hard,
solid things begin to flow. Such transformations open onto questions of our
own being and becoming and how we find ourselves in a world of flux.
Processes of change, formation and dissolution are caught in this crystalline
glazed surface a flow of molten colorants frozen into an optically ambivalent
and luminous moment, recalling geology as well as biology to elicit material
affinities between the body and the world around us.LIN
DA
SW
AN
SO
N
60
S O U R C E : Concept image for Cypreus Lumen
The Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize Winner
61
Cypreus Lumen, 2013
22" diameter ! 5""
Crystalline glazed porcelain,painted aluminum
Photo: Linda Swanson
49 to a new
In Buddhist ritual, the spirit moves to a new place every seven days.
On the 49th day, a service is held to mark the spirit’s new resting place.
Every morning my grandmother visits my deceased grandfather through daily
prayer at an altar in her bedroom. One of the adornments is an arrangement
of flowers she clips from her garden. I am interested in aspects of daily
ritual, specifically in relation to a flower and a vase, the cutting, assembling,
and connecting of the mums to complete a composition and the sorting of stem
sizes to regulate its flow of water. This process of transformation engages
themes of longing, waiting, and return.
RYA
NTA
KA
BA
62
S O U R C E : Shrine to the artist’s family
63
49 to a new, 2014 (two views)
Porcelain, 49 mums, water, steel,neodymium magnets
12" ! 18" ! 2"
Photo: Ryan Takaba
Persistence
Ceramic material is by nature transformative. In traditional practice, clay
is worked from a moist state to a fired object. With Persistence
I have chosen to begin at the end with a commercial plate. Through
compulsion, persistence and patience I have reworked the object
offering a new ideological context, removed from its mass produced
similitude and repositioned as an individualized art object.
IAN
F.T
HO
MA
S
64
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Persistence
Cinched In
Upon first glance, my work is a form of trompe l’oeil with a twist. Using
clay to transform a common item, I toy with the notion that things are not what
they initially seem to be. I explore women’s issues that speak to perception,
how they’ve been recognized historically and how they’re understood in society
today. Issues addressing self-perception and expectations reach beyond
feminist concerns. It’s a question of how we all attempt to transform ourselves
in ways to attain impossible ideals based on what others define we should be.
SHA
LE
NE
VALE
NZU
ELA
66
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Cinched In
Chigiri-e (Moonwalker)
I visually examine complex relationships between the East and West, nature
and technology, and intimate and public worlds through the lens of my
American background and extended education in Japan. Borrowed and
appropriated images from the histories of art, nature, and society transform
my surfaces, and I develop forms that suggest symbolic intersections between
these different cultures. Distantly familiar archetypes from 1970s electronics
and design, traditional textile patterns, vintage enameled china, and manga or
graffiti overlap to create seemingly improbable combinations. By clashing
colors, patterns, and imagery I force relationships or question compatibility,
and parallel a feeling of wandering out of place at just the right time.
VAL
ER
IEZI
MA
NY
68
S O U R C E : Concept sketch for Chigiri-e (Moonwalker)
69
Chigiri-e (Moonwalker), 2014
Wheel thrown & slip-cast porcelain,glazes, silkscreen and vintagedecals, Kutani raised overglazeenamels, gold, white gold
13" ! 12" ! 11"
Photo: Valerie Zimany
Flow
I seek to translate the emotional senses of curiosity, sincerity, and generosity
into tangible form. Clay has the ability to be both tactile yet intelligent. I work to
create and invite contemplative moments, where experiences of the physical
hand and intellectual mind can coexist.
Starting with a solid block, I methodically pinch the form. Encompassing many
changes of state, from the uncomplicated lump heavy with potential, through
precarious and fluid chaos, ending with the form.
Pinched clay has a remarkably clear and straightforward trace of touch,
from maker to user my moment of touch can be experienced by others today
or in thousands of years.LIL
LYZU
CK
ERM
AN
70
S O U R C E : Process image for Flow
72
TOM BARTEL
Born: Cleveland, OH, 1969
Lives: Athens, OH
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1996
B.F.A., Ceramics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 1993
Selected Exhibitions
2013NCECA Biennial, Houston Center for ContemporaryCraft, Houston, TX (catalogue)
The Figure/Sculptor in Ceramics, NassauischeSparkasse Talent Award, Keramikmuseum,Westerwald, Germany
2008Group Exhibition, Nostic Pallace, Prague, CzechRepublic
2007Group Exhibition, International Museum of Ceramics,Bechyne, Czech Republic
Selected Grants and Awards
2011 Individual Artist Fellowship, The Ohio ArtCouncil, Columbus, OH
2004 Individual Artist Fellowship, The Kentucky ArtsCouncil, Frankfort, KY
Selected Collections
FuLe International Ceramic Art Museum, Shaanxi,China
International Museum of Ceramics, Bechyne, CzechRepublic
Jingdezhen Ceramic Art Museum, Jingdezhen, China
New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan,China
The Mutter Museum, The College of Physicians ofPhiladelphia, Philadelphia, PA
tombartel.net
SUSAN BEINER
Born: Newark, NJ, 1962
Lives: Phoenix, AZ
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, University of Michigan, School ofArt, Ann Arbor, MI, 1993
B.F.A, Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of theArts, New Brunswick, NJ, 1985
Selected Exhibitions
2013Organic Dissolution, solo exhibition, The Art League,Houston TX, (catalogue)
2012Ceramica Multiplex 2012, Herzer Palace of the CityMuseum of Varazdin, Varazdin, Croatia (traveling)
201121st Vallauris Biennale Internationale, MagnelliMuseum, Ceramics Museum of Vallauris, Vallauris,France (catalogue)
Alchemy, From Dust to Form, Harn Museum of Art,Gainsville, FL
Earth Matters, The Galleries at Moore College of Artand Design, Philadelphia, PA, (catalogue)
2009The Familiar Unknown, Blue Star Contemporary ArtCenter, San Antonio, TX
2008Shared Journeys: Chinese/American Ceramic Art,Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China
Synthetic Reality, Installation, Ceramics ResearchCenter, Tempe, AZ
Selected Publications
“The Familiar Unknown.” Sculpture Magazine,October 2010: 77-78. Print.
Buck, Andrew. “Organic Dissolution.” CeramicsMonthly, March 2012: 44-46. Print.
Cooper, Emmanuel. Contemporary Ceramics. London,England: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 2008.
Selected Collections
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden,Netherlands
susanbeinerceramics.com
BRIAN BOLDON
Born: Milwaukee, WI 1958
Lives: Minneapolis, MN
Education
M.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design. Providence,RI, 1988
B.S., Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison,WI, 1982
Selected Exhibitions
2014Red River Reciprocity: Contemporary Ceramics inMinnesota and North Dakota, Plains Museum of Art,Fargo, ND
2013Brian Boldon 2012 McKnight Fellow, Northern ClayCenter, Minneapolis, MN
Clay Prints, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN
The Shape of Wind, public art commission, OmnitransRapid Transit Station, San Bernardino, CA
This Promises Water, public art commission, Ralph Carr Colorado Judicial Center, Denver, CO
Trainscape, public art commission, Union DepotCarriage Way Tunnel, St Paul, MN
2012Push Play: 2012 NCECA Invitational, Bellevue ArtsMuseum, Bellevue, WA
2011Craft Meets Technology, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at theBoundaries of Contemporary Craft, Milwaukee ArtMuseum, Milwaukee, WI
Tidal Forces: The Next Wave, NCECA Biennial, TampaMuseum of Art, Tampa, FL
Selected Publications
Brown, Glen R. “Brian Boldon. Digital Technology, theBody and Experience.” Ceramics: Art and Perception,Issue 83, 2011: 8–12.
Riddle, Mason. “Brian Boldon 2012 McKnight Fellow.”Four McKnight Artists. Minneapolis, MN: NorthernClay Center, 2013.
brianboldon.com
PATTIE CHALMERS
Born: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1965
Lives: Carbondale, IL
Education
M.F.A., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN,2001
B.F.A., University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada, 1993
B.A., University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba,Canada, 1986
Selected Exhibitions
2014McKnight Fellowship Exhibition, Northern ClayCenter, Minneapolis, MN
2013Closely Becomes Wonderful, Gallery 13, Minneapolis, MN
2012Bill O'Donnell + Pattie Chalmers, McClean County Art Center, Bloomington, IL
201167th Scripps Ceramic Annual, Williamson Gallery,Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Intimations of Candor and Culpability, Pavel Amromin& Pattie Chalmers, Red Lodge Clay Center, RedLodge, MT
2010Transcending the Figure, Invitational Exhibition, theDairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, OH (catalogue)
2008Voices, NCECA Invitational Exhibition, Society forContemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA (catalogue)
Selected Publications
Garcia, Edith. Ceramics and the Human Figure.London, UK: A & C Black Publishing, 2013.
Seckler, Judy. “Clay’s Good Humour.” Ceramics Artand Perception, Issue 87, 2012: 13-17. Print.
Selected Grants and Awards
2012 McKnight Artist Residencies for Ceramic ArtistsAward, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Selected Collections
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC
pattiechalmers.com
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
73
ANDRÉA KEYS CONNELL
Born: Manassas, VA, 1980
Lives: Richmond, VA
Education
M.F.A., Ohio University, Athens, OH, 2009
Postbaccalaureate, Louisiana State University, BatonRouge, LA, 2004
B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore,MD, 2000
Selected Exhibitions
2013NCECA Biennial, Houston Center for ContemporaryCraft, Houston, TX (catalogue)
2012Andréa Keys Connell: Gently Down the Stream, soloexhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Somewhere, Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, In Space Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
2011Figurative Association: Celebrating the Human Formin Clay, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts,Gatlinburg, TN
Matters of Size: Ceramic Figurines, Fuller CraftMuseum, Brockton, MA
The Pursuit of Hercules, solo exhibition, Page BondGallery, Richmond, VA
2010Third Generation, solo exhibition, Florida HolocaustMuseum, Tampa, FL
Transcending the Figure: Contemporary Ceramics,The Dairy Barn, Athens, OH, (catalogue)
Portraiture Beyond Likeness, Wayne Art Center,Wayne, PA, (catalogue)
Un-Home-Like, solo exhibition, The Sculpture Center,Cleveland, OH
2009Andréa Keys Ceramic Sculptures, solo exhibition,Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
andreakeys.com
THADDEUS (TJ) ERDAHL
Born: La Porte City, Iowa, 1977
Lives: Princeton, NJ
Education
M.F.A., University of Florida, Gainesville FL, 2009
B.A., University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, 2004
A.A., Hawkeye Community Collage, Waterloo, IA, 2001
Selected Exhibitions
2013Don’t Box Me In, Signature Contemporary Craft,Atlanta, GA
Hirotsune Tashima and TJ Erdahl, Obsidian Gallery,Tuscon, AZ
2012Mounted, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Show of Heads, NCECA, Seattle Design Center,Seattle, WA
2011FRESH FIGURINES: A New Look at A Historic ArtForm, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
The Figure Has Soul, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
2010Crafting Contemporary Art: Studio Craft inAppalachia, Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee StateUniversity, Johnson City, TN
Figurative Association: The Human Form in Clay,Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
National Ceramics Invitational Exhibition, The Mimiand Ian Rolland Art and Visual CommunicationCenter, School of Creative Arts, University of SaintFrancis, Fort Wayne, IN
Selected Collections
Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, IA
University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA
Waterloo Center for the Arts, Waterloo, IA
Selected Publications
Garcia, Edith. Ceramics and the Human Figure.Cleveland, OH: American Ceramic Society, 2012.
Martin, Brigitte. Humor in Craft. Atglen, PA: SchifferPublishing, 2011.
tjerdahl.blogspot.com
HEATHER MAE ERICKSON
Born: Wilmington, DE, 1977
Lives: Boulder, CO
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, Cranbrook Academy of Arts,Bloomfield Hills, MI, 2004
B.F.A., Crafts-Ceramics, Art Education, University ofthe Arts, Philadelphia, PA, 2000
Selected Exhibitions
2012Prototype, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Rituals of the Maker, solo exhibition, Robert C. TurnerTeaching Fellowship, Cohn Gallery, Alfred, NY
2011Ceramics: Post-Digital Design, The AmericanMuseum of Ceramic Art, Los Angeles, CA
Extreme Dirt, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Selected Collections
Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Guldagergaard-International Ceramic ResearchCenter, Skælskør, Denmark
heathermaeerickson.com
MICHELLE ERICKSON
Born: Hampton, VA, 1960
Lives: Hampton, VA
Education
B.F.A., The College of William and Mary,Williamsburg, VA, 1982
Selected Exhibitions
2013Animal Stories, The Gardiner Museum, Toronto,Canada
In Dialogue With The Baroque, Galerie Handwerk,Schleissheim Palace, Oberschleissheim, Germany
New Blue and White, Museum of Fine Arts Boston,Boston, MA
2012Covet, Ferrin Gallery, Sculptural Objects andFunctional Art, Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY
Here & Now, Selection of New Acquisitions, SeattleArt Museum, Seattle, WA
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Artist Fellowship Award, Virginia Museum ofFine Arts, Richmond, VA
2013 Visiting Artist, Influence and History: Blue andWhite Chinese Ceramics, Arthur M. Sackler Museum,Cambridge, MA
2012 Artist in Residence, The Victoria & AlbertMuseum, London, England
Selected Publications
Erickson, Michelle. “Spotlight: History Lesson.”Ceramics Monthly. September 2012. Print.
Pasori, Cedar. “Portfolio Review: Ceramic ArtistMichelle Erickson…” Complex Magazine Art &Design. April 2013.
Selected Collections
The Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
The Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
michelleericksonceramics.com
LAUREN GALLASPY
Born: Livingston, TN, 1982
Lives: Salt Lake City, UT
Education
M.F.A., New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 2007
B.F.A., University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2005
Emory University, Atlanta GA, 2001
Selected Exhibitions
2013NCECA Emerging Artist Exhibition, Houston ExpoCenter, Houston, TX
New Work on Clay and Paper, Blue Spiral Gallery,Asheville, NC
Restless II: A Mix, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Science as Muse, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2012Lauren Gallaspy: New Work, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Fragile, Seattle Design Center, Seattle, WA
2011Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition, The Museum ofContemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Emerging Artist Award, NCECA, Erie, CO
2013 Painters and Sculptors Grant, Joan MitchellFoundation, New York, NY
2010 Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly Magazine,Westerville, OH
Selected Publications
Kopp, Linda. The Best of 500 Ceramics. Asheville, NC:Lark Books, 2012.
West, Christina. “Lauren Gallaspy’s Workmanship ofRisk.” Ceramics Art and Perception, No. 90, 2012:54–57. Print.
Selected Collections
Porter-Price Collection of Figurative Ceramics,Mobile, AL
laurengallaspy.com
74
GERIT GRIMM
Born: Halle, Germany, 1973
Lives: Madison, WI
Education
M.F.A., New York State College of Ceramics at AlfredUniversity, Alfred, NY, 2004
M.A., University of Michigan School of Art & Design,Ann Arbor, MI, 2002
Diploma (M.F.A.), Burg Giebichenstein—University ofArt and Design, Halle, Germany 2001
Selected Exhibitions
2014Flow, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
2013Alabama Clay Conference, Birmingham Museum ofArt, Birmingham, AL
Ceramic Top 40, Red Star Studios inside Belger CraneYard Studios, Kansas City, Missouri
Triumphzug, solo exhibition, Northern Clay Center,Minneapolis, MN
2012Beyond the Figurine, Contemporary Inspirations fromthe Museum’s Collection, solo exhibition, Long BeachMuseum of Art, Long Beach, CA
201167th Scripps Ceramic Annual: Making Fun,Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Lirum Larum Loeffelstiel and other MiraculousStories, solo exhibition, Greenwich House Pottery,New York, NY
2010Fantasia in Clay, solo exhibition, Spokane FallsCommunity College, Spokane, WA
Hermaphrodites: Living in Two Worlds, WexlerGallery, Philadelphia, PA
2009Devine Decadence, solo exhibition, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE
Selected Collections
Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum, Jingdezhen, China
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygen, WI
Oregon School of Arts & Crafts, Portland, Oregon,
Burg Giebichenstein – University of Art and Design,Halle, Germany
geritgrimm.com
CHUCK JOHNSON
Born: Beloit, WI, 1959
Lives: Venango, PA
Education
M.F.A., Studio Ceramics, University of Wisconsin,Madison, 1989
B.A., Studio Art, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, 1982
Selected Exhibitions
201343rd Annual Ceramics Invitational, Crossman Gallery,University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Annual, CarnegieMuseum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
2012Erie Spring Show, Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA
2011398 Exhibition, Meadville Council on the Arts,Heeshen Gallery, Meadville, PA
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Annual, Society forContemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
Erie Spring Show, Erie Art Museum, Erie, PA
2010National Invitational, Manchester Craftman’s Guild,Pittsburgh, PA
Selected Grants and Awards
1999 Fellowship in Crafts, Pennsylvania Council onthe Arts, Harrisburg, PA
1994 Artist in Residence, Kohler Company, Kohler, WI
Selected Collections
John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
McDonalds Corporation, Chicago, IL
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
ALEXA KUS
Born: St. Johns, MI, 1990
Lives: St. Johns, MI
Education
B.F.A., Ceramics; B.A., Organizational Communication;Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 2013
Selected Exhibitions
2013ArtPrize, Western Michigan University-Grand Rapids,Grand Rapids, MI
In-Between & Incomplete, solo exhibition, RichmondCenter for Visual Arts, Western Michigan University,Kalamazoo, MI
In Circles, Saniwax Gallery, Park Trades Center,Kalamazoo, MI
Multiemergence, DeVries Student Gallery, RichmondCenter for Visual Arts, Western Michigan University,Kalamazoo, MI
Print | Works, Juried Group Exhibition, DeVriesStudent Gallery, Richmond Center for Visual Arts,Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
Re/Trans, South Kohrman Hall, Western MichiganUniversity, Kalamazoo, MI
2012Gwen Frostic School of Art/Western MichiganUniversity Trace + Gestures La EspIRA Espora –Rapaces/Traces, Palace of Culture, Granada,Nicaragua
Tangled in the Empty Spaces, solo exhibition, SouthKohrman Hall, Western Michigan University,Kalamazoo, MI
Selected Grants and Awards
2013, 2012 Robert and Eleanor DeVries AnnualStudent Art Award, Gwen Frostic School of Art,Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
2012 Angie Gayman Carmer Art Scholarship, GwenFrostic School of Art, Western Michigan University,Kalamazoo, MI
2012, 2011 School of Art Enrichment Grant, GwenFrostic School of Art, Western Michigan University,Kalamazoo, MI
alexakus.com
MARTINA LANTIN
Born: Montreal, Canada, 1974
Lives: Marlboro, Vermont
Education
M.F.A., Craft, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design,Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2009
Erhvervs Uddannelses Center Syd, Sonderborg,Denmark, 1998
B.A., Art, Earlham College, Richmond IN, 1996
Studio Art Center International, Florence, Italy, 1995
Selected Exhibitions
2013Affiliation through Sequence, solo exhibition, FocusGallery, Penland, NC
Disaster Relief and Resiliance; Crimson LaurelGallery, Bakersville, NC
Further On, Whitefish Pottery, Whitefish, MT
2012International Cup Show, The Clay Studio of Missoula,Missoula, MT
Rendered Motives, Charlie Cummings Gallery,Gainsville, FL
2011Passage & Four Eyes, solo exhibition, BrattleboroMuseum and Art Center, Brattleboro, VT
Selected Grants and Awards
2010 Individual Artist Fellowship, Tennessee ArtsCommission, Nashville, TN
2008 Beuys Memorial Scholarship, Nova ScotiaCollege of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia,Canada
Selected Collections
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia,Canada
Selected Publications
Schultz, Katey. “Adding to the Story.” CeramicsMonthly, February 2014. Print.
Lark Crafts. 500 Prints on Clay. Asheville, NC: LarkBooks, 2013.
mlceramics.com
CALVIN MA
Born: San Francisco, CA, 1984
Lives: San Francisco, CA
Education
M.F.A., Sculpture, Academy of Art University, SanFrancisco, CA, 2012
B.A., Industrial Arts, San Francisco State University,San Francisco, CA, 2007
Selected Exhibitions
2013Affordable Art Fair, Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art, SeattleCenter Exhibition Hall, Seattle, WA
America’s ClayFest, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA
The Association of Clay and Glass Artists ofCalifornia National Clay & Glass Exhibition, City ofBrea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
Calvin Ma Homebodies, solo exhibition, RoscoeCeramic Gallery, Oakland, CA
SOFA Chicago, Navy Pier, Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art,Chicago, IL
20122nd Annual Workhouse Clay National, McGuireWoods Gallery, Lorton, VA
California Clay Competition, The Artery, Davis, CA
Calvin Ma Blending In, solo exhibition, The CanneryGallery, San Francisco, CA
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 First Place, The Association of Clay and GlassArtists of California National Clay & Glass Exhibition,City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
2012 Best of Show, 2nd Annual Workhouse ClayNational, The Lorton Arts Foundation, Lorton, VA
2012 Clay Planet Award, California Clay Competition,The Artery, Davis, CA
Select Collections
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
calvinmasculpts.com
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LAUREN MABRY
Born: Cincinnati, OH, 1985
Lives: Philadelphia, PA
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln,Lincoln, NE, 2012
Post Baccalaureate, Ceramics, Colorado StateUniversity, Fort Collins, CO, 2008
B.F.A., Ceramics, Kansas City Art Institute, KansasCity, MO, 2007
Study Abroad, International Ceramics Studio,Kecskemèt, Hungary, 2006
Selected Exhibitions
2014
Flow, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
2013Lauren Mabry at Heidmann Art Salon, solo exhibition,Heidmann Art Salon, Kansas City, MO
NCECA Biennial, Houston Center for ContemporaryCraft, Houston, TX (catalogue)
Running, solo exhibition, The Bemis Center forContemporary Art, Omaha, NE
Top 40: Leslie Ferrin, Red Star Studios inside BelgerCrane Yard Studios, Kansas City, MO
2012
Lauren Mabry—Cylinders, solo exhibition, NermanMuseum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
Transcendent Materiality, M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition,Eisentrager-Howard Gallery at University ofNebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Selected Grants and Awards
2014Emerging Artist Award, NCECA, Erie, CO
2012Rudy Autio Grant for Creative Initiatives, The ArchieBray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
Selected Collections
The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, OverlandPark, KS
The Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, NE
laurenmabry.com
JONATHAN MESS
Born: Columbus, OH, 1975
Lives: Jefferson, ME
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, State University of New York atNew Paltz, New Paltz, NY, 2008
B.F.A. University of Montana-Missoula, Missoula, MT, 1998
Selected Exhibitions
2014Jonathan Mess: Reclaim, Jane Hartsook Gallery,Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
The Futures: The Next Generation of CeramicTrailblazers, Vessels Gallery, Boston, MA
2013Touch The Earth, Museum of Art, University of NewHampshire, Durham, NH
2012Center for Maine Contemporary Art BiennialExhibition 2012, Center for Maine Contemporary Art,Rockport, ME
2011Fertile Ground, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Rooted In Place, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft,Louisville, KY
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Grant, Ruth & Harold Chenven Foundation, New York, NY
2013 Emerging Artist Grant, St. Botolph ClubFoundation, Boston, MA
2004 Maine Arts Commission for Spreads, Governor’sConference on the Creative Economy, The Bates Mill,Lewiston, ME
Selected Publications
Kany, Daniel, “Treat yourself to a fine Mess at a fineyoung gallery space,” Portland Press Herald/MaineSunday Telegram. March 24, 2013. Print.
Kany, Daniel, “Everyone should see this show,”Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.February 27, 2011. Print.
Keyes, Bob. “Artist’s run of the mill is anything but,”Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram,May 2, 2004. Print.
jonathanmess.com
ANDREA MOON
Born: Oregon, OH, 1980
Lives: Red Lodge, MT
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 2009
B.F.A., 3-D Studies, Bowling Green State University,Bowling Green, OH, 2002
Selected Exhibitions
2013Conversance: A Sculptural Ceramics Exhibition, The Frontier Space, Missoula, MT
Going Big, Betz Gallery, Houston, TX
2012Celebrating 20: Building and Maintaining aCommunity Exhibition, Arrowmont School of Art andCraft, Sandra Blain Galleries, Gatlinburg, TN
Inspite of Ourselves, Red Lodge Clay Center, LoftGallery, Red Lodge, MT
Linear Perceptions, Valley City State University,Valley City, ND
2011Clay Come Lately, Associated Students of MontanaState University Exit Gallery, Montana StateUniversity-Bozeman, MT
Craftsmanship: Concept: Innovation, Red Lodge ClayCenter, Red Lodge, MT
2010Assemble: New Work by Andrea Moon, InghamChapman Gallery, University of New Mexico, Gallup,NM
Intricate Spaces, Brazos Gallery, Richland College,Dallas, TX
Selected Publications
Bliecher, Stephen. Introduction to 3-D Foundations.London, UK: Laurence King Publishing, July 2013.
Mills, Maureen. Surface Design for Ceramics.Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 2008.
andreamoon.com
JULIE MOON
Born: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1973
Lives: Philadelphia, PA
Education
M.F.A., New York State College of Ceramics at AlfredUniversity, Alfred, NY, 2010
B.F.A., Ontario College of Art and Design, Toronto,Ontario, Canada, 2005
Selected Exhibitions
2014Bring Down the Mountain, solo exhibition, The ClayStudio, Philadelphia, PA
This is Not a Toy, co-curated by Pharrell Williams,Design Exchange, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2012Lavish and Lush, Seattle Design Center, Seattle, WA(traveling)
RBC People’s Choice Emerging Artist AwardExhibition, The Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art,Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2011Annual Awards Exhibition, Ontario Craft CouncilGallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
New work, solo exhibition, Katzman Kamen Gallery,Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Pretty, Strange, solo exhibition, Narwhal Art Projects,Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2010DIY: A Revolution in Handicrafts, Society forContemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
Pretty Please, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Fosdick NelsonGallery, Alfred, NY (traveling)
2009Man’s Ruin, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga,Ontario, Canada
Pulse Art Fair with Narwhal Art Projects, Miami, FL
Terra Nova, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery,Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
juliemoon.ca
PETER MORGAN
Born: Abingdon, VA, 1978
Lives: Philadelphia, PA
Education
M.F.A., New York State College of Ceramics at AlfredUniversity, Alfred, NY, 2005
B.F.A., Ceramics, California College of Arts & Crafts,Oakland, CA, 2003
B.A., Fine Art, Roanoke College, Salem, VA, 2000
Selected Exhibitions
2013Animalia, Schein-Joseph International Museum ofCeramic Art, Alfred, NY
2012All Aboard, Evelyn Shapiro Foundation FellowshipExhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Color Me Bad, William King Museum, Abingdon, VA
201167th Scripps Ceramic Annual: Making Fun, WilliamsGallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
Other Possible Titles, Grizzly Grizzly, Philadelphia, PA
2010Mish-Mash Strikes Back: Contemporary Ceramic Art,Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville, NJ
Pretty Young Things, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
Something’s Fishy, solo exhibition, The Arts Depot,Abingdon, VA
2009POP Craft, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston,MA
Selected Grants and Awards
2012 Evelyn Shapiro Foundation Fellowship, The ClayStudio, Philadelphia, PA
2009, 2008 Summer Resident, Archie Bray Foundation,Helena, MT
Selected Publications
Newhall, Edith. “Railroad, White and Blue.”Philadelphia Inquirer, October 14, 2012. Print.
Seckler, Judy. “Clay’s Good Humor.” Ceramics Artand Perception. Issue #87, 2012. Print.
petergmorgan.com
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ERICA NICKOL
Born: Fort Thomas, KY, 1981
Lives: Pittsburgh, PA
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, The University of the Arts,Philadelphia, PA, 2011
B.Arch., University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN,2005
Selected Exhibitions
2013Flat Floor Fiesta, solo exhibition, The Union Project,Pittsburgh, PA
2012Baum Gallery, M.F.A. Biennial, solo exhibition, BaumGallery, Conway, AR
The Space Between: M.F.A. Thesis Exhibit, BorowskyGallery, Philadelphia, PA
2011M.F.A. Juried Exhibition, First Street Gallery, NewYork, NY
2010Future Excavations, 224 Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Works in Progress, Aronson Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
20092D or Not 2D, Aronson Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Works in Progress, Rosenwald Wolf Gallery,Philadelphia, PA
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Artist in Residence, The Union Project,Pittsburgh, PA
2012 Visiting Artist, University of Central Arkansas,Conway, AR
ericanickol.com
SARA PARENT-RAMOS
Born: Washington, DC, 1982
Lives: Austin, TX
Education
M.F.A. Ceramics, New York State College of Ceramicsat Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 2013
M.Ed., Framingham State University, Framingham,MA, 2005
B.A. Psychology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore,PA, 2003
Selected Exhibitions
2013NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition, GlassellSchool of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
2012Contemporary Clay Biennial, The Art Center ofWestern Colorado, Grand Junction, CO
201154th Annual Chautauqua Exhibition of ContemporaryArt, Logan Galleries, Chautauqua, NY
2006Filippo Scimeca E Suoi Studenti Di Brera, AriannaSatori Gallery, Mantua, Italy
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Thayer Fellowship Program/Patricia Kerr RossAward, State University of New York at Albany,Albany, NY
2013 Marge Brown Kalodner Award, The Clay Studio,Philadelphia, PA
2013 Cite Residency Fellowship, Cite International desArts, Paris, France
2013, 2011 Bernstein Fellowship, New York StateCollege of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2012 Graduate Student Fellowship, NCECA: 46thAnnual Conference, Seattle, WA
2011 The Ruggiero Morigi/Vincenzo Palumbo Award,Italian Cultural Society, Washington, DC
2005–2006 William J. Fulbright InternationalEducational Exchange Scholarship, UniversitàMilano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
saraparentramos.com
JESSICA PUTNAM-PHILLIPS
Born: Hanover, NH, 1973
Lives: Arlington, VT
Education
M.F.A., Visual Arts, Art Institute of Boston at LesleyUniversity, Boston, MA, 2013
B.A., Studio Art, University of North Carolina,Wilmington, NC, 2006
Selected Exhibitions
2013AIB MFA Graduate Exhibition, Lesley University,Boston, MA
Boston Young Contemporaries, CommonwealthGallery, Boston, MA
New England Collective IV, Galatea Gallery, Boston, MA
2012100 for 100 2012, Better Bennington Corporation,Bennington VT
Hot Pots, Fresh Paint III, North Adams Artists’ CoOpGallery, North Adams, MA
20111st Annual Membership Exhibition, Schacht GallerySaratoga Clay Arts Center, Saratoga, NY
Clay, Buttondown Gallery, Glens Falls, NY
Sacred Vessels and Vantages, North Adams Artists’CoOp Gallery, North Adams, MA
Summer in New England, solo exhibition, CanfieldGallery, Arlington, VT
2010100th Anniversary of the Scarab Vase Exhibition,Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY
Carved Vase Juried Exhibit, Clayscapes Gallery,Syracuse, NY
Panache, Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT
Selected Grants and Awards
2013 Artist-in-Residence, Saratoga Clay Arts Center,Saratoga, NY
jessicaputnamphillips.com
KEVIN SNIPES
Born: Philadelphia, PA, 1963
Lives: Cleveland, OH
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, University of Florida, School of Artand Art History, Gainesville, FL, 2003
B.F.A., Ceramics with Drawing Minor, ClevelandInstitute of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1994
Selected Exhibitions
2013Kevin Snipes: When in Rome, C.R.E.T.A. Rome, RomeItaly
2012Kevin Snipes, solo exhibition, Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2011Childhood Lost: Current Work by Kevin Snipes, solo exhibition, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
2010Kevin Snipes Constructed: A Handbuilt Review, solo exhibition, MudFire, Decatur, GA
2009Color Blind: Kevin Snipes, solo exhibition, Plinth,Denver, CO
Recent Ceramics: Kevin Snipes, solo exhibition,AKAR, Iowa City, IA
“What-Evaah!” Kevin Snipes, Taunt FellowshipExhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT, (catalogue)
2008China Shared Journey’s: American Art in China,Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen, China(traveling exhibition)
Voices, NCECA Invitational, Society for ContemporaryCraft, Pittsburgh, PA
Selected Grants & Awards
2008 Taunt Fellowship, Long Term Artist Residency,Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2006 Individual Excellence Award, Ohio Arts Council,Columbus, OH
2005 Guest Artist in Residence, The Clay Studio,Philadelphia, PA
kevinsnipes.com
LEE SOMERS
Born: Durango, CO, 1977
Lives: Montevallo, AL
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, New York State College ofCeramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 2006
B.F.A., Ceramics & Glass, Alfred University School ofArt & Design, Alfred, NY, 1999
Selected Exhibitions
2013New Faculty Exhibit, University of Montevallo Art Gallery, Montevallo, AL
Some Places I’ve Been, solo exhibition, University ofNorth Alabama Art Gallery, Florence, AL
2012Rescue and Redemption, Fort Collins Lincoln Center,Fort Collins, CO
Tiempo Colorado-ART 342 Residents’ Exhibition,Rendition Gallery, Fort Collins, CO
To Wander Out of Place, Seattle, Design Center,Seattle, WA
2011Ceramic Experiments with Contemporary Nomads,Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai,China
2010Conversations, Collaborations and Coincidences,Snyderman Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2008–2009Sanlun Yishu, Interactive Public Art Project, Beijing, China
2008China-China, Shanghai Craft Museum, Shanghai, China
Selected Grants and Awards
2012 Artist in Residence, Art 342, Fort Collins, CO
2008 Grant, Sanlun Yishu Project, Blackrock ArtsFoundation, San Francisco, CA
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MILES SPADONE
Born: Kennebunk, ME, 1987
Lives: Portland, ME
Education
B.F.A., Ceramics and Furniture Design, Maine Collegeof Art, Portland, ME, 2013
Selected Exhibitions:
2013Boomerang, June Fitzpatrick Gallery, Portland, ME
Open, Corey Daniels Gallery, Wells, ME
Solo Show, Engine Gallery, Biddeford, ME
2012B.F.A. Show, Maine College of Art, Portland, ME
Ceramic Showcase, Maine College of Art, Portland,ME
Free For All, Space Gallery, Portland, ME
Merit Show, Maine College of Art, Portland, ME
2011B.F.A. Show, Maine College of Art, Portland, ME
Navigation (Chime), North Dakota Museum of Art,Grand Forks, ND
Up and Comers, Oregon College of Art and Craft,Portland, OR
LINDA SWANSON
Born: Los Angeles, CA, 1967
Lives: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, New York State College ofCeramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY, 2005
B.F.A., Ceramics, California State University, LongBeach, CA, 2002
Training in Ceramics, Tekisui Bijutsukan Workshop,Ashiya, Japan, 1990–1994
B.A., Art History, University of California, SantaBarbara, CA, 1990
Selected Exhibitions
2014Flow, installation, Milwaukee Art Museum,Milwaukee, WI
2013Elemental, installation, The Northern Clay Center,Minneapolis, MN
New Directions, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
SOFA Chicago, Lacoste Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2012Earth & Alchemy, Massart, Boston, MA
Resolutions, solo exhibition, Luce Gallery at CornellCollege, Mt Vernon, IA
2011InFormation, solo exhibition, McClure Gallery,Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Prima Materia, solo exhibition, Florida Aquarium,Tampa, FL
INFESTATION, public installation, Parcs CanadaLachine Canal National Historic Site, Montreal,Quebec, Canada
2007Reorientations, solo exhibition, Galerie Maria Lund,Paris, France
Selected Grants and Awards
2013Emerging Artist Award, NCECA, Erie, CO
Selected Publications
2014Frangos, Naomi “Palpable Vision: The Work ofContemporary Ceramic Artist Linda Swanson.”Ceramics Art & Perception, March 2014, No. 95. Print.
lindaswansonstudio.com
RYAN TAKABA
Born: Honolulu, HI, 1976
Lives: San Antonio, TX
Education
M.F.A., Crafts/Ceramics, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 2005
B.F.A., Ceramics, University of Hawai`i, Honolulu, HI, 2000
Selected Exhibitions
2011Commonplace: Ryan Takaba & Barbara Smith,Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX
Fresh Figurines: A New Look at an Historic Form,Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
2010Bellwether 2010, Bellevue, WA
Earth Matters, NCECA Invitational, Moore College ofArt, Philadelphia, PA (catalogue)
Relative Distances, University of Texas-San Antonio,San Antonio, TX (catalogue)
Ryan Takaba: New Work, The Clay Studio,Philadelphia, PA
Selected Grants and Awards
2010 Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly, Westerville, OH
2009 Chalk it Up Featured Artist, Artpace, San Antonio, TX
2007 Teaching Assistant, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
Selected Publications“Economic Impact and Significance.” San Antonio
Creative Industry 2011 Report. 5. Print
Foritano, Jim. “The Figure Explored: ContemporaryCeramic Sculpture.” Art Scope: New England’sCulture Magazine. Sept/Oct 2006: 30. Print.
“Ryan Takaba, Emerging Artist 2010.” CeramicsMonthly. May 2010: 40. Print.
ryantakaba.com
IAN F. THOMAS
Born: Butler, PA, 1976
Lives: Slippery Rock, PA
Education
M.F.A., Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 2006
B.F.A., Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA, 1999
Academy of Bratislava, Slovakia, 1997
Selected Exhibitions
2013Filtered Permeability, Barr Gallery, Indiana UniversitySoutheast, New Albany, IN
Milk Money, solo exhibition, 4Most Gallery, Universityof Florida, Gainesville, FL
2012Push Play, NCECA Invitational, Bellevue ArtsMuseum, Seattle, WA
Sculpture in So Many Words, Nasher SculptureCenter, Dallas, TX
Translatory Motion, Pottery Workshop Gallery,Jingdezhen, Shanghai, China
Yesterday’s Tomorrow, Spring Street Gallery,Houston, TX
2011Co-Modify, Nave Museum, Victoria, TX
Response with Ben Lewis, Tjaden Gallery, CornellUniversity, Ithaca, NY
The ReUse and Resist Project, #24 Bialik Square, TelAviv, Israel
Selected Collections
Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, TX
The Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, China
Selected Publications
500 Prints on Clay: An Inspiring Collection of ImageTransfer Work. Asheville, NC: Lark Crafts, 2013.
Copeland, Colette. “Incidental Transformations,”Ceramics: Art and Perception. No.91, 2013. Print.
ianfthomas.com
SHALENE VALENZUELA
Born: Santa Barbara, CA, 1972
Lives: Missoula, MT
Education
M.F.A., Ceramics, California College of Arts & Crafts,Oakland, CA, 1997
B.A., Art Practice, University of California at Berkeley,Berkeley, CA, 1994
Selected Exhibitions
2014Alterations, solo exhibition, Texas Women’sUniversity, Denton, TX
2013Top 40: Leslie Ferrin, Red Star Studios inside BelgerCrane Yard Studios, Kansas City, MO
Herstory, Reed Smith Gallery, The Clay Studio,Philadelphia, PA
2012Finding Place, Seattle Design Center, Seattle, WA
Following Patterns, solo exhibition, Missoula ArtMuseum, Missoula, MT
2011A Recipe for Disaster, solo exhibition, Plinth, Denver,CO
No Place Like Home, solo exhibition, Paris GibsonSquare Museum, Great Falls, MT
Tidal Forces: The Next Wave, NCECA BiennialExhibition, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
2009Shalene Valenzuela: New Work, John NatsoulasCenter for the Arts, Davis, CA
2008Trying to Blend In, solo exhibition, The Clay Studio ofMissoula, Missoula, MT
2007(Dys)Functional, solo exhibition, Tinlark Gallery, LosAngeles, CA
Selected Awards
2013 Recipient Artist's Innovation Award in Ceramics,Montana Arts Council, Helena, MT
shalene.com
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VALERIE ZIMANY
Born: Morristown, NJ, 1973
Lives: Central, SC
Education
M.F.A., Crafts/Ceramics, Kanazawa College of Art,Kanazawa, Japan, 2002
B.F.A., Crafts/Ceramics, University of the Arts,Philadelphia, PA, 1995
Selected Exhibitions
2013Earth Moves: Shifts in Ceramic Art and Design,NCECA Juried Exhibition, Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada, CO
Valerie Zimany: Porcelain Fever, solo exhibition,Gallery M2, Houston, TX
2012To Wander Out of Place: Artists and Asia, SeattleDesign Center, Seattle, WA
20119th International Ceramics Competition Mino,International Ceramics Park, Tajimi, Japan
20095th World Ceramic Biennale Korea (CEBIKO), IcheonWorld Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea
2007Mergence and Abundance: Alternating Personalitiesin Clay, two-person exhibition, Front Street Gallery,Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, MI
Selected Grants and Awards
2011 Fulbright Hays Faculty Research Abroad Grantawarded for Porcelain Fever: Contemporary KutaniPractitioners and Processes, U.S. Department ofEducation, Kanazawa College of Art, Kanazawa,Japan
2008 Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly, Westerville, OH
Selected Publications
Dillingham, Dawn, ed. 500 Prints on Clay. Ashville,NC: Lark Publishing, 2013.
Seckler, Judy. “To Wander Out of Place: Artists andAsia.” Ceramics Art & Perception. March 2013. Print.
Selected Collections
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
Icheon World Ceramic Museum, Icheon, Korea
valeriezimany.com
LILLY ZUCKERMAN
Born: Pittsburgh, PA, 1987�
Lives: Missoula, MT
Education
B.F.A., Fine Arts, Ceramics, The Pennsylvania StateUniversity, University Park, PA, 2010
Selected Exhibitions
2013Duets, The Clay Arts Center, Port Chester, NY
Gesturing into Consciousness, College of Arts andArchitecture’s 50th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition,Edwin W. Zoller Gallery, The Pennsylvania StateUniversity, University Park, PA
Object Focus the Bowl Part 2 Engage + Use, TheMuseum of Contemporary Craft, Portland, OR
Red Lodge Clay Center Juried National II, Red LodgeClay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2012Pots at Rest, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Winter Crop, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Uncommon Ground, Trax Gallery, Berkley, CA
Art-Stream, Nomadic Gallery, Seattle, WA
2011Artists to the Edge and Resident Artist Exhibition,Warehouse Gallery, The Archie Bray Foundation,Helena, MT
Selected Publications
“Emerging Artists.” Ceramics Monthly. Volume 60,Number 5, May 2012. Print.
Hulch, Kevin. The Art of Contemporary Pottery. Iola,WI: Krause Publications, 2013. PDF e-book.
Marquis, Andrea. “Pots at Rest.” Ceramics Monthly.January 2013, 54-58. Print.
Loder, Claire. The New Ceramics: Sculpting andHandbuilding. London, UK: A&C Black Publishers,2013.
lillyzuckerman.com
We acknowledge with appreciation the following staff and volunteers for their contributions to Transformation 9: Contemporary Works in Ceramics:
Janet McCallExecutive Director
Kate LydonDirector of Exhibitions
Natalie Sweet Exhibitions Apprentice
Rachel SaulEducation Coordinator
Samantha SkeltonStudio Apprentice
Norah GuignonMarketing Manager
Stephanie Selya2013 Fine Intern
Meghan HippleStore Intern
Pamela QuatchakDirector of Development
Sara RyanDevelopment Assistant-Individual Giving
Yu-San ChengExecutive Assistant/Financial Coordinator
Megan CrowellStore Sales Manager
Marguerette SokolSales Associate
Andrew SokolSales Associate
ISBN 978-0-9960989-0-8
Design: Paul Schifino, schifinodesign.com
Printing: Print Tech, printtechofwpa.com