“STOKED: Five Artists of Fire and Clay” exhibit at the University of St. Thomas, opens September 14; lecture October 4th
St. Paul, MN – Stoked: Five Artists of Fire and Clay, a ceramics exhibit showcasing the works of five potters, including internationally renowned potter Richard Bresnahan, is coming to the University of St. Thomas in September, the sixth stop on a national tour. Celebrating 30 years of the Saint John’s Pottery, the exhibit opens on September 14, 2012 and runs through January 10, 2013.
Curated by Dr. Matthew Welch, Deputy Director and Chief Curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Stoked: Five Artists of Fire and Clay highlights decades of collaborative effort with the Saint John’s Pottery program. The exhibition tour features the work of master potter and artist-in-residence, Richard Bresnahan, and a selection of former apprentices: Kevin Flicker, ceramics instructor at the University of Minnesota-Morris; Stephen Earp, ceramicist and writer from Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts; Samuel Johnson, ceramics instructor at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University; and Anne Meyer, ceramicist and sculptor from Saint Joseph, Minnesota. Each artist presents vastly different outlooks and creative approaches that share a common concern for indigenous materials in relationship to the environment.
Bresnahan’s reverence for the natural environment is embodied in all aspects of his creation process, and has become the medium through which he communicates. According to Dr. Matthew Welch, “An abiding respect for ecology and natural systems has always characterized Richard Bresnahan’s philosophy and his ongoing dialogue with fire and clay. Throughout his long career, he has consistently challenged himself to undertake new firing techniques, to test potential glaze materials, and to devise unique and elegant functional forms. As a result, the dynamic pottery Bresnahan creates reflects both the specifics of his physical environment – by utilizing local resources – and his own far-reaching artistic vision.”
As seen in Stoked: Five Artists of Fire and Clay, the work of Flicker, Earp, Johnson, and Meyer all add their own artistic interpretation to the technique and process imparted to them under Bresnahan’s tutelage. Whether incorporating or building upon Bresnahan’s philosophy, these artists all clearly have adopted his approach. As Welch states of the exhibition’s collaboration of artists, “…each maker is “stoked” in the best sense of the word – excited about life and the simple act of using the earth and fire to produce objects of great mystery and strength.”
The opening reception, Thursday, October 4, at 6:30 pm in the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center auditorium will feature a lecture by exhibition curator Dr. Matthew Welch. A reception follows the lecture in the lobby gallery. The general public is invited to this handicap accessible free event. Parking and directions may be found at www.stthomas.edu/campusmaps.
Stoked: Five Artists of Fire and Clay is paired with a catalogue written by Dr. Matthew Welch and contains nearly 90 color photographs of the approximately 80 works in the exhibition, as well as brief biographical and artistic reviews of each of the five artists. Books are available for purchase and autographing at the opening reception.
