Artist’s Statement
My areas of focus as a visual artist are hand-building with ceramic clay and creating jewelry. Each jewelry piece is unique and composed of elements I create from porcelain. They are characterized by organic forms and intricate textures inspired by nature, particularly coral, shells, and pods. I am intrigued by the repetition of patterns of growth and texture that abound on the micro and macro levels in the natural world.
The clay pinching technique that I use is a tranquil and meditative process. The spirit of the form evolves as I work intuitively. When the form is complete, I often elaborately texture and pattern the clay surface. The color of the nature-inspired components is an inherent part of the porcelain with the colorants integrated into the clay body. By using a variety of firing methods, oxidation, reduction, and soda, the surface of the clay is further enhanced. Similar to nature, the construction of my jewelry involves repetition as the individual elements are combined and integrated into a more complex whole.
My desire is for these vehicles of artistic expression to become a vital and integral part of one’s daily life as the jewelry pieces are intimately worn on the body. They are a transportable means of communication carried into the public realm through wearing – creating a triangular dialogue between the maker, wearer, and viewer. It is my intention to reinforce the wearer’s interconnectedness with nature and to cause viewers to pause and contemplate the beauty of the natural world.
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Grants/Awards
2020-2021 PLRAC/McKnight Foundation Artist Development Grant
2017 Helen Longmire Award: Ann Metzger Memorial National All Media Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Clayton, MO
2015 PLRAC/McKnight Foundation Fellowship Grant
2014 Third Place: 22nd Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2013 Finalist: Handmade Beads or Buttons category, 2013 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Delta Center, Milwaukee, WI
2012 PLRAC/McKnight Foundation Fellowship Grant
2012 Finalist: Handmade Beads or Buttons category, 2012 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Frontier Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI
2011 Merit Award: 19th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2007 PLRAC/McKnight Foundation Individual Artist Grant
2006 Third Place: Handmade Beads or Buttons category, 2006 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI
2005 First Place: Wire Work category, Beadwork: Infinite Possibilities, Margaret Foss Gallery, Edina, MN
1999 Fifth Place: 7th Annual South Central Regional Art Exhibition, Schaefer Gallery, St. Peter, MN
Exhibitions (selected)
2023 March 21-June 21 Revolution: Visions of women life freedom, Society of North American Goldsmiths, SNAGMetalsmith.org virtual exhibition
2022 70k / 70 Artists, The Jewellery Activist (Instagram permanent story highlight exhibition)
2021 Art of Water V, James May Gallery, Dousman, WI (online at Artsy.net)
2020 Re-Emerging, Gallery 360, Minneapolis, MN
2020-2021 Up Close and Sculptural, Minnetonka Center for the Arts’ Partners in Art Exhibition at Ridgedale Center, Minnetonka, MN
2019 Jewels of Earth and Fire (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference Concurrent Exhibition), Khazana, Minneapolis, MN
2019-2020 Clay. Here. Now. (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference Concurrent Exhibition), Minnetonka Center for the Arts’ Partners in Art Exhibition at Ridgedale Center, Minnetonka, MN
2019 Carnegie Art Center Juried Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2018 Feats of Clay, Lanesboro Arts Gallery, Lanesboro, MN
2018 Carnegie Art Center Juried Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2018 50th Celebration Alumni Art Exhibition, William Whipple Gallery, Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, MN
2017 PLRAC/McKnight Artist Grantee Exhibition, Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN (catalogue)
2017 Ann Metzger Memorial National All Media Exhibition, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Clayton, MO
2017 Carnegie Art Center Juried Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2017 Constructed Visions II, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Clayton, MO
2017 25th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2017 Minnesota Jewelry Arts Guild Holiday Sale and Exhibition, Stillwater Art Guild Gallery, Stillwater, MN
2017 Eat: Work by Members of the Arts Center of Saint Peter, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2016 Carnegie Art Center Juried Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2016 24th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2016 WaterStories: Work by Members of the Arts Center of Saint Peter, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2015 NCC Members Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2015 23rd Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2015 Locals We Love, Northern Clay Center at National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference (NCECA) Gallery Expo, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
2015 Holiday Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2014 MMAA 2014 MN Biennial, Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN
2014 MN Biennial, Lanesboro Arts Gallery, Lanesboro, MN
2014 Holiday Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2014 22nd Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2013 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Delta Center, Milwaukee, WI
2013 PLRAC/McKnight Artist Grantee Exhibition, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN (catalogue)
2012 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Frontier Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI
2012 13th Annual Arts Center’s Own: Membership Show, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2012 The Goods VII, Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, SD
2011 19th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2011 The Goods VI, Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, SD
2009 The Art of Personal Adornment, Dahl Arts Center Shaver Gallery, Rapid City, SD (catalogue)
2009 17th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2009 The Goods IV, Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, SD
2008 Beads of Whimsy, Textile Center Joan Mondale Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2008 16th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2008 Women Celebrating Women: Women’s Vision, Arts Center of Saint Peter, St. Peter, MN
2007 15th Annual Prairie Lakes Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Carnegie Art Center, Mankato, MN
2006 Bead Dreams international competition/exhibition, Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, WI
2005 Beadwork: Infinite Possibilities, Margaret Foss Gallery, Edina, MN
1999 7th Annual South Central Regional Art Exhibition, Schaefer Gallery, St. Peter, MN
1998 6th Annual South Central Regional Art Exhibition, Plaza Gallery, Mankato, MN
1998 Artist of the Month (August), The Bead Monkey, Edina, MN (solo exhibition)
1991 Three Approaches, William Whipple Gallery, Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, MN
1990 Clay and Fibers, William Whipple Gallery, Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, MN
Bibliography
Books
2014 The Beader’s Guide to Jewelry Design: A Beautiful Exploration of Unity, Balance, Color & More, Margie Deeb, Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., pp 13, 149
2014 1000 Beads, Kristina Logan, Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., p 204
2012 Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry: Photographs of Beautiful Contemporary Beadwork, Ray Hemachandra, Lark Books/Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., pp 86, 286
Magazines
2006 “2006 Bead Dreams Exhibit”, Bead & Button magazine, issue 75, Oct, p 41
Newspaper Articles
2015 “Local artist uses ceramics to craft home-made jewelry”, Philip Weyhe, Le Sueur News-Herald, Oct 14, pp 1, 6A
2015 “Local artist dependent on her hands”, Philip Weyhe, Minnesota River Valley Shopper, Oct 17, p 9A
Catalogues (selected)
2014 2014 MN Biennial, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Aesthetic Apparatus, p 13
1991 Perceptions, volume 26, Southwest State University, Marshall, MN, pp 21, 64
1988 Perceptions, volume 23, Southwest State University, Marshall, MN
1987 Perceptions, volume 22, Southwest State University, Marshall, MN, p 45
Education
1991 BS, Art Education, summa cum laude, Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, MN
Commissions
1994, 1991, 1990 St. James Church, Marshall, MN