Red Lodge Clay Center – Short-Term Resident 2012
Blake Williams is a ceramics artist and Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Michigan State University. Blake discovered her love for clay as a sophomore in high school at the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and her love for teaching at Pottery Northwest in Seattle, Washington. She earned her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and her MFA from Louisiana State University. Blake has exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently in Philadelphia, PA, Baltimore, MD, Tampa, FL, and Jingdezhen, China. Her newest works examine relationships between the tangible and intangible aspects of objects and mortality with patterns of porcelain bones as well as the resilience and hope reflected in blooming flowers.
(Wearable Piece was a collaboration between Blake & Jewelry Artist: Amy Brown)
“Objects hang before the eyes of the imagination, continuously re-presenting ourselves to ourselves, and telling the stories of our lives in ways which would be impossible otherwise.” – Moira Vincentelli
The things we collect and that surround us reveal our narratives and silently map our personalities. What we leave behind becomes the physical memory of our existence. Objects contain ghosts of memories and have the power to disclose forgotten secrets.
I am influenced by the silence and expanse of cathedrals, the familiarity of domestic environments, and the magical reality of dreams. I hope to conjure memories and transform awareness. At times, I approach pieces that I have created from previous installations as found objects. By reworking, new installations evolve. Recently, I hand build or press mold porcelain objects to open new chapters of exploration.
My current work focuses on the imagery of bones and flowers in order to reflect life. I am interested in the human condition, how an individual relates to their surroundings, and what it means to interact and have relationships with other humans and animals. Making art is a continuous search for meaning.