Red Lodge Clay – Center Short-Term Resident 2016, (AIA) 2017
Bonilyn Parker was born and raised in the land of the midnight sun in Anchorage Alaska. After receiving her BA from the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, Alaska she made her way down to Southeast Ohio where she received her MFA in Ceramics from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She currently resides in Helena, Montana.
I believe in the value of hand made objects in an increasingly industrialized world. Contemporary issues associated with waste, commercial manufacturing and the resulting practices such as repurposing, recycling, and the DIY movement influence my work. Working in clay, I explore the spaces that exist between maker and user, disposable and reusable and sentimental and material value. Through experiencing a handmade object, I want my audience to consider the consequences of a disposable culture and rethink standard discarding practices.