Curatorial Statement
Artist’s Reception: Friday, July 5, 2019 from 5-7 pm MT
Exhibition Posted Online: Monday, July 8, 2019 by 10 am MT
The Red Lodge Clay Center is proud to present an exhibition of our current Long-Term Resident Artists newest work, This Then There. The residency program at Red Lodge Clay Center is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established visual artists. Each Resident brings a unique and vital voice that adds to the richness of the Clay Center. Their work is distinct but they all challenge their materials, and push their ideas forward as they develop their professional artistic careers through our immersive, year-long residency experience.
Crista Ann Ames is a sculptor working primarily in ceramics, wood, and textiles. Through the layering of mythology, iconography and personal narrative, Crista explores how our own animal nature relates to the ways we establish and sustain personal relationships. Raised on a small hobby farm in Washington State, Crista often draws on her own experiences to explore pastoral life, animal husbandry, women’s craft and fertility.
Kelsey Bowen spent her childhood in the rural California foothills, growing a strong root system of inspiration in animals and nature. She is a recent graduate of the California College of the Arts Ceramics Program. She has participated in various exhibitions with her work, including the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Arts in Davis, the American Museum of Ceramic Arts in Los Angeles, and her BFA solo exhibition in Oakland, California.
Emily Nickel is an artist and arts educator who uses human and animal forms to interrogate societal pressures on individual identity. She holds an MFA in Ceramics from Indiana University in Bloomington. Emily’s work has been exhibited throughout the US and internationally, and has received a number of artist’s grants and awards. She has participated in several residency programs including Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and Red Lodge Clay Center.
Karl Schwiesow holds a BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics from Sierra Nevada College and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Montana. He has exhibited his ceramic works throughout the United States. His current studio practice is focused on abstract ceramic sculpture and found materials, and maintains other passions in art and art making, including painting, design, mixed-media sculpture, and teaching.