Photos and reporting by Robert Kokenyesi, Ceramic Artist, Beachfront Pottery, Godfrey, IL, 62035, USA. If you enjoyed this post, then like the post, and also like my Facebook page. There is additional information about Beachfront Pottery on my web site.
The Venue
The “Tea and Cookies: 17th Biennial Teapot Exhibition took place from January 10 through February 23, 2020 in the gallery of the Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design in University City, Missouri.
The Call for Entry
This was an invitational exhibit. Craft Alliance had this exhibit statement: ”
Craft Alliance Center of Art + Design is proud to present Tea and Cookies: 17th Biennial Teapot Exhibition. Having tea and cookies is a comfort and a custom many of us share in our daily lives. In this exhibition, artists were challenged to think about this pairing and communicate how they could create a conversation between the two objects. This pairing becomes an investigation around the idea of the container, both in construction and what it means to us culturally. In Britain they have tea and biscuits, but here in America, we talk about the union of a warm beverage with a delicious cookie. We could say that this is essentially the same idea, but with different socially economic status attached to it. Actually the cookie jar is an iteration of the biscuit barrel, a British container of biscuits. As this jar form was introduced to the States and Canada, it took on the name, “Cookie Jar”.
Each artist exhibits a teapot and a container displaying the act of engagement with the interaction of the objects themselves. All the teapots and cookie jar selected are ceramic and are either functional or simply decorative. For over two decades Craft Alliance has brought the biennial teapot show to the community and with Tea and Cookies hopes to bring the viewer a sense of wonderment and delight, maybe even bringing up fond memories of their favorite tea and cookies moments. ”
The Ceramic Art Pieces
The “sculptural” teapots in part 3 represent teapots where the shape of the body of the teapot greatly departs from round, and there is an unusual placement of the spout and the handle. Sometime the shape doesn’t remind me of a teapot at all.
Joe’s statement reads: “The escapist allure of immersive environments drives my work, which orients the viewer in a place of comfort and curiosity. The vibrant colors, reductive imagery, and illustrated movements within the “Flow Chart” series of installations are deceptively simple, derivative of early video games, pinball machines, mass transit maps, and schematic diagrams. Within this framework, one soon begins to uncover the world’s underpinnings: a rules-based system of sculptural parameters, compositional logic, and spatial relationships. The creative process is entirely analog and object- based, but the finished work requires a particular knowledge of early digital culture on the part of the viewer. After arriving in a new space, every element is unboxed and unwrapped, then laid flat on the ground in groups. Innumerable narrative variations can be constructed from this limited system, or “kit” of elements. For more of his works visit his web site.
For more of Tom’s work visit his web site. I couldn’t find a statement from him online.
Norleen’s statement reads: “The service sets I create are a metaphor for social cohesion. They are presented in a series of arranged compositions comprising porcelain teapots, ewers, decanters, and cups presented on architectural earthenware bases. The arrangements convey my conceptual framework of community and the ever-present dialogue between the individual and the collective.” For more of her work visit her web site.
I couldn’t find a dedicated online presence for Will.
Matt’s statement from the Red Lodge Clay Center page reads: “My work focuses on the creation of illusory acts of tension within a forced fusion between what is seemingly organic in form/behavior and what is clearly machined. The Organic, epitomized by my use of rough surfaces and plant-like shapes, is determined by Nature-in various states of decay. The Machined, as suggested by the clean lines of the slip-cast objects, is fabricated by the rules of Man-products of our intent. Both, however, can be equally represented as natural. The machined object is the result
of our ability to operate within the parameters of natural systems. The organic object is an agent that symbolizes a moment within these cyclical systems. The difference between these two lies within their inherent goals: the organic is predicated by a struggle for survival, whereas the machined is predicated for efficiency. For more of his works visit his web site.
Jose’s statement reads: “My past and present surroundings influence my work. The images and memories of coffee mills, intensely colored mountains, dramatic landscapes, pre-Colombian art and architecture of the Andean region of Venezuela all form an important part of my visual inspirations. These elements combine with contemporary design as well as the geometry of the Catalina Mountains to influence and inspire my work. The range of textures and colors of the Andes and Catalinas also inform my palette of glazes and engobes, which are achieved through high-firing in oxidation and reduction. By altering wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware, my work fuses organic and geometrical forms, in which I express both the fluidity and abruptness of the shapes and lines in the landscapes and architecture that surrounds me. My inspirations include pre-Hispanic art and architecture, and contemporary architecture and design. I also feel a connection with Japanese and Korean potters such as Wada Morihiro, who was also inspired by Pre-Colombian art. I also am drawn to the work of Tatsusuke Kuriki, Jun Kaneko, Robert Turner and Ken Price. I am also influenced by modern Venezuelan artists like Jesús Soto, Alejandro Otero, Carlos Cruz Diez and Gego. For more of his works visit his web site.
Her statement on the Shirahaze Gallery site reads: “My work is porcelain, wheel-thrown, and one-of-a-kind. Each individual piece is hand-painted with slip, decorated with colors of underglaze, and high-fired. They are delicately crafted with details that are inspired by nature. My themes expresse beauty and harmony, as well as playfulness. The motifs include images of wildlife, which are enhanced through my own interpretation– based on visual and tactile impressions– often along with a story, or personal experience. It is my visual diary and has evolved over the years. By using playful and unique functional pots, I hope to enhance the dining experience, as well as create a pleasant atmosphere, where you share thoughts with friends and family. It is my endeavor to share positive & uplifting emotions through my work. For more of her work visit the Shirahaze Gallery site.
Jill’s statement reads: “My work can be subversive, or sneaky, if you will, maybe I can slip into someone’s unsuspecting world and make point, or jog a purposeful thought or action loose. Yes, I believe in the ability of art to impact the world. My desire to play with others at a chalkboard or to collaborate by playing with totemic figures is really my desire to open up potential for others, because art opened potential for me. It is also an attempt to have a conversation and learn a little more about our confusing humanness. Monsters enable me to, as Richard Nickel put it, “stare at people less”. The focus at Whistlepig Studio is certainly myriad, but each facet of the process under the umbrella is integrated to the whole. Without the audience interaction the object is underinformed; without the objects the audience interaction has no catalyst, no focus. Creating an interaction is all about curating a safe space for folks to nurture their own story.” For more of her work check out her web site.
I couldn’t find a statement from her on the web.
For more of her works visit her web site.
I couldn’t find a statement from him on the web.
For more of his works visit his web site.
I couldn’t find a dedicated online presence for her.