Meet the Artist

In the beginning...

I fell in love with pottery during my first college ceramics class in the spring of 1993, but the desire to "play in the mud" must have exisited since childhood. There are pictures of me as a little girl covered from head to toe with mud after enjoying an afternoon of mud sliding on the mound of dirt in my backyard.

I graduated with a BA in studio art in 1996, and began taking the first small steps toward becoming a working artist. I created my first Celtic works in 1999 and have since focused my work on this unique style.

Artist Statement

I create mostly one-of-a-kind, functional pottery. I use interlacing knotwork and spiral patterns as a decorative element to my wheel-thrown porcelain vessels. The choice to make decorative, functional pottery is a reflection of my faith that God can shape us into beautiful and useful people.

Interlacing knotwork and spiral patterns are seen throughout many parts of the world and are common among many different cultures. Most of what we think of today as "Celtic" knotwork, is really an amalgamation of designs from various cultures created by medieval monks while illuminating manuscripts. We don't really know what the original designs may have meant, but today interlacing knotwork has come to symbolize the interconnectedness of life. This is one of the reasons why I am attracted to using these designs in my work. For me, the designs connect us to our past and to other cultures.

Education

Awards/Honors

Exhibitions

	2010	History in the Making V: Ceramic Traditions Contemporary Pots A national juried exhibition The Firehouse Gallery at Genesee Pottery, Rochester, NY
	2010	Dining In III: An Artful Experience A national juried exhibition 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
	2010	2010 Cross View Christian Art Festival A juried exhibition of Christian art Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN
	2010	Porcelains and Celadons A juried exhibition The Myers Gallery at Muddy's Studio, Santa Ana, CA
	2010	The Foot in the Door 4 An open exhibition to all Minnesota residents MAEP Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
	2009	Illuminations: The Art of Light A national juried exhibition 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
	2009	History in the Making IV: Ceramic Traditions Contemporary Pots A national juried exhibition The Firehouse Gallery at Genesee Pottery, Rochester, NY
	2009	Dining In: An Artful Experience A national juried exhibition 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
	2007	Empty Spaces: Bowls A juried exhibition Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
	2006	1st Biennial Concordia Continental Ceramics Compeition A regional juried ceramics competition Concordia Gallery, St. Paul, MN
	2005	Salon 300: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show A MN State Fair overflow show Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
	2004	Salon 500: Minnesota State Fair Overflow Show A MN State Fair overflow show Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, MN
	2004	Juried Religious Art Show A juried exhibition for Minnesota residents Grace United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, MN
	2002	Strictly Functional Pottery National A national juried exhibition Southern Market Center, Lancaster, PA
	2002	2002 Celtic Art Exhibition & Contest A juried exhibition and contest; 1st place Traditional Category Gallery O, Dallas, TX
	2001	Winterfest 01 A juried exhibition Period Gallery, Omaha, NE
	2001	Strictly Functional Pottery National A national juried exhibition Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
	2001	2001 Christian Art Festival A juried exhibition Woodbury Luthern Church, Woodbury, MN
	2001	Handcrafted A juried exhibition of ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, and wood Rocky Mount Arts Center, Rocky Mount, NC
	2000	Functional Art Show A juried exhibition Art Collective, Minneapolis, MN
	2000	18th Annual Christian Art Festival A juried exhibition Cross View Lutheran Church, Edina, MN
	2000	Transformations A juried exhibition of fine crafts Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
	2000	The Foot in the Door 3 An open exhibition to all Minnesota residents MAEP Gallery, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
	1996	24th Annual Raspberry Monday A juried student exhibition Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN
	1996	Sojourn A senior thesis group exhibition Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St Paul, MN
	1995	23rd Annual Raspberry Monday A juried student exhibition Eugene Johnson Gallery, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN

Publications

• Crafts insight: Ceramics, The Crafts Report, April 2004, 19
• 2004 Clay Lover's Calendar, February & September

Professional Affiliations

There are numerous organizations for artists and potters that work toward promoting the arts. The following are organizations of which I am currently or have previously been a member. The years of my membership are in parenthesis.

• MNWCA - Minnesota Women Ceramic Artists (2009 - Present)
• Potters Council (2001 - Present)
• CIVA - Christians in the Visual Arts (1998 - 2005)
• MCC - Minnesota Crafts Council (1999 - 2004)
• ACC - American Craft Council (2001 - 2004)
• NEMAA - Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (2002)