Artist: Amy Song
Amy Song, ILLINOIS
Artist Statement
The love of ceramics is closely related to my relationship with food and drink. I create pots that are intended to bring joy to the small moments in life. A pot of tea elevates a moment away from work. A tiny handmade dish corrals my kids’ daily vitamins, then makes an appearance at dinner containing aioli for fries. Generous bowls serve up a stew, making for a functional centerpiece at the table. My work is wood fired in a train kiln. The firing process takes my simple forms and does a lovely job of doing the rest— trapping carbon on the surface, highlighting the iron present in the clay, and pooling natural glaze in a crevice. The result is earthy and humble. Perfect for serving up dinner!
Artist Bio
Amy Song is a ceramic artist working in Plainfield, IL. She holds a BA in studio art and ceramics from Hope College and fell in love with wood firing at Waubonsee Community College in 2013. In 2018, Amy founded River Song Pottery in Plano, IL. Since then, River Song has hosted its first workshops bringing nationally known potters to the area and is excited to be spreading the love of wood firing in the greater Chicago area. She is the lead organizer of the Northern IL Pottery tour, which was launched to celebrate and lift up the incredible work being created in the area.
Education:
Clay Cohorts, 2021
Year-long mentorship with Simon Levin
Waubonsee Community College, 2012-2017 Studio art classes. Glaze formulation. Kiln building. Wood and soda firing. Care and keeping of kilns and furnitureHope College, 1993-1997
BA in Studio Art, Ceramics Emphasis
Spanish Minor and K-12 Education Certification
Professional Roles:
Proprietor, River Song Pottery
Wood firing workshops, including visiting artist workshops 2018-present
Co-founder and Lead Organizer
Northern Illinois Pottery Tour
2021-present
Ceramics Club President
Waubonsee Community College
Preparation for and participation in the Waubonsee International Wood Fire Conference
Gallery and Retail Affiliations:
Lillstreet Gallery, Chicago, IL
Chi-Cuterie, Geneva, IL
Teaism, DuPont Circle, Washington, DC
Mr. Miller’s Art Emporium, Douglas, MI
Krema Coffee, Plainfield, IL
Terra Incognito, Oak Park, IL
Selected Shows:
Northern Illinois Pottery Tour, 2021- present The Roomshow, NCECA, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 Geneva Fine Arts Fair, 2022 and 2023
One of a Kind, Chicago, IL 2022
Southern Crossings Pottery Festival, 2022, 2024 Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, 2024
Professional Experience
NCECA
Panelist at 2017 Future Flux conference. Our Bodies = Our Strongest Tool
Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated Article in Studio Talk “A Studio in Two Locations,” page 10 Workshops
2021 Yellow Door Studio, demonstrations with Jonathan Pacheco
2024 Montgomery Potters, artist talk
Exhibitions:
2024
Last Call VII Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN Teapot Show, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD Clay Akar, Yunomi Invitational, Iowa City, IA
2023
DelecTABLE Art Students League of Denver, Denver, CO Last Call VI Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN Winter Warmers Annual Cup Show, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
2022
Kindled Spirits 2, Juror and Invited Artist, Bellingham, WA Onward, Invitational exhibit, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
Last Call V, Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN Winter Warmers Annual Cup Show, Invited artist, Bellingham, WA
2021
Teapot Show, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD Mug Madness, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA
Women Who Woodfire, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR Last Call VI, Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN
Invitational Cup Show, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
2020
Juried Membership Show, iCAN
DelecTABLE, Art Students League of Denver, Denver, CO Function:Lunction, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA For Pitcher or Pourer, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA 2020 Invitational Cup Show, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA 2019
Invitational members event, Dreihaus Museum,
Invitational Cup Show, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA Korean International Ceramic Biennale, Honorable Mention, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Rep.of Korea
2017
Invitational Cup show, River’s Edge Café, Aurora, IL. Curator and participant
Invitational Cup Show, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA Invitational Bowl Show, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
For Pitcher or Pourer, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA 2016
Waubonsee Invitational, Emergent Gallery, Aurora, IL. Curator and participant.
Teabowl National, Kansas City Clay Guild, Kansas City, MO DelecTABLE, Art Students League of Denver, Denver, CO Small Favors, the Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Irons in the Fire, Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN Last Call, Companion Gallery, Humboult, TN
2015
Teapots, Vessels, Flagons & Flasks, Guilford Art Center, Guilford, CT
Tabletop show, Honorable Mention, Clayspace, Lisle, IL NASAD show, Waubonsee Community College
2014
Clay3, ClaySpace, Lisle, IL
1997
Senior exhibition, Hope College, Holland, MI
The Clay Collective Pottery Tour, 2024