Artist: Ben Bates
Ben Bates, ILLINOIS
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ARTIST STATEMENT
I am interested in the functional format as a realm of exploration, but I strive for my pieces to transcend their utilitarian boundaries and function as sculptural elements. I use the ideals of the vessel to clarify design and explore form as it relates to space. To me working in clay is more about composition, proportion and surface than it is about efficiency of use.
The dualities of this medium continually fascinate me. In my process I play with the plasticity of the material and its ability to capture spontaneous movement in form and surface. I then contrast it by introducing hard edges and lines that interrupt and accentuate the flow of that softness. I also want the skin of my pieces to heighten the viewer’s awareness of the interior volume and function as a canvas for color and decoration.
My hope is to make pieces that are able to communicate feelings and ideas without recalling specific objects. I intend for these compositions to be mysterious and open-ended enough to evoke multiple interpretations.
EDUCATION
1998 MFA: Ceramics
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
Instructors: Dan Anderson and Paul Dresang
1995 BFA: Ceramics
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Instructors: Ken Ferguson, Victor Babu, George Timock and Pete Pinnell
1991 to 1993 Ceramics
Long Beach City College, Long Beach, CA
Instructor: Rodney Tsukashima
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2005 to Present Adjunct Faculty, Ceramics
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Created the Beginning Ceramics curriculum
Ceramics area budget and supply requests
Curriculum development
Ceramics Club Advisor
Instruction in:
Beginning, intermediate and advanced ceramics
Atmospheric firing including wood, soda and salt
Independent study
Functional and sculptural techniques and applications
Clay and glaze calculation
Kiln building and kiln firing techniques
Professional practices
2005 to Present Teaching Studio Technician, Ceramics
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Instruct, Coordinate, supervise, improve and maintain a 4000 square foot ceramics facility and outdoor kiln shed including: 30 pottery wheels, 9 kilns (5 electric, 2 - 35 cubic foot gas, 1 - 100 cubic foot wood fired “Train”, 1 - 40 cubic foot soda) 3 extruders, a slab roller, a spray booth, mold making/slip casting room, raw materials/glaze mixing room, clay mixing equipment and materials, digital photography set up and 4 large display cabinets throughout campus
Fire and maintain kilns including: Gas, electric, soda, wood and raku
Amassed budget and materials and built a 50 cu ft soda shuttle kiln
Amassed budget and materials and built a 100 cu ft “Train” wood kiln
Ongoing instruction in technical and aesthetic applications, professional practices, kiln building and firing and studio and equipment usage
Ceramics area budget and supply requests
Supervise student employees (work study students)
Restructured and modernized the whole ceramics studio
2004 to 2006
Adjunct Faculty, Art
Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
Drawing Instructor:
Beginning (Drawing 1) - basic drawing concepts and processes
Intermediate (Drawing 2) - freehand linear, tonal, and color approaches, relationships of objects and spaces drawn from direct observation and techniques and concepts as related to the figure
Ceramics Sabbatical Replacement, Ceramics 1, 2 and 3, spring 2004
Instructed beginning, intermediate and advanced ceramics
Advised and instructed independent study students
Functional and sculptural techniques and applications
Clay and glaze calculation
Kiln building and kiln firing techniques
Professional practices
2003 to 2005
Art Department Chair
Woodlands Academy, Lake Forest, IL (Private boarding school grades 9 through 12)
Directed arts department comprised of visual and performing arts
Facilitated departmental meetings
Developed curriculum mapping
Designed the Leavey Gallery featuring student, alumnae and faculty work, formed school committee for the construction of the Leavey Gallery, consulted with architects and contractors throughout renovation project
Coordinated four student shows a year (2 internal and 2 external)
Advised students
Ceramics Instructor – Ceramics Area Head
Beginning, intermediate and advanced ceramics
Functional and sculptural techniques and applications
Restructured and modernized ceramics studio
Coordinated and maintained an 800 square foot ceramics facility and outdoor kiln shed including: 13 pottery wheels, 3 kilns, an extruder, a slab roller, mold making equipment, raw materials/glaze mixing area
Art Instructor
Instructed students in 2 and 3D design, drawing, painting, sculpture, art history and art appreciation
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2005 to Present
CLC Ceramics Club Advisor
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Coordinate visiting artist program, ceramics sales, field trips including: Anagama firing trip, Kholer tour, Racine Art Museum, SOFA (annually) and NCECA (annually)
Organize fall and spring sales since 2005, some netting more than $5500.00 each
Liaison between Ceramics Club and CLC administration
Host to visiting artists
2017
Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Earlham College, Richmond, IN
2016
Juror, Art Fair on the Square, Lake Forest, IL
2009 to 2015
Lead Organizer for Annual “Empty Bowls” project (1000 + Bowls at every event)
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Head of committee for charity fundraising event
Proposed the event and Coordinated the Ceramics Department, Culinary Arts Department and Student Activities office for 7 years
Netted $51,200.00 – Donated $44,200.00 (after expenses)
2015
Curator: Serviceability
Robert T. Wright Gallery, Grayslake, IL
2013
Curator: OutPOUR
Robert T. Wright Gallery, Grayslake, IL
2012
Curator: The Cup: 55 Artists, 250 Interpretations
Robert T. Wright Gallery, Grayslake, IL
2011
Curator: For Tea
Dubhe Carreno Gallery, Chicago, IL
2010
Curator: Teapots: An Invitational
Robert T. Wright Gallery, Grayslake, IL
2010
Juror, Art Fair on the Square, Lake Forest, IL
2010
Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
A two-day workshop
“Train” Wood Kiln Building Workshop
Designed kiln, Organized student participation, amassed necessary materials, presented history and supporting information about wood kilns and firing, Built and fired 100 cubic foot train kiln with students
Invited Visiting Artist
2008
Curator: Ted Neal and Charity Davis-Woodard Ceramics
Robert T. Wright Gallery, Grayslake, IL
2008
Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Ball State University, Muncie, IN
A two day workshop
2006
Soda Kiln Building Workshop
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Organized student participation, designed kiln, amassed necessary materials, presented history and supporting information about soda kilns and firing, built and fired kiln with students
2004
Personal Studio Assistant to Ruth Duckworth
Chicago, IL
Assisted artist with all aspects of production including: preparation of materials, construction of pieces, glaze mixing and application, firing of kilns, equipment repairs and maintenance and finishing work
1998 to 2003
Lead Resident Ceramic Artist
Crab Tree Farm and Museum, Lake Bluff, IL
Re-established a substantial ceramics studio on museum property; restructured studio layout; designed and built a 50 cu ft downdraft gas kiln and a 20 cu ft salt kiln; founded successful ceramics business; maintained all technical aspects of a studio environment
2002
Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
2001 Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Sterling Hall Ceramic Arts Center, Lake Forest, IL
1999 to 2001 Lead Consultant
Sterling Hall Ceramic Arts Center, Lake Forest, IL
Designed a state of the art ceramic center; created architectural floor plans for building renovation, consulted with city officials, architects and builders throughout renovation project, amassed center’s capital equipment; developed program curriculum, instructed students
1998
Artist Lecture and Demonstration
Forest Park Community College, St. Louis, MO
1993 to 1995
Personal Studio Assistant to Ken Ferguson
Shawnee Mission, Kansas
Assisted artist with all aspects of production including: preparation of materials, construction of pieces, glaze mixing and application, firing of kilns, equipment repairs and maintenance and finishing work, Exhibition deliveries and set-up
RELATED SKILLS
Kiln Building
2015
Reduction Kiln, 35 Cf. Grayslake, IL.
2012
Anagama, Rebuild, 500 Cf. Edwardsville, IL.
2010
Soda Kiln, Car/Shuttle Type, 59 Cf. Grayslake, IL
2009
Wood Kiln, “Train” 100 Cf. Grayslake, IL
2008
Soda Kiln Rebuild, 15 Cf. Grayslake, IL
2006
Soda Kiln, 15 Cf. Grayslake, IL
Reduction Kiln, 45 Cf. Lake Bluff, IL
2001
Salt Kiln, 20 Cf. Lake Bluff, IL
1999
Reduction kiln, 35 Cf. Lake Bluff, IL
1998
Soda Kiln, 50 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
1998
Salt Kiln, 40 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
1997
Wood Kiln, “Train”, 60 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
Soda Kiln, 10 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
Reduction Kiln, Car/Shuttle Type, 40 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
1996
Salt Kiln, 15 Cf. Edwardsville, IL
Reduction Kiln, 45 Cf. Kansas City, MO
1994
Soda Kiln, 40 Cf. Kansas City, MO
Kiln Firing
Extensive experience with wood-fueled kilns: Anagama (single chamber/tube type), Noborigama (multiple chamber climbing), Train/Coffin, salt and soda; gas-fueled kilns, reduction, reduction cooled, oxidation and Raku; all types of programmable and manual electric kilns, Pit and primitive firing
Sculpture Processes
Arc/MIG welding
Oxy/acetylene welding, cutting and brazing
Lost wax casting: Aluminum, bronze and cast iron
Colloidal silica casting (Shell)
Resin bonded sand casting
Figure modeling
Carving
Mold work
Blacksmithing
All wood and metal shop tools and equipment
Hand Formed Glass
Experienced with glass blowing, kiln forming (including casting and slumping) and cold glass processes (cutting and polishing).
Built and maintained glass studio equipment including: Annealers,
pot furnace, glory hole, color furnace, hand tools, etc.
EXHIBITIONS
2017
Celabrating 20/30: Gustin Studio Invitational Wood Fire Show, Chris Gustin Gallery, Dartmouth, MA
21st Century American Clay Artists, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Ted Neal and Ben Bates, Earlham College Art Gallery, Richmond, IN
Brown, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
2016
Legacy of an Icon - Ken Ferguson, NCECA Haw Contemporary Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Lineage: 41Years of SIUE MFA’s, NCECA, Morton Hall, Kansas City, MO
Cerbera Gallery NCECA Show, Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City, MO
30 X 5: Americano Invitational< AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Edwardsville Art Center Cup Show, Edwardsville Art Center, Edwardsville, IL
International Wood Fire Conference Invitational Exhibition 2016, Waubonsee College, Sugar Grove, IL
Beautifully Brown, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2015
Functional Spectrum, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor. MI
Let There Be Light, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2014
Featured Artist, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
The Cup II: 60 Artists, 300 Interpretations, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Let There Be Light, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
CLC Art Faculty Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2013
Neat: The Art of the Whiskey Vessel, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Endless Variations: A Shino Extravaganza,
Wood Fire Invitational, St. Petersburg Clay, St. Petersburg, FL
Material Attraction: Diverse Reactions, The Jacoby Arts Center, Alton, IL
2012
Ben Bates Recent Works, St. Louis Community College Art Gallery, Forest Park, MO
Lawrence Arts Center’s Biennial Cups Exhibition, Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, KS
The Cup: 55 Artists, 250 Interpretations, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Three Cups: White, Green, Black, Durango Art Center, Durango, Co.
Worth Another Look, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
Let There Be Light, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Adler Art Exhibit, Adler Cultural Center, Libertyville, IL
CLC Art Faculty Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2011
The Watershed 25th Anniversary Benefit Exhibition, Gustin Gallery, Dartmouth, MA
TEA, McLean County Art Museum, Bloomington, IL
NCECA Virtual Cup Exhibition, S.O.F.A. Chicago and NCECA Website
For Tea, Dubhe Carreno Galley, Chicago, IL
Thrown Altered, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Dessert Plates, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
For the Flowers, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Adler Art Exhibit, Adler Cultural Center, Libertyville, IL
Teapots: An Invitational, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Members Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2010
Envisioning Natures, Brushwood Gallery, Ryerson Woods, Deerfield, IL
Illinois Clay, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Cup-o-rific, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
Recent Works, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL, Award of Merit
Bowl-ing, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
″Cup″: A National Invitational, The Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, KS
Lillstreet International: Bowl Me Over, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Burnt, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
Art of the Pot, Austin, TX
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Scholl Gallery Fine Art Show, Scholl Gallery of Art, North Chicago, IL
Members Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2009
CLC Art Faculty Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
National Teapot Invitational, Perkinson Art Gallery, Decatur, IL, Best of Show Award
Linearity, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Generations, LaPorte County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Michigan City, IN
Watershed Wood Fire Exhibition, Gustin Gallery, Dartmouth, MA
Members Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Dichotomy, Atrium Gallery at Ball State University, IN
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Beyond the Brickyard, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2008
Earthy and Opulent, Deer Path Art Gallery, Lake Forest, IL
Bottles, The Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, KS
Recent Works, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
Lillstreet International, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
Platters and Pourers, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
History in the Making III, Genesee Center for the Arts, Rochester, NY, Third Place Award
George Ohr National Challenge, Ohr - O′Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, MS
National Cup Show, Barrett Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, Honorable Mention Award
8th Annual National Juried Cup Show, Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH
American Studio Ceramics, Ball State University Museum, Muncie, IN
Ten Years from E’ville: Ben Bates and Ted Neal, Gallery 308, Muncie, IN.
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2007
Hand Held Drinking Vessels, Main Street Gallery, Edwardsville, IL
Recent Works, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL, Purchase Award and Award of Merit
History in the Making, Genesee Center for the Arts, Rochester, NY
90 Teapots (More or Less), Xen Gallery, Saint Louis, MO
Featured Artist: Ben Bates, Solo Show, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
National Juried/Invitational Ceramic Cup Show, Isadore Gallery, Lancaster, PA
7th Annual National Juried Cup Show, Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH
Divine Dirt, The Fine Line Art Center, St. Charles, IL, Award of Excellence
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Members Exhibition, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2006
Recent Works, Robert T. Wright Gallery of Art, Grayslake, IL
2005
Bowled Over, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Deer Path Art Festival, Lake Forest, IL
2004
Midwest Clay Exhibition, Midwest Clay Guild, Evanston, IL
Ben Bates at the Deer Path Art Gallery, Lake Forest, IL
2003
30 X 5: Contemporary Ceramics Collection, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Deer Path Art Festival, Lake Forest, IL Purchase Award
2002
33.32.02: A Retirement Exhibition of Select MFA Graduates: 1970–2002, New Wagner Gallery, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL (catalogue)
Contemporary Studio Ceramics, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
Biennial Ceramics Invitational, Parkland Art Gallery, Champaign, IL (catalogue)
Deer Path Art Festival, Lake Forest, IL
2001
Ben Bates at Deer Path Art Gallery, Lake Forest, IL
Earth and Fire, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
Deer Path Art Festival, Lake Forest, IL
Artists on the Bluff Exhibition, Lake Bluff, IL
2000
Strictly Functional, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA (catalogue), Award
Deer Path Art Festival, Lake Forest, IL
1999
NCECA Clay National, Columbus Cultural Art Center, Columbus, OH (catalogue)
Departures from the Midwest: KCAI Instructors and Alumni, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
Clay Cup VII, University Museum, SIU Carbondale, IL (poster)
1998
6th Annual Teapot Show, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO (poster)
Ben Bates: Recent Works, MFA Show, New Wagner Gallery, Edwardsville, IL
E’ville 12, Moraine Community College, Palos Hills, IL
COLLECTIONS
Public Collections
Perkinson Art Gallery, Decatur, IL
College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Ball State University Museum, Muncie, IN
Crab Tree Farm, Lake Bluff, IL
University Museum, SIUE, Edwardsville, IL
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
2015
Black Belt, Illinois Shotokan Karate, 10 years of training
1993
Teacher rank (Black Belt equivalent), Heping Xuexiao (Peace School) Chinese Martial Arts, 20 plus years of training in Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing – I Chuan, Pa Qua Chang, Eight Step Praying Mantis and Shui Chiao (Chinese Wrestling)