Artist: Branan Mercer
Branan Mercer, ALABAMA
View Artist's Products
“For three years I have concentrated on one form and have found great satisfaction in the subtle changes that occur to a body of work over such a long period of focus. The form, surface, color and process may all seem the same, but for me every cup presents a new line, a better balance or the possibility to use a different technique. It is the seemingly unnoticed changes that keep me interested in the studio and driven to create the best version of this cup that I possibly can.”
Branan Mercer began working with clay as an undergraduate at Auburn University. After receiving his BFA in ceramics in 2008, he travelled to St. Petersburg, Florida to work as an artist in residence at The Craftsman House Gallery. From there he moved to Fairhope, Alabama where he spent four years as Studio Manager and Pottery Instructor at The Kiln Studio and Gallery. Currently he resides in Birmingham, Alabama where his studio efforts are focused on creating well crafted functional ceramic works. His work has been exhibited across the United States and Europe and resides in the private collections of Mayor Sakura in Ichihara, Japan and several notable teabowl collections in Canada, England, France and Germany.
EDUCATION
2008 BFA Ceramics, Auburn University
2009-2011 Resident Artist, Craftsman House Gallery, St. Petersburg FL
TEACHING/ PROFESSIONAL
Guest Artist and Instructor, Creative Clay, St. Petersburg FL
Studio Manager and Pottery Instructor, The Kiln Studio, Fairhope AL
Workshop, The Power of Subtlety, The Kiln Studio, Fairhope AL
GALLERY AFFILIATIONS
Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
The Kiln Studio and Gallery, Fairhope AL
The Nevica Project, Chicago IL
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Plinth Gallery, Denver CO
Red Dot Gallery, Birmingham AL
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Office of Mayor Sakuma, Ichihara Japan
Margaret Pennington Collection, Florida
Katheryn Howd Collection, Florida
Thomas Talucci Collection, Bali and Florida
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
2016
Alabama State Council on the Arts, Individual Artist Fellowship recipient
CFile, 15 Potters to Watch in 2016
2015
BMetro, Studio
CFile, Studio Pottery
EXHIBITIONS
2017 Cup The Intimate Object XIII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
2016
Clay on The Hill, Springhill College, Mobile AL
November Featured Artist, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
Teabowl 2016, Oxford Ceramics Gallery, Oxford UK
Cup The Intimate Object XII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
Designed and Crafted, Signature Shop, Atlanta GA
Pop Up Shop, CFile, cfileonline.org
2015 Cup The Intimate Object XI, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
2014
The Art and Design of Mardi Gras, The Museum Store, Mobile AL
Whiskey Flights and Pairings, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Student, Alumni & Faculty Exhibition, Fieldwork Projects, Auburn AL
Small Favors IX, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Biennial Cup Show, Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg FL
Alabama: Year of the Pot, Alabama Power Gallery, Birmingham AL
Alabama Clay Market, Christopher House Antiques, Birmingham AL
The Power of Subtlety, The Kiln Studio and Gallery, Fairhope AL
2013
Variable Vessels, Coburn Gallery, Ashland University, Ashland OH
Shared Expressions, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile AL
Bluegrass Bourbon, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville KY
Alabama Clay Market, Christopher House Antiques, Birmingham AL
Functional Works in Porcelain, University of Mobile, Mobile AL
2012
Alabama Clay Market, Art Folk Gallery, Birmingham AL
Bourbon Bash, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville KY
Porcelain, The Kiln Studio and Gallery, Fairhope AL
2011
The New Addition, The Kiln Studio and Gallery, Fairhope AL
Traditions of Functional Pottery, The Craftsman House, St. Petersburg FL