Artist: Dryden Wells

Dryden Wells, MISSOURI
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In one-off items, sculpture and production work, I am captivated by the union of craft, problem solving, ingenuity and creation when working with clay. While ideas associated with oppositions and dichotomies has and continues to be a driving force in my work, I find that the subtleties and surprises of the creative process have the most influence. Both in my thrown forms and sculpture, I am interested in the act of construction, deconstruction, reconstruction. I believe that it is this process of making that creates an understanding of the object and resulting evolution of the artwork.

EDUCATION

2008 MFA in Ceramics / Secondary in Sculpture, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX.

2004 BFA in Ceramics, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO BSED Art Education-Comprehensive (K-12), Missouri State University, Springfield, MO

COURSES TAUGHT

• Introduction to Handbuilding
• Introduction to Wheel Throwing
• Advanced Wheel Throwing
• Material Studies - Clay & Glaze Formulation
• Mold Making
• Atmospheric Kiln Firing - Raku, Pit, Soda & Wood Firing
• Introduction to 3D Design

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Deputy Director - The Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, ( Oct. 2017 - Oct. 2018 ) Jingdezhen, China. (Co-Director of four departments; an International Artist Residency program, an Education Center, a Cafe, and Gallery program. Oversight is specific to the administration and programming of the PWS Education Center. The position required; creating and arranging the schedule of monthly domestic class programming, special topics course exchanges with international visiting artists, instructing advanced classes, and arranging and coordinating the schedules / curriculums of both international group residencies and study abroad programs.

Instructor, ( 2016 - 2017 ) The University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida. Head of Ceramics department, responsible for curriculum, budget, maintenance of equipment / facilities and ordering materials. Taught Beginning Ceramics (2 sessions per term); Sculptural Ceramics; Wheel-Throwing; and Personal Directions. Head of Ceramics department and studio technicians. Created and implemented a public campus project and served as a committee member for the Art Department.

Instructor & Resident Artist - The Pottery Workshop, Shanghai, ( 2012-2015 ) Shanghai, China. Responsibilities include the weekly teaching of two ongoing adult ceramics classes; development of curriculum; production of porcelain soda-fired works for PWS Galleries located in Shanghai, Beijing, Jingdezhen and Hong Kong.

Instructor, ( Fall 2011 & Spring 2012 ) Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts - Fudan (SIVA), Shanghai, China. Fall Semester 21 Students / Spring Semester 25 Students (Taught in Mandarin Chinese). Handbuilding based curriculum.

Instructor, ( Aug. 2011 - May 2012 ) Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri. Taught Ceramics 1; Ceramics 2; Ceramics 3; and an advanced level course that covered kiln firing instruction, glaze making and mold-making.

Design Studio Manager - The Pottery Workshop, ( June 2008 - August 2011 ) Jingdezhen, China. Responsibilities include overseeing/managing the development and maintenance of facilities, production and design; Working directly with domestic and international clients to create and produce specific products in limited editions; producing and supplying wares for sales in the Jingdezhen, Shanghai (2), and Beijing PWS Galleries.

Art Educator, ( 2004-2005 ) Keysor Elementary, Kirkwood R-7 School District, Kirkwood, Missouri. Was the sole instructor and creator of an art curriculum for four hundred and thirty students, kindergarten through fifth grade; created budget and ordered materials.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2018

• Stratum: Ian Thomas, Andrea Moon, Dryden Wells, Wesley Harvey, NCECA exhibition, Artist Image Resource, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2017

• New Works by Andrea L. Moon & Dryden Wells, The Kiln Studio and Gallery, Fairhope, Al. April 7th-30th
• Contemporary Ceramics 2017, Curated by Brad Schwieger; The Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, OH, September 23rd- November 25th
• State of the Art 2018 National Biennial Invitational, Giertz Gallery, Parkland College, Champaign, IL. Curated by Bill Griffith, November 13th, 2017 - February 3rd, 2018

2016

• Generations, (NCECA) Conference “Makers, Mentors and Milestones,” Filipino Cultural Center, Kansas City, Missouri. March 13th- 19th

2015

• Post China: A Ceramic Journey, College of the Redwoods Creative Arts Gallery, Eureka, California. March 1st-27th
• 1,000 Cups IV, KuaiYi Space, Hangzhou, China, December 25, 2015 - January 10th, 2016, KuaiYi Space, Hangzhou, China
• Left back & Right back Contemporary Ceramic Art Exhibition, Curated by Yan Ze Jiang, Nanjing Shang Yuan Gallery, Nanjing, China, November 1-30

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

2017 CAST: Art and Objects Made Using Humanity’s Most Transformational Process, by Jen Townsend & Renée Zettle-Sterling, ISBN: 9780764353383;2 Images, “What Gets Kept” pg 210; “Stack 8” pg 222.

2014 China Ceramics Illustrated, One of ten artists included in the feature article, An Interview About Shanghai Ceramics, “Traditional and Modern Culture of Shanghai November, Issue 11, pages 38-43, 9 images