Artist: John Utgaard
John Utgaard, KENTUCKY
Bio
John Utgaard grew up in Carbondale, Illinois and initially became interested in Ceramics while in high school. In the summers his father taught field geology near Red Lodge, Montana, and from an early age John was influenced by the
scope and solitude of mountains. He is an alumni of Alfred University where he received his MFA in 1999. John has been a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation, the Northern Clay Center, and the Red Lodge Clay Center, and has been honored by NCECA as an emerging artist and a demonstrator. John currently teaches at Murray State University. His artwork includes both pottery and sculpture. Recent exhibitions featuring John’s work include a 2020 solo show, Mind-Matter at the McGlothlin Center for the Arts in Emory, Virginia, and Pattern: Transmit, Impart, Convey at Schaller Gallery in Baroda, Michigan in 2021.
Artist’s Statement
When I was growing up, my family had a way of holding on to broken pots, tools and utensils that went beyond mere thrift. There was an unspoken sense that the wares of our everyday lives had a significance to them, that damage and wear didn’t necessarily detract from an object, and that the improvised solution (of say, a particular plate as the replacement lid for a saucepan) was a good solution. I remember in particular the chipped ironstone platter whose glaze was crazed and deeply stained from serving decades of bloody roasts. I hope my work has some sense of this spirit in it.
I want my pots to fit into their users’ lives with a sense of humility and ease of use, but also with mystery, wonder, humor, and serendipity, like a three-legged cat that follows you home and unexpectedly becomes a member of your family.
Professional Experience
2004—present Murray State University, Murray, KY
Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Dept. of Art & Design
2002-2004 The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA Senior Lecturer, School of Visual Arts
2000-2002 Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Artist in Residence, Technician, Instructor of community classes
1999-2000 The University of Texas at Austin
Lecturer, Department of Art
Education
1992-1994,
1996Student, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, IL 1999 MFA, NYSCC at Alfred University, School of Art and Design, Alfred, NY 1996 BFA, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Honors and Awards
2018 Short-Term Artist’s Residency
Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2008 CHFA Distinguished Researcher Award
College of Humanities and Fine Arts, Murray State University, Murray, KY
2007 Demonstrator, NCECA 07 Louisville
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
2007 McKnight Fellowship and Residency for Ceramic Artists Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2003 Emerging Artist
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, San Diego Conference
2001 Lilian Fellowship
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts
Exhibitions
2021 Little Wonders in the Palm of your Hand
National invitational group exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2021 Pattern: Impart, Transmit, Convey
National invitational group exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2021 Layers of Being
Regional invitational group exhibition, Bill Ford Gallery, Paducah School of Art & Design, Paducah, KY
Juror: Anne Beyer
2020 The Plate Show III
National invitational group exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2020 John Utgaard: Mind-Matter
Solo exhibition, McGlothlin Center for the Arts, Emory & Henry College, Emory, VA
2020 Design & Pattern
National invitational group exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2019 27th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National
National juried group exhibition, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA
Juror: Malcolm Mobutu Smith
2018 26th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National
National juried group exhibition, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA
Juror: Ben Carter
2018 Plates, Platters, Nothing Else Matters
National juried group exhibition, Long Beach Island Foundation, Loveladies, NJ
Juror: Roberto Lugo
2018 6th Annual Central Time Ceramics
Regional juried group exhibition, Heuser Art Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
Juror: Gail Kendall
Purchase Award
2017 Bolster: a benefit to support CERF+
National juried invitational to support the Craft Emergency Relief Fund
Schaller Gallery, St Joseph, MI
Curator: Anthony Schaller
2017 Kentucky Clay
Regional group invitational, the Living Arts & Science Center, Lexington, KY
Curators: Hunter Stamps, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky
Amelia Stamps, Professional potter
2017 Beyond the Brickyard
National juried group exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Juror: Josh Deweese, Associate Professor of Art, Montana State University Bozeman
2016 CraftForms 2016
National juried group exhibition, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA
Juror: Stefano Catalani, Executive Director of the Gage Academy of Art
Award of Merit
2016 65th Anniversary Benefit Auction and Brickyard Bash
National group invitational, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
2015 Vivid Dreams: Work by John Utgaard
Solo exhibition in conjunction with Potter’s Council Conference Ceramic Boundaries Opened, Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mt Vernon, IL
2015 2015 Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition National juried group exhibition in association with a conference of Potter’s Council,
Zanesville Museum of Art, Zanesville, OH
Jurors: Garth Johnson, Julia Galloway, Doug Jeck
Honorable Mention
2015 NCECA 2015 Biennial
International juried exhibition, David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University, Providence, RI Jurors: Linda Christianson, Jo Ann Conklin, Anders Ruhwald
2015 Beyond the Brickyard
National juried group exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Juror: Mark Hewitt
2014 The State of Clay
Regional invitational group exhibition, ArtsPlace, Lexington, KY
Juror: Joe Molinaro
2014 2014 Zanesville Prize For Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition National juried group exhibition in association with a conference of Potter’s Council,
Seilers’ Studio & Gallery, Zanesville, OH
Jurors: Sherman Hall, Brad Schweiger, Angelica Pozo
2014 The Clay Studio National
National juried group exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Juror: Garth Johnson
2013 Beyond the Brickyard
National juried group exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Juror: Andrea Gill
Juror’s Award
2012 Sculpt EVV 2012
National juried group exhibition of outdoor sculpture, Sculpt EVV, Evansville, IN
Juror: Marilu Knode, Executive Director, Laumeier Sculpture Park
2012 PSA National Ceramics Invitational
National invitational group exhibition, Clemens Fine Art Center Gallery, Paducah, KY
Curator: John Hasegawa
2012 Ceramic Artists of Kentucky
Regional invitational group exhibition, the Clay Place at Standard Ceramics, Pittsburgh, PA Curator: Joe Molinaro
2011 Beyond the Brickyard
National juried group exhibition, The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Juror: Paul Mathieu
Director’s Award
2011 Visual Territory
National juried group exhibition, Pittsburg State University Art Gallery, Pittsburg, KS
Juror: Sherry Leedy
Mission Clay Purchase Prize
2011 Carillon
Local solo exhibition, Murray State University, Murray, KY
2011 Two by Two
National juried group exhibition, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA
Juror: Rain Harris
2011 Some Like it HOT! Silent Auction
National invitational group exhibition and benefit auction, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2011 From the Center to the Edge Live Auction
National invitational group exhibition and benefit auction, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2010 Bricks and Mortar
National Invitational group exhibition, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2009 There and Not There
Solo exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2009 Ab.strac.tion
Invitational group exhibition, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2008 Six McKnight Artists
Juried group exhibition of McKnight fellowship recipients, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2008 The Archie Bray Foundation: Present and Past Residents Invitational group exhibition, The Galaxie, Chicago, IL
2007 John Utgaard: Featured Artist
Solo exhibition, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2007 NCECA Clay National
National juried exhibition in conjunction with NCECA, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
2007 Resident Artist Scholarship Benefit Auction
National invitational exhibition and auction to benefit the Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2007 2007 Invitational
Heike Pickett Gallery, Versailles, KY
2007 Unadorned
National invitational exhibition, Santa Fe Clay, NM
2007 Best of Kentucky Clay
Regional juried exhibition in conjunction with NCECA, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
2007 Kentucky Faculty Exhibition
Regional invitational in conjunction with NCECA, Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville, KY
2007 Two By Two
National juried exhibition of small sculpture, Eastern Washington University Gallery of Art, Cheney, WA
Juror’s Award—Best in Show
2006 Mastery In Clay
Invitational group exhibition and benefit auction, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2006 Archie Bray International
Invitational group exhibition and benefit auction for the Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2006 Ceram-a-rama
Invitational group exhibition and benefit auction for the ASU Art Museum, Nelson Fine Arts Center, Tempe, AZ
Minimal/ist
2006
Invitational group exhibition in conjunction with NCECA, Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA
2005 School’s out
Invitational group exhibition in conjunction with NCECA, Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville, Baltimore, MD
2005 NCECA Clay National
Juried group exhibition, Center for Art and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore
2004 Benchmark
Invitational group exhibition, The Longhouse Reserve, East Hampton, NY
2004 The Clay Studio 30th. Anniversary Exhibition Auction Invitational group exhibition and benefit auction, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2003 John Utgaard
Solo exhibition, Garth Clark Gallery L.I.C, Long Island City, NY
2003 Facets of Clay
Invitational group exhibition, Macalester College Art Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2003 Impending Lineage
Invitational group exhibition, Arts and Industry Gallery, San Diego, CA
2002 Mastery In Clay
Invitational group exhibition and benefit auction, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2002 New Talent/New Work
Invitational, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2002 Lilian Fellowship Exhibition
Solo exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2002 34th Annual Art Auction
Invitational group exhibition, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
2001 Gallery Group +
Invitational group exhibition, Helen Drutt Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2001 In the Spirit of sharing
Group exhibition curated by regional collectors, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT
2001 Viewpoint: Ceramics 2001
Juried national exhibition, Grossmont College, El Cajon, CA
2000 Clay on the Cusp
Juried national exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2000 Ceramic International
Juried international exhibition, Zanesville Arts Center, Zanesville, OH