Artist: Josh DeWeese
I am inspired and challenged by the art of pottery and strive to make work that is successful on multiple levels. I want my pots to be well designed and comfortable to use; to be rich with ceramic wonder, and seductive to behold; and to have reference to history and the field of ceramic art to spark the imagination.
I’m drawn to the beauty and mystery of high temperature ceramics and the element of chance that occurs in atmospheric firings. Wood firing and salt/soda firing are processes where extreme surfaces can be achieved, in the subtle qualities of raw clays and the vibrant depths of a running glaze.
I have a passion for painting with ceramic materials. I enjoy the phenomenon of the melt and the element of gravity that enters the image through running glaze. The loss of control is important, blurring the lines made with the hand. The viscosity and movement of the glaze becomes an important element in the final image. I am interested in translating what I see in front of me, whatever it may be. Any view may serve as a still life to respond too. Many of the drawings are sketches of my studio or the view out the window. Images of pottery in my studio often dance across the forms I am glazing. The drawings often disappear among the layers of information that become the final surface, creating depth and a sense of curiosity.
Perhaps pottery’s greatest power lies in its association with the human body. The language of pottery is the language of the body, with necks and feet, bellies and shoulders, and lips to touch our lips. The intimate relationship that develops with use strengthens this association. A personality develops, and the pots become our friends. In this friendship they become reflections of our humanness, and help give meaning to our lives.
EDUCATION
1991 New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, New York. MFA
1985 Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri. BFA
1980-82 Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Present - Interim Director, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
Professor, Ceramics Department, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
2014- Associate Professor, Ceramics Department, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
2008-2014 Assistant Professor, Ceramics Department, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
1992-2006 Resident Director, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
SELECT AWARDS
2022 Montana Governor Arts Award, Montana Arts Council, Helena. MT
2020 Dean’s Excellence Award for Integration, College of Art and Architecture, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2019 Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences (HASS), Co-PI, Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2018 Scholarship & Creativity Grant, Office of the Vice President, Montana State University,
Bozeman, MT
2015 Sabbatical Award, Fall Semester, Office of the Vice President, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2013 Distinguished Faculty Member for the College of Arts and Architecture, MSU Alumni Foundation,
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2011 Meloy-Stevenson Award for Distinguished Service, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
SELECT EXHIBITIONS
2020 Josh DeWeese, solo exhibition, NCECA Pre-Conference, Workhouse Art Center, Lorton, VA
2019 45th Annual Pottery Show and Sale, The Art School at Old Church, Demerest, NJ
The Atoms of Our Frame, three-person exhibition w/ John Buck and Beth Lo, Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT
Making Space, two-person exhibition w/ Linda Sikora, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR
Artstream Tour, invitational, NCECA Minneapolis, MN
2018 St Croix River Valley Pottery Tour, invitational, Jeff Oestreich Studio, Taylor Falls, MN
2017 A Culture of Pots: The 25th Anniversary of the St Croix Valley Pottery Tour, Weisman Art Museum,University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
2016 International Wood Fired Ceramics, invitational, Schaller Gallery, St Joseph, MI
Coast to Coast: A Survey of American and Canadian Ceramics, invitational, Brancoveanu Palace Cultural Center, Bucharest, Romania
James Todd/Josh DeWeese/Megan Moore, three person invitational, Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT
Josh DeWeese, solo exhibition, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR
Time in Japan, sabbatical exhibition, Dean’s Gallery, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2015 Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics, juried, Zanesville Museum of Art, Zanesville, OH
Josh DeWeese: New Studio-New Work, solo exhibition, Tart, Emerson Cultural Center, Bozeman, MT
Josh DeWeese, Julia Galloway, Betty Woodman, invitational, Harvey Meadows gallery, Aspen, CO
2015 Montana Triennial, juried, Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT
2014 Josh DeWeese & Chris Autio, 2-person exhibition, Turman Larison Contemporary, Helena, MT
SOFA Exposition, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
2013 SOFA Exposition, Mindy Solomon Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
GCIB International Committee Group Exhibition, invitational, Gallery Pfo, Busan, South Korea
Josh DeWeese: A Point in Time, solo exhibition, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls, MT
Josh DeWeese, solo exhibition, Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
SELECTED WORKSHOPS/LECTURES/VISITING ARTIST PRESENTATIONS
2023 Fluid Forms: Gestural Wheel Thrown Ceramics, two-week workshop, Gaya Ceramic Art Center, Bali
2019 Pottery: Expressive Forms and Surfaces, Anderson Ranch Art Center Destination Workshop in Jamaica with Doug Casebeer and David Pinto, Good Hope, Jamaica
Clay Conversation: Wild Clay Research Project, group leader w/ Matt Levy, Tony Hartshorn, and Sara Wittmeyer, NCECA Conference, Minneapolis, MN
2018 Cultural Confluence International Wood Fire Symposium, Keynote Address, Helena, MT
2017 The Art of Pottery, 1 week hands-on workshop, Series, Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta, CANADA
2016 International Wood Fire Conference, panelist, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
Florida Heat, 8 day wood firing and demo workshop with John Balestreri, Chris Guston, and Matt Long Morean Art Center, St. Petersburg, FL
2015 Visiting Artist Lecture, Nakhon Ratchasima University, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Visiting Artist Demo & Lecture, Tainan University of the Arts, Tainan, Taiwan
Archie Bray Foundation, Symposium Lecture, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan
Artist in Residency, one month, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan
Practice and Play: the art of pottery, two-week workshop, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass, CO
2014 The Character of a Pot, 5 day workshop, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg TN
2013 Michigan Mud, keynote speaker and demonstrator, Michigan Ceramic Art Association, Delta College, Saginaw, MI
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
2018 Fluid Forms-Creating Movement and Expression On the Wheel, instructional video, Ceramic Arts Network, American Ceramic Society, Columbus, OH
2017 Modern Art for Everyday Life, Cory Walsh, Montana Magazine, January/February, Pgs 22-29
2016 Josh DeWeese: Pottery as Framework, Nicole M. Curcio, Ceramics Monthly, October, Pgs 30-35
SELECT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2017 Juror, McKnight Fellowships, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2016 Juror, Beyond the Brickyard, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2015 Juror, Ceramic Color: The Endless Pursuit, Clay National X, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, IL
2013 Juror, Emerging Artist, 2014 NCECA, Milwaukee, WI
2012-present Board Member, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
2010-2013 Committee Member, Juror, GICBiennale International Committee of Korea Ceramic Foundation, Gwangu, South Korea
SELECT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Icheon Museum of Ceramic Art, Icheon, South Korea
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan UT
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Schein Joseph Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan