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
2020-2026- Director, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
2020- Professor, Ceramics Department, Montana State University School of Art, Bozeman, MT
1992-2006 Resident Director, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
SELECT AWARDS
2026-27- Sabbatical Award, Office of the Provost, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
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
-Scholarship & Creativity Grant, Office of the Vice President, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
-Student Organization Advisor of the Year, 96th Annual Day of Student Recognition, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2016- Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences (HASS), Co-PI, Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Development, 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
2025 Josh DeWeese: Blurring the Line, solo exhibition, Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT
Josh DeWeese: Solo Exhibition, CLAYAKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Formation Under the Big Sky, Montana State University Ceramics Exhibit, NCECA, Salt Lake City, UT
2024 Old Friends-New Work, two-person exhibition w/ Chris Autio, Aunt Dofe’s Gsllery, Willow Creek, MT
2023 Sky Above/Earth Below, two-person exhibition w/ Dale Livezey, Radius Gallery, Missoula. MT
Artstream Tour, NCECA, Cincinnati, OH
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
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
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
SELECT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
American Museum of Ceramics, Pomona, CA
Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
Arizona State University Ceramic Research Center, Tempe, AZ
Copia/The American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts, Napa, CA
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
The Dinnerware Museum, Ann Arbor, MI
Grazia Ceramic Factory Museum, Deruta, Italy
Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Icheon Museum of Ceramic Art, Icheon, South Korea
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Mansfield Center, Washington, DC
Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT
Montana Museum of Art and Culture, Missoula, MT
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
3-M Corporate Collection, Minneapolis, MN
Weisman Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT