Artist: Matt Schiemann
Matt Schiemann, NORTH CAROLINA
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Being a second-generation potter, my rural home was alive with handmade objects. This influenced both my growth as a person and as an artist. I envision my pottery in people’s homes, filling their cabinets, displayed out on dining room tables, and laying used and enjoyed at the bottom of a sink. The home represents a place for family and friends to gather and enjoy each other’s company. I want my pots to be a part of the conversations and stories that are shared during times of celebration as well as day to day happenings.
Landscape also plays a large role in my pottery. During my childhood and into my adult life, my free time was spent lazily strolling down a country road and camping in the forests of local state parks. The hills, mountains and rivers that I interact with when I am hiking or camping are the reference points for the forms of my pottery. I currently live on the gulf coast of Florida. This too has had a massive affect on my work. Soft waves, beach textures and dunes have all played a role in striving for a quiet sense of color and texture on my pots.
It is the atmospheric kilns that I find most appropriate for creating the surfaces of my pots. It is important that the pots catch the flame and force it to flow through the crevices and around the body of the pot. I want my pots to catch the flame and be scarred by its’ movement. I imagine the flame moving through the kiln in much of the same manner a river would flow through a valley. I try to recreate the same feelings and emotions that I receive in nature and relive them in my work. My pottery allows me to experience personal memories and express emotions while still allowing the viewer to be able to relate to the forms and functions of the pieces.
EDUCATION
August 2009
Masters of Fine Arts, Southern Illinois University; Carbondale, IL, Concentration in Ceramics
May 2005
Bachelors of Arts in Studio Art, Ashland University; Ashland, OH, Concentration in Ceramics and Sculpture
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
St. Petersburg Clay Company; St. Petersburg, FL
August 2009– Present
November 2010 – Present
Owner and Director
August 2009 – November 2010
Resident Artist
Southern Illinois University; Carbondale, IL
August 2006 – August 2009
Studio Technician
August 2006 – August 2009
Craft Shop Manager
May 2007 – August 2007
Teaching Experience
St. Petersburg College; Clearwater, Fl
Adjunct Professor: 2D Design
August 2013 – Present
Eckerd College Program for Experienced Learners; Saint Petersburg, FL
Adjunct Professor:
Wheel Throwing II
Clay and Glaze Chemistry
Independent Study Courses
BFA Thesis Committee Member
January 2010 - Present
Morean Arts Center; St. Petersburg, FL
Ceramics Instructor
January 2010 – Present
Southern Illinois University; Carbondale, IL
August 2006 – May 2009
Wheel Throwing Instructor of Record: Intermediate Ceramics and Wheel Throwing
August 2008 – May 2009
Industrial Design Graduate and Teaching Assistant
Basic Materials and Processes
August 2006 – May 2009
Craft Shop Instructor
May 2007 – August 2007
WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES
2013
Ashland University; Ashland, OH
Variable Vessels
Curated a show highlighting the potential for the vessel form in contemporary ceramics. In conjunction with the show, offered a workshop focused on wheel-throwing, altering forms and designing clay pieces that are relevant in the current context of ceramic art.
2010
Morean Arts Center for Clay; St. Petersburg, FL
Lecture, Understanding Atmospheric Firing
Facilitated a discussion focused on the specific atmospheric firing process of a wood kiln. Offered guidance on the theory behind choosing atmospheric firing, the historical context and importance of wood kilns and the overall aesthetic process a 3D artist must navigate.
2010
Workshop, Hands On with Wood Kilns
Implemented and instructed a 3 day workshop, as a follow-up to the lecture course on atmospheric firing, which provided public ceramic students and opportunity to fire a train style wood kiln.
2010
Ashland University; Ashland, OH
Workshop, Altered Forms
Instructed an interactive wheel throwing workshop focused on altering forms thrown on the wheel. Provided guidance to students as they attempted to recreate the techniques learned during the demonstration.
2010
St. Petersburg Clay Company; Saint Petersburg, FL
Lecture, Glaze Calculation and Application
Provided a lecture that instructed community artists how to create, make, and apply their own high fire glazes and provided them with troubleshooting techniques for glaze problems. Offered guidance on aesthetic choices, chemical functionality and safety, and storage tips.
EXHIBITIONS
2013
“Functional/Dysfunctional” Morean Arts Center for Clay: St Petersburg, FL
2012
“Odyssey Exchange” Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts: Asheville, NC
“44,150,400 seconds later” St. Petersburg Clay Company: St. Petersburg, FL
“Tea: A Ceramics Exhibition” The Art League: Alexandria, VA
“4th Annual Cup Show” Gulfcoast Community College: Panama City, FL
“Kentucky Bluegrass Bourbon Show” Louisville Potter’s Guild: Louisville KY
“Pitcher Invitational” The Kiln Studio and Gallery: Fairhope, AL
2011
“NCECA at Eckerd College” NCECA: Eckerd College: St. Petersburg, FL
“Local Color” Morean Arts Center: St. Petersburg, FL
2010
“Featured Artist” Solo Show Morean Arts Center: St. Petersburg, FL
“It’s All Relative” Mansfield Arts Center: Mansfield, OH
“Functional Relationships” Mississippi University for Women: Columbus, MS
2009
“AIR Supply Show” Tim Salem Gallery: St. Petersburg, FL
“Everything but the Kitchen Cupboard,” Solo Show MFA Thesis: Carbondale, IL
“The Sixth Annual Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition”, The Clay Studio: Philadephia, PA
2008
“Annual Teapot Invitational” Dekalb, IL
“Clay Cup Show”, Gulf Coast Community College: Panama City, FL
“Spaceship Earth”, Hutchins Gallery: Long Island, NJ
“MFA Preview Show”, University Museum: Carbondale, IL
“Syzergy”, The Glove Factory: Carbondale, IL
“Ceramics Exhibition”, The Glove Factory: Carbondale, IL
“All Ohio Art Exhibition”, Coburn Art Gallery: Ashland, OH
“5th Annual Juried Show”, Mansfield Arts center: Mansfield, OH
“Art Over Easy”, The Glove Factory: Carbondale, IL
2007
“Emerging Excellence”, NCECA Mellwood Arts Center: Louisville, KY
“A Time to Come”, The Glove Factory, Carbondale, IL
“4th Annual Juried Art Show,” Mansfield Arts Center: Mansfield, OH
“All Ohio Art Exhibition”, The Coburn Art Gallery, Ashland, OH
2006
“Ohio Regional Show”, The Coburn Art Gallery, Ashland, OH
2005
“Student Juried Exhibition”, The Coburn Art Gallery, Ashland OH
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Houston Center for Craft: Houston, TX
The Kiln Studio and Gallery: Fairhope, AL
Florida Craftsmen: St. Petersurg, FL
St. Petersburg Clay Company: St. Petersburg, FL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Honorable Mention, “For the Love of Clay”, St. Petersburg, FL
2012
Featured Artist, Morean Arts Center for Clay, St. Petersburg, FL
2010
Full-Tuition Scholarship with Teaching Assistantship, SIUC, Carbondale, IL
2006-2009
Honorable Mention, “Annual Teapot Invitational”, Dekalb, IL
2008
Travel Grant to attend the NCECA annual conference
2008
Exhibition Grant to present work at the NCECA annual conference
2007
Best in Ceramics Award, Coburn Art Gallery, Ashland University
2005
Provost Purchase Award, Coburn Art Gallery, Ashland University
2005
MEMBERSHIPS
St. Petersburg Downtown Arts Association, Member, St. Petersburg, FL
2011 - Present
The Florida Potters Guild, Member, St. Petersburg, FL
2010 - Present
Morean Arts Center, Member, St. Petersburg, FL
2009 - Present
Florida Craftsman, Member, St. Petersburg, FL
2009 - Present
NCECA, Member
2005 - Present
Southern Illinois Clay Works, President, Southern Illinois University
2007 - 2009
Southern Illinois Clay Works, Treasurer, Southern Illinois University
2006 - 2007