Artist: Melanie Sherman
Melanie Sherman, MISSOURI
View Artist's Products
My work references exclusive and precious porcelain wares from 18th-century Europe. In my designs I try to capture the qualities for which porcelain has been known since its discovery in China: whiteness, translucency, and resonance. I am attracted to the enameled and lustered surfaces of the Baroque, Renaissance and Rococo porcelain designs, as well as to elaborations on structural elements of these time periods. I am investigating surface decorations and embellished shapes in order to gain more knowledge for my own studio practice. I am interested in incorporating and referencing historic drawings, motives, and patterns into my work. I am using general shapes, often mass-produced objects, such as tableware and vases; some I designed and produced during my time in China, others are available for purchase all over Jingdezhen. These forms are generic and serve their purpose well as a canvas for further research, inspiration, and my future delivery of surface decoration.
Studying the history of ceramics I have been captivated by the relationship between East and West, and how they continue to influence each other, especially through the ceramic arts. Although there might be considerable differences between the two civilizations, the cultural exchange between them is an important connector of history and has produced a long and rich exchange of ideas between artists and makers. Asian craft traditions have been handed down to the West and the handmade aspect, even within the factory setting, is still an important concept that allows for control of design and quality by the artist, which is essential within craft of the West.
EDUCATION
2014 Bachelors in Fine Arts, Ceramics, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri *Valedictorian GPA: 3.9
2011 Professional Technical Communications, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 SCHEMA: A Journey Through Traditional Patterns and Imagery, Belger Crane Yard Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Transposed Concepts, Goodwin Fine Art, Denver, Colorado
EXHIBITIONS
2018 modus operandi, Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts, Cottey College, Nevada, Missouri
2017 Bray Days, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
2016 Resident Artists, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon
2016 Archie Bray at the Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, Spokane, Washington
Designed + Crafted 2016, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center & Signature Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Recent Acquisitions to the Archie Bray Permanent Collection, North Gallery, The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Resident Artist Exhibition 2016, Warehouse Gallery, The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Summer Invitational 2016, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
Every Semester, Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Go for Baroque: Opulence and Excess in Contemporary Art, Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
György’s Life Changing Hungarian Adventure: Special Artists Use a Special Material at ICS, The Drugstore, Kansas City, Missouri
Home Base, Belger Crane Yard Studios, Kansas City, Missouri
International Orton Cone Box Show, Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Pop-Up Gallery, Cerbera Gallery & The Nevica Project, Kansas City, Missouri
Red – HotShop, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Sexy Pots, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2015 Decalcomania, Reese Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri
Emerging Clay: Kansas City, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR
LÉNYEG | ESSENCE, Kápolna Galéria, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét, Hungary
2014 2014 KCAI Annual BFA Exhibition, H&R Block Artspace, Kansas City, Missouri
Add|Mix, , Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
HotShop, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition, Milwaukee School of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WI
Nebraska National Collegiate Juried Art Exhibition, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Spoon Me, Medalta's International Spoon Show, Medalta, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
2013 Earth Moves: Shifts in Ceramic Art and Design, National Exhibition, NCECA and Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada, Colorado
Hot Box, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Köszönöm Szépen, Visiting Artist Exhibition, Kápolna Galéria, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét, Hungary
Medalta International Cup Show, Medalta, Yuill Family Gallery, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Objectivity, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
2012 EXPO No 82, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Flux, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
International Cup 2012, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, Montana
The Cup: 50 Artists, 250 Interpretations, ARTcetera, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
2011 30th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
2010 2010 Skyway Juried Art Exhibition, Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, Oakton Community College, Oakton, Illinois
29th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
2009 Members Exhibition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
28th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
Small Group Exhibitions
2018 Reinventing the Classics – Modern Functional Ceramics Based on Historic Styles, with Blair Clemo and Mike Stumbras, In Tandem Gallery, Bakersville, North Carolina
Group Exhibitions
2019 Handmade for your Valentine, Clay Akar, Iowa City, Iowa
2018 Holiday BLING, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
2018 Invitational Americano, Clay Akar, Iowa City, Iowa
One-Night-Stand, Kansas City Artist Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri
The Image & the Vessel – a Survey of Contemporary Pottery, Lawrence Art Center, Lawrence, Kansas
Cup: The Intimate Object XIV, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, Florida
15th Annual Ceramics Invitational, Abel Contemporary Gallery in Paoli, Wisconsin
Bling, Plough Gallery, Tifton, GeorgiaLa Mesa “Garden Party”, Sant Fe Clay, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2018 KC Flatfile & Digitalfile, H&R Block Artspace, Kansas City, Missouri
The Functional Canvas III, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, Florida
12th Annual Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City, Iowa
2017 The Belger Holiday Book, Belger Craneyard Studios, Kansas City, Missouri
Elsewhere, KCAI Crossroads Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
2017 Invitational Americano, Clay Akar, Iowa City, Iowa
Cup: The Intimate Object XIII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
DISH, Medalta, Yulli Gallery, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
The Juried National IV, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
Progressional Currents, Kansas City Artist Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri
The Functional Canvas II, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
11th Annual Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City, Iowa
Bray Days, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
2016 Resident Artists, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon
2016 Archie Bray at the Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, Kolva-Sullivan Gallery, Spokane, Washington
Designed + Crafted 2016, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center & Signature Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Recent Acquisitions to the Archie Bray Permanent Collection, North Gallery, The Archie Bray Foundation,
Helena, Montana
Resident Artist Exhibition 2016, Warehouse Gallery, The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Summer Invitational 2016, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
Every Semester, Belger Arts Center, Kansas City, Missouri
Go for Baroque: Opulence and Excess in Contemporary Art, Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
György’s Life Changing Hungarian Adventure: Special Artists Use a Special Material at ICS, The Drugstore,
Kansas City, Missouri
Home Base, Belger Crane Yard Studios, Kansas City, Missouri
International Orton Cone Box Show, Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Pop-Up Gallery, Cerbera Gallery & The Nevica Project, Kansas City, Missouri
Red – HotShop, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
Sexy Pots, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2015 Decalcomania, Reese Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri
Emerging Clay: Kansas City, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR
LÉNYEG | ESSENCE, Kápolna Galéria, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét, Hungary
2014 2014 KCAI Annual BFA Exhibition, H&R Block Artspace, Kansas City, Missouri
Add|Mix, , Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
HotShop, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition, Milwaukee School of Art and Design, Milwaukee, WI
Nebraska National Collegiate Juried Art Exhibition, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Spoon Me, Medalta's International Spoon Show, Medalta, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
2013 Earth Moves: Shifts in Ceramic Art and Design, National Exhibition, NCECA and Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada, Colorado
Hot Box, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Köszönöm Szépen, Visiting Artist Exhibition, Kápolna Galéria, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét,Hungary
Medalta International Cup Show, Medalta, Yuill Family Gallery, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Objectivity, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
2012 EXPO No 82, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Flux, Juried Ceramic Exhibition, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
International Cup 2012, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, Montana
The Cup: 50 Artists, 250 Interpretations, ARTcetera, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
2011 30th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of LakeCounty, Grayslake, Illinois
2010 2010 Skyway Juried Art Exhibition, Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, Oakton Community College,Oakton, Illinois
29th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
2009 Members Exhibition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
28th Annual Student Arts Competition, The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art, College of
Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
HONORS | REWARDS
2016 Windgate Charitable Foundation Scholarship, Summer Resident of
Exceptional Merit, Windgate Charitable Foundation
2014 AMACO/Brent Purchase Award, NCECA, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cup of Merit Award, 22nd Annual NCECA Cup Sale, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
McKeown Special Project Award, Byron and Deanne McKeown, Kansas City, Missouri
Regina Brown Undergraduate Student Fellowship, The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Windgate Fellowship Award, The Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, Asheville, North Carolina
2013 Student Purchase Award, Ceramics Art and Perception / Ceramics Technical, Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
2012-14 Dean’s List, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
2011 Phoebe Boyd Scholarship Award, Lake County Arts League, Lake County, Illinois
2010 Art League Scholarship Merit Award, Lake County Arts League, Lake County, Illinois
2009 Steve Mendelson Memorial Award, Ken and Carol Mendelson, Grayslake, Illinois
2008-11 Dean’s List, College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
RESIDENCIES
2016 Summer Resident Artist, The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Fall Resident Artist, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado
2015 Resident Artist, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét, Hungary
2014 Resident Artist, The Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, China
2013 Resident Artist, International School of Ceramics, Kecskemét, Hungary
VISITING LECTURER | ARTIST TALK | WORKSHOPS
2016 The Art Base, Basalt, Colorado
The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, Georgia
The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana
Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas
2015 Belger Craneyard Studios, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
2014 The Pottery Workshop, Jingdezhen, China
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2016 - present Gallery Owner, Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City, Missouri
2014 - present Studio Artist, Kansas City, Missouri
2013 Studio Assistant/Intern, Chandra DeBuse, Kansas City, Missouri
2012 Teacher Assistant to Dan Anderson, Penland, North Carolina
2009-11 Studio Assistant, College Of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
PUBLICATIONS
2016 "Culture Mashup: Contemporary China Painting", Technical Article (page 39-42), Pottery Making Illustrated, January/February 2016, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
Potters Council Calendar, General Entry Collection (January), Potters Council, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
2015 Exposure, Page 16, Ceramics Monthly, November 2015, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
2014 Regina Brown Undergraduate Student Fellowship Travel Report, NCECA Journal 2014, Volume 35, HKM Direct Market Communications, Cleveland, Ohio
2014 Ceramic Arts Yearbook 2014, Page 43, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
2011 Potters Council Calendar, Alternative Firing Collection (December), Potters Council, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio
2009-11 Prairie Voices – A Collection of Student Writings/Art, College Of College of Lake County, Grayslake, Illinois
COLLECTIONS
Permanent Collection of The Archie Bray Foundation, Helena , Montana
NCECA Permanent Collection, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Erie, Colorado
Ken Ferguson Teaching Collection, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri
Nemzetközi Kerámia Stúdió Museum Collection, International Ceramics Studio, Kecskemét, Hungary
Private Collection of Richard Belger and Evelyn Craft, Kansas City, Missouri