Artist: Ruchika Madan
Ruchika Madan, MASSACHUSETTS
View Artist's Products
As our lives involve more and more assistance from technology, I am fascinated to see the continued importance that we place on the handmade object. There is a symbolism that we attach to these objects and something we are seeking when we bring them into our everyday lives. Though aesthetics are of importance in our architecture or in the products we use, we have a special reverence for things that can not be reproduced by machine. The love of these objects, their resistance to “progress” and the humanity that they represent keep me working in clay.
Patterns and textures I see, in the order of the stones in a pavement, branches on a winter sky, or undulations of sand formed on the ocean floor are translated in my work. The images I use are emblems of hope and life and indications of the persistence of nature. A tiny bird, a seedling, or a vine can go about its quiet business in spite of human activity and the seeming improbability of its endurance. Inspirations include linoleum and woodcut prints, textile designs, architecture, and traditions in ceramic and decorative art.
My work is made from white stoneware and porcelain clay using a variety of forming techniques. These include wheel-throwing, slab-building and slip-casting. I choose strong clean forms, with soft corners and planes for experimentation with line drawing, texture and color. The surface is created by incising and carving, and brushing, stenciling, and trailing slip. Using a variety of glaze and underglaze materials, I can vary the line quality. By applying the glazes to selected areas with a brush, some areas can be shiny, while others remain softly matte. All pieces are oxidation-fired to cone 6.
Education
Currently Studying Industrial Design, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston MA
1997 - 1998 Post- Baccalaureate Program, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
1989 - 1993 BFA Ceramics, Maine College of Art (formerly Portland School of Art) Portland, ME
Professional Experience
2006 - Present Designer and Product Developer, Achla Designs, Fitchburg, MA
1997 - Present, Studio Potter and Tile Maker, Somerville, MA
2005 - 2011 Board of Directors, Mudflat Studio, Somerville, MA
1999 - 2002 Program Committee, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA
2000 - 2001 Artist-in-Residence, Mudflat Studio, Somerville, MA
1995 -1997 Artist-in-Residence, Infinity Gallery and Studio, Newton, MA
1995 Studio Potter and Instructor, Islesford Pottery, Islesford, ME
Teaching
1999 - Present, Faculty, Mudflat Studio, Somerville, MA
2012 Visiting Artist Workshop at Sawmill Pottery, Putnam, CT
1997 - 2002 Faculty, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA
Selected Exhibitions
2013 Layered, MudFire, Decatur, GA
2013 6 x 6 x 30 Invitational Handmade Tile Exhibition, San Angelo Museum of Art,
San Angelo, TX
2013- 2010 ARTile, Indigenous Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2012 30 x 5: The Dessert Plate Show, Akar Design, Iowa City, IA
2012 Handle With Care, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2012 The Art of Dining, Holiday Cup Show, Krikorian Gallery, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
2012 Line & Color: Women in Clay, 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
2011 Creatures of the Night, MudFire, Decatur, GA
2011 Featured Artist, New Work, Akar Design, Iowa City, IA
2007- 2012 Annual Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Design, Iowa City, IA
2007- 2012 Small Favors II - VI, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2008 - 2011 La Mesa at NCECA, Santa Fe Clay, Annual NCECA conference, (Venue varies)
2010 Functional Ceramics Exhibition 2010, Wayne Center for the Arts, Wooster, OH
2010 Animal, Mineral, Vegetable, Granary Gallery, West Tisbury, MA
2009 Draw and Decal, MudFire, Decatur, GA
2009 Cup show at NCECA, Cervini-Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2009 Blooming: New Work for Spring, LillStreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
2008, 2009 Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
2007, 2008 Strictly Functional Pottery National, Market House Craft Center, E. Harrisburg, PA
2008 Another Cup?, Invitational Exhibition of Cups, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2007 For the Table, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2007 Drink It In, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
2007 Small and Exquisite, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
2007 Plates and Platters, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
2007 The Art of Tools, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
Awards
2006 Travel Stipend Award, Coen Family Foundation, Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show, Philadelphia, PA
Collections
Celestial Seasonings, Boulder, CO
Publications
Surfaces, Glazes & Firing, Lark Books, 2010
500 Plates Platters and Chargers, Lark Books, 2008
Ceramic Surface Design, Lark Books, 2008
500 Tiles, Lark Books, 2008
Making and Installing Handmade Tiles, Lark Books, 2005
500 Cups, Lark Books, 2005
Handmade, Inspired House, Taunton Press, April 2005
500 Bowls, Lark Publishing, 2003
Up Front, Ceramics Monthly, The American Ceramic Society, January 2003