Artist: Tim Rowan
Tim Rowan, NEW YORK
View Artist's Products
My art work flows from a basic desire to find and create meaning in my life. It is fueled by questions I ask myself concerning the realities I am confronted with.
There is one thing that we know for certain- we will die. No manner of conceptual, abstract, or analytical thought can conceal this fact of our existence. No faith or belief in what follows can deny the reality that as biological organisms eventually our bodies will no longer be “alive”. We cannot escape the forces of time.
In this highly technological and capitalist society our perception of time has been radically affected. Time has been measured and fragmented into smaller and smaller increments. It has been broken up, bound, categorized, and commodified. What is the impact of this on society and the individual? What is our relationship with time? These questions which form an important aspect of my art work, are manifested in three main areas; process, tradition, and form.
Process is essential to my work and begins with the medium of clay itself. Investigating and using clays from the local area locates me in a specific place and serves to bring to my awareness time as manifest in the moment. Working with raw clay and prospecting in the natural environment serves to keep me in tune with an earth centered and geologic time. The forming process, working on multiples and repetitively, is not unlike growth in nature.
Clay must be worked at its own pace as its moisture is slowly evaporating regardless of the demands from outside. Firing functions in a similar way. The wood kiln must be slowly stoked for 7 days if the work is to be successfully transformed from clay to cultural artifact.
Tradition is the natural growth of culture through time. It is not static but rather in continuous evolution. I continually look to the past with respect in my work in order to appreciate how we have developed as a society. I directly and indirectly reference work of the past that has something valuable to tell me. We continually move in a cyclical direction and cannot divorce our selves of prior experience.
The forms that my work take on are simple. They rely on a minimum amount of information and detail. They are constructed with a language of subtly, understatement, and restraint. In contrast to the majority of objects and images that we are bombarded with in our contemporary society they do not easily stand out or compete for attention and in this respect require the viewer to actively slow down. They have the capacity to be engaging on different levels and this is best accomplished when one allows the work to reveal itself over time. Utilitarian objects also require physical participation, such as drinking a cup of tea. These rituals of use are also embodiments of time. When I experience real joy I am aware of my mortality and the preciousness of the moment.
BIOGRAPHY
Tim Rowan was born in 1967 in New York City and grew up in Connecticut along the shore of Long Island Sound. His art education began during college, receiving a BFA from The State University of New York at New Paltz before journeying to Japan for 2 years to apprentice with ceramic artist Ryuichi Kakurezaki. Upon his return he worked briefly in studios in Massachusetts and New York before receiving his MFA from The Pennsylvania State University.
He established his kiln and studio deep in he woods of the Hudson Valley in 2000 where he lives with his wife and son. His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions internationally most recently having solo shows at Cavin-Morris Gallery in New York and Lacoste Gallery in Massachusetts. His work has been shown at numerous museums including the Fuller Museum and The Currier Museum of Art as well as being represented at SOFA NY since 2004.
EDUCATION
1999
M.F.A The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
1992-1994
Apprenticeship, Ryuichi Kakurezaki, Bizen, Japan
1992
B.F.A., State University of New York, New Paltz, NY
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2012
New Works, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY [Catalogue]
2011
Time and Scale, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA [Catalogue]
Artifact, Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2009
Stone Ridge Alchemy, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Outdoor Sculpture, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
2008
Ceramic Sculpture, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
2007
New Work, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Recent Work, Trax Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2005
Tim Rowan, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
2001
Inaugural Firing, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2012
Generation Crossroad, Tenmaya Fukuyama, Japan
Summer Exhibition, Erskine, Hall and Coe, London
Meredyth Hyatt Moses in Provincetown, Rice Polak Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Serendipity, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC
Boothbay, ME
SOFA New York, represented by Lacoste Gallery and Cavin-Morris Gallery
The Contemporary Art of Chawan - An International Invitational, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Watershed Kiln Gods, Galtimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
Teabowls and Sake Cups: A Kindred Spirit, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
The San Francisco Arts of Pacific Asia Show, Cavin-Morris Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The NYC Metro Show, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
From the Center to the Edge, Tacoma Community College, WA
La Mesa at NCECA, Santa Fe Clay, Seattle, WA
2011
SOFA New York and Chicago, represented by Lacoste Gallery
Earth, Arts Westchester, White Plains, NY
The Unexpected Edge, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Within/Without, Touching Stone Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Conversations in Clay, Joan B Mirviss, New York, NY
2010
Generation Crossroad, Tenmaya, Okayama, Japan
Contained Excitement, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Cross Currents of 20th Century Art, Currier Museum, Manchester, NH
SFOA New York, represented by Lacoste Gallery
Illumination, Bard College at Simon's Rock, Great Barrington, NY
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Sculpture Garden, John Davis Gallery, Hudson, NY
On Earth, Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack, NY
30X5, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2009
Gallery All-Stars, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Stepping Out (Outdoor Sculpture), Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge, NY
Current Within, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Abstraction, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Under Cover, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
SOFA New York and Chicago, represented by Lacoste Gallery
2008
Seven Original Voices, LUX Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE
Transformations 6X6, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
Spacial Meditations, Mariani Gardens, Armonk, NY
Japanese Threads, Morgan Gallery, Pittsburg, PA
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Present and Past, Nevica Project, Chicago, IL
Pottery Invitational, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
La Mesa, Santa Fe Clay, Pittsburgh, PA
Contemporary American Sculpture, Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
Annual Ceramics Exhibition, Crossman Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Ceramic Sculpture Invitational, Abercrombie Gallery, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA
SOFA New York, represented by Lacoste Gallery
Gardens and Portals, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2007
Fire and Ash, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Repsher and Rowan, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Mark of Fire, Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Tim Rowan Ceramics, Art Sites, Riverhead, NY
The New Asthetics of Ceramics, Huntington University, Huntington, IN
Clay-Wood-Fire, Chemeketa Community College, Salem, OR
SOFA New York, represented by Lacoste Gallery
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Tabletops, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences,
Loveladies, NJ
Unadorned, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2006
The Simple Cup, Kobo, Seattle, WA
New York Ceramics Fair, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Earthenware, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
My Friends: Their Vision, Weber Fine Art, Greenwich, CT
SOFA New York and Chicago, represented by Lacoste Gallery
Architectural Echoes in Clay, The Center for Craft, Creativity, and
Design, Hendersonville, NC
Fire/Ash/Smoke, Adrian College, Adrian, MI
The Fire This Time, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Teabowl Invitational, Hardman Hall Gallery, Mercer University, GA
Generational Crossroads, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
La MEsa, Sante Fe Clay, Portland, OR
2005 at the Bray, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
Minimal/ist, Archer Gallery, Clark College, Vancouver, WA
NCECA, Art Stream Nomadic Gallery, Portland, OR
2005
Japan/USA, Sante Fe Clay, Sante Fe, NM
Voices in Ceramics, Yager Museum, Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY
30 X 5, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Unearthed, Catskill Mountain Foundation, Hunter, NY
Platters and Plates, Chester Springs Studio, Chester Springs, PA
Coming Home, Stancills Clay, Perryville, MD
Vanitas: Transient Treasures, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
13 + 1, Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Cups, Cups, Cups, Sante Fe Clay, Sante Fe, NM
Clay, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans, LA
SOFA, Represented by Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
Tim Rowan Absract Vessels, Catonsville Community College,
Baltimore, MD
Porcelain in the Anagama, Merideth Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Culturing Surfaces, Homewood House Museum, Baltimore, MD
Box, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2004
Four American Artists, Judith Dowling Asian Art, Boston, MA
RAW, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Naked Truth, Sinclair Gallery, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
Pottery Invitational, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
The Beauty of Usefulness, Gallery on the Green, Shelburne, VT
Potters Gold, Belskie Museum, Closter, NJ
Anagama Fired, Trax Gallery, Berkeley, CA
4th Generation, Hunter College Art Gallery, New York, NY
Unearthed, McGowen Fine Art, Concord, NH
Pottery Invitational, Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
The Fire Within, Seton Gallery, University of New Haven,
New Haven, CT
SOFA New York, represented by Lacoste Gallery
2003
Pottery Invitational, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
Vessels, Bachelier-Cardonsky Gallery, Kent, CT
Clay and Glass, Atrium Gallery, Corning Community College, Corning, NY
International Teabowl Exhibition, NAU Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ
Passionate Fire, Germaine Keller Gallery, Garrison, NY
Recent Ceramics, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Abstractions in Clay, Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
NCECA Clay National, David Zafp Gallery, San Diego, CA
2002
Pottery Invitational, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
Passionate Fire, Germaine Keller Gallery, Garrison, NY
Featured Artist, Albert Shahinian Fine Art, Poughkeepsie, NY
Faces of Fire, Vermont Clay Studio, Waterbury Center, VT
2001
Ashes to Art, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA
25 Select 25, Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, IL
Abstractions, Art Sites, Greenport, NY
2000
Natural Materials, University Art Gallery, Central Michigan University
Beyond the Body: Architectural Ceramics, Lacoste Gallery,
Concord, MA
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2010
Artist in Residence, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME
2007
Visiting Artist, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Visiting Artist, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
2006
Visiting Artist, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT
Visiting Artist, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
2005
Visiting Artist, Hurricane Mountain Center for Earth Arts, Keene, NY
Artist in Residence, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Visiting Artist, Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, NY
2004
Panelist- Naked Truth: International Woodfire Conference, Cedar Rapids, IA
2003
Panel Discussion- moderator Roger Lipsey, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY
Visiting Artist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Visiting Artist, Solano College,CA
2002
“Emerging Talent from the United States” Lecture by Judith S. Schwartz, PhD, International Academy of Ceramics, Athens, Greece
2000-2002
Instructor- Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
1999-2001
Adjunct Professor of Art, SUNY, New Paltz, NY
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
The Currier Art Museum, Manchester, NH
The Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
PUBLICATIONS
2012
Randall Morris, Catalogue for solo exhibition, "New Works" at Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Ann Hutton, "In mineral time: Vly Artist Time Rowan's stone sculptures" Hudson Valley Almanac, April
2011
Edmund De Waal, The Pot Book
Janet Koplos, "Tim Rowan", Essay for solo exhibition.
"Time and Scale" at Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA
Shaun Hill, "Reviews: Massachusetts, Tim Rowan". Art New England, Sept/Oct
2010
Ceramics Monthly, Working Sculptors, January
Susan Hodara, "18 Very Different Pieces of Clay" New York Times, October
2009
500 Ceramic Sculptures, Lark Books
Ceramics Art and Perception, Patience and Surprise by Scott Norris, No.77
Scott Norris, "Tim Rowan: Patience and Surprise", Ceramics: Art and Perception, No. 77
2006
Eri Irisawa, "Anagama no Tougeikatachi", Tojiro, Volume 48
The Studio Potter, Using Local Clay, Volume 34 Number 2
Ceramics Art and Perception, Generational Crossroads, No.63
2005
Ceramics Art and Perception,
High-Fire Glazes, John Britt, Lark Books, NY, NY
2004
"Portfolio, Tim Rowan", American Craft, Portfolio, Oct/Nov
2003
The New York Times, Passionate Fire 2003, December 7
Ceramics Art and Perception, Passionate Fire, No.53
Ceramics Monthly, Woodfiring in the Hudson Valley, September
Ceramics Technical, Passionate Fire, No.16
2002
Kerameiki Techni, The New Generation of Ceramic Artist, No. 41
Clay Times, Gallery, July/August
Ceramics Monthly, Tim Rowan, February, Volume 50
Ceramics Art and Perception, Tim Rowan a Potter Taking a Stand, No.47