Artist: Victoria Christen
Victoria Christen, Oregon
View Artist's Products
A pot is like a hand shake from the maker to the user.
Process for Surface Treatment:
While the clay is leather hard, I apply a clay slip with a consistency of milk or light cream. The slip is quickly poured on or into the pot to ensure that it does not remain on the surface for a long period of time. The piece is in constant movement during this application, allowing for the slip to curtain and to follow the throwing line of the piece. After this base coat has been applied, I let the pot dry and will not work on it again until it is at the greenware state or bone dry. The next step is to apply small areas of color using the commercial underglazes, glazes and/or oxide washes. After the color dries, I carve into the surface using a variety of tools, needles, wooden sticks, small loop trimming tools, etc., and I apply thin black lines of underglaze to highlight the areas that I want to capture the eye of the user. Finally when this has dried, I lightly sand the surface to eliminate areas where the clay has lifted up from the surface during the carving (being sure, of course, that I am wearing a mask and in a well ventilated area). To suggest the passage of time and the knitting of form and surface, I also remove some of the slip, revealing some of the red clay in the body of the form.
EDUCATION
1985 M.F.A. Studio Arts, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
1981 B.S. in Education, K-12 Certification, Composite Art Major, Valley City State College, Valley City, ND
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2011-2012
Visiting Assistant Professor, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
1998-present
Full time studio artist
2003-present
Adjunct Instructor, University of Portland, Portland, OR
2004
Instructor, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR
1999
Guest Instructor, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Portland, OR
1987-1995
Instructor, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN
WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES
2012
Visiting Artist, University of Missouri, Columbia
2011
"Earthenware: Surface and Form", Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
"For and Surface", Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass, CO
2010
Visiting Artist, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Visiting Artist, Art Beat 2010, Portland Community College, Portland, OR
2009
“Constructed Forms/Slipped Surfaces, Greenwich House Pottery, New York City, NY
“Life as Artist,” lecture and demonstration, Grant High School, Portland, OR
“Constructed Forms / Slipped Surfaces”, two day workshop, Oregon College of Art and
Craft, Portland, OR
2008
“Utilitarian Clay V: Celebrate The Object”, presenter, Arrowmont, Gatlinburg, TN
“Constructed Forms /Slipped Surfaces”, two day workshop team taught with Ayumi Horie, International Ceramics Research Center, Skaelskor, Denmark
2007
“Handbuilding Terra Cotta Pottery,” Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO
2006
“Painted Pots”, Two day workshop, Portland Community College, Rock Creek
“Terracotta Throwing and Clay Slip Pouring,” Victoria D. Christen with Guest Artist Jean-Nicolas Gerard, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Art, Helena, MT
“Art Beat 2006,” Lecture and demonstration, Cascade Campus and Southeast Center, Portland, OR
2005
Masters Class, class taught by guest artists, Josh DeWeese, Victoria Christen and Gail Nichols, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA
Form and Surface in Earthenware, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Clay: Surface & Form, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
2004
“Form and Surface,” Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO
“Slipping into Form,” Women Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY
“Red Earthenware: Thrown and Altered Pots,” Southern Arizona Clay Artists
GRANTS & AWARDS
2009
Watershed,Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle ME, fully funded summer residency
2001
Portland Arts Festival: 1St Place Ceramics
1997
Archie Bray Foundation, Artist- In- Residence
1996
Great Lakes Colleges Association/Associated Colleges of the Midwest: Japan Study Travel Grant Recipient
1995
Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Assistance Fellowship Award
1994
Jerome Foundation Artist’s Project Grant
1993
“82nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibition,” Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, MN, First Honors/Ceramics
1989
Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Assistance Fellowship Award
1987
Arts Midwest/National Endowment for the Arts Regional Visual Arts Fellowship Award
First Bank System Excellence in Clay Award, American Craft Expo.St. Paul, MN
Purchase Award, “30 Below,” a juried competition for young Minnesota artists, University Art Museum, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
EXHIBITIONS
2012
"Sitka Center for Art and Ecology Art Invitational", World Foestry Center, Portland, OR
"Focus: Portland, Oregon" invitational, 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX
"Anderson Ranch Art Center Art Auction", catalogue, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass Village, CO
"Past Presenter's Exhibition", as part of the 6th edition of the "Utilitarian Clay: Celebrate the Object", Conference and Symposium, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TX
"Westmont College Holiday Ceramic Show" at Westmont Museum of Art at Adam Center for the Visual Arts, Santa Barbara, CA
"Source-Material: An Exhibition on Water and the Ceramic Cup", Lindsay Rogers, curator, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC
"American Apprentice Exhibition", Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
"Pots with a Purpose", Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
"Art of the Potter", curator Joe Davis, Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham, OR
"La Mesa 2012", curator Avra Leodas, Santa Fe Clay, present at
"Art of the Northwest Table", Herban Feast, Seattle, WA
"Yunomi Invitational", AKAR, Iowa City, IA
2011
"Table Matters" invitations, Lark & Key Gallery, Charlotte, NC
"La Mesa in Santa Fe Show", Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
"Simple Cup Show 2011" co-curators Paul Olsen and Tom Hoffman, KOBO Gallery, Seattle, WA
"New Work", AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2010
"Functional Ceramic Exhibition 2010", The Wayne Center for the Arts, Wooster, OH
"18th San Angel National Ceramics Competition", San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX, catalogue "In Response", one person exhibition, Buckley Center, University of Portland, Portland, OR
"Yunomi Invitational", AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
"Simple Cup Show 2010", KOBO Gallery, Seattle, WA
"Small Favors IV" invitational, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
"FLOA", Invitational, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
2009
HPS/OPA, Exchange Exhibitions, curators by Josh DeWeese and Christina Antemann, Sapporo Contemporary Museum, Sapporo Art Park, Japan, catalog
“4X4”, four ceramic artist invited four additional artist, Lill Street Art Center , Chicago, IL
“Yunomi,” Invitational, AKAR, invitational, Iowa City, IA
Teapots: Functional, Formal, Narrative, invitational, curator Margaret Bohls, Foster Gallery, University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, WI
“The Potters Tea Party, invitational, Red Star Studios, Kansas City, MO
2008
“Window Exhibition,” invitational, Formargruppen, Malmo, Sweden
“State of the Art 2008: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational, curated by Lisa Orr, Parkland College, Champaign, IL
“All Fired Up-a Celebration of Clay in Westchester New York, curated Julia Galloway, Art Gallery at Lyndhurst, Tarrytown, NY
“The Art of Surface: Decorated Earthenware, curated by Posey Bacopoulos, Mamaroneck Artist’s Guild Gallery, Larchmont, NY
2007
“Hand Held Drinking Vessels,” invitational, curator Dan Anderson, Main Street Gallery, Edwardsville, IL
“Victoria Christen, Marc Digeros, Erin Furimsky, Peter Pinnell, Joseph Pintz and Jerilyn Virden”, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
“Focused Function,” group show, Red Lodge Clay Center
“Botanical,” Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
“90 Teapots That Pour,” Xen Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2006
“Yunomi,” invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
“Style & Function: National Ceramic Invitational,” curator Linda Arbuckle, Blue Spiral, Asheville, NC
“Plates and Platters: Salon Style, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
“Atlanta Teapot Festival,” invitational, The Signature Shop and Gallery, Atlanta, GA
“Sixteenth San Angelo National Ceramic Competition,” curator Ann Lancaster, catalog, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo TX
“Surface Matters,” curator Elaine O. Henry, Norman R. Eppink Art Gallery, catalog, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS,
“La Mesa,” curator Avra Leodas, Santa Fe Clay, present at NCECA, Hilton banquet Room, Portland OR.
“Bowls,” Invitational, Charlie Cummings Clay Studio, Fort Wayne, IN
“Transplants; Pottery, Place and The Pacific Northwest, curator Sequoia Miller, Buckley Center Gallery, University of Portland, Portland, OR
“Teapots: Universal Adoration,” Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
2005
“Seven Earthenware Potters,” Homewood House Museum, Baltimore, MA
“The Box,” Invitational, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
“Ceramic Invitational,” curator, Dan Schmitt, Runyan Gallery of the Newport Visual Arts Center, Newport, OR
“Northwest Craft Biennial,” Hoffman Gallery, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR
“Courses: Soup to Nuts,” Watkins Gallery, Northampton, MA
2004
“Salt,” Invitational, curator Cynthia Spencer, Blue Dome Gallery, Silver City, NM
“Duet” Invitational, Kentucky Museum of Arts and Design, Louisville, KY
“MOVE.” Invitational, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
“Table,” Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
Northwest Craft Biennial,” Hoffman Gallery, Oregon College of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR
JUROR/ CURATOR
2009
“De Vinci Arts Middle School, juror, Winter Visual Arts Showcase, Portland, OR
1997
“McKnight Artist Fellowship and Residence for Ceramic Artists,” Juror, St. Paul, MN
1996
“Monmouth Spring Student Exhibition,” Monmouth College, Juror, Monmouth, IL
1995
“Rochester Art Fair,” Juror, Rochester, MN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2010
Ceramics Monthly, summer issue, cover, pages 34-35
The Beacon, The University of Portland Student's newspaper, Vol. 112, Issue 09, page 10
2004
Ceramics Monthly, September, page 16, “Up Front”
2002
500 TEAPOTS, Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design, Editor: Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott, Page 47, Lark Books, a division of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
2001
The Washington Post, February 8, 2001,Home Section, “Tantalizing Teapots,” page 10
2000
Clay Times, November/December, Volume 6, page 8-11 by Rick Berman
1998
The Best of Pottery, Volume 2, selected by A. Fina and C. Gusten, page 65, Rockport Publishers, Inc.
Ceramics Monthly, September, page 57, 16th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show
1997
Knox Alumnus, A Magazine for Alumni & Friend of Knox College, April 1997, cover image, by David L. Amor
1996
Ceramics Monthly, January, page 36, “Northern Stars; Women Potters from Canada and Minnesota,” by John Kantor
1995
Saint Paul Pioneer Press, March 12, page 1E, “The Clay’s The Thing,” by Diane Helekson Arts Board News, A Publication of the Minnesota State Arts Board, Volume 10, No 4 Summer 1995, page 6, “1995 Fellowship Grants,” by Karen Mueller
NCECA Journal, Volume 16, 1995, page 95, “Review: NCECA Clay National,” by Janet Mansfield
NCECA Journal, Volume 16, 1995, page 59, “Clay in the Inner City High School,” by John Kantar
1994.Ceramics Monthly, March, Volume 42, Number 3, page 22, “Up Front,” Deborah Padgett
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Knox College, Galesburg, IL
University Art Museum,University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
First Bank Minneapolis, First Bank Place, Minneapolis, MN
Basilica of St. Mary’s, Objects of Devotions Collection of Contemporary Religious Art, Minneapolis, MN
Macalester College Permanent Collection, St. Paul, MN
Minnesota Historical Society Permanent Collection, St.Paul, MN