About Chris Gustin
Click below to read the October review of Chris Gustin's work in the Columbus Dispatch.
Chris Gustin 2009 Columbus Dispatch
PERSONAL
Born Chicago, Illinois, 1952
Lives and works in South Dartmouth, MA
EDUCATION
1970–1971 University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California
1972–1975 Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri BFA; Ceramics
1975–1977 New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, New York MFA; Ceramics
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
current Professor Emeritus; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
1999–2000 Visiting Lecturer, Ceramics; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
1988–1998 Associate Professor of Design, Ceramics; University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
1992 Centro de Art e Comunicaçao Visual; Visiting Lecturer; Lisbon, Portugal
1985–1988 Swain School of Design; Associate Professor of Design; New Bedford, MA
1980–1985 Boston University, Program in Artisanry; Assistant Professor; Boston, MA
1980 New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, New York (summer)
1978–1980 Parsons School of Design; Instructor, Crafts Department; New York, NY
SELECTED HONORS
2009 Artists Fellowship; The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston, MA
2005 Artists Fellowship; The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston, MA
The Geil Merit Award, “NCECA National Exhibition,” University of Maryland Baltimore
2000 Commission Award; “Cups of Merit,” National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts
1999 Artists Fellowship; The Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston, MA
1998 Honorable Mention; “Twelfth Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition ,” San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas
1996 Artists Award; “Society of Arts and Crafts Artists Award Competition,” Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
Third Place; “Eleventh Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition,” San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas
1988 Purchase Award; “The SIUE Clay National,” Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
1987 Crafts Fellowship; Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Program, The Artists Foundation
Purchase Award; “27th Ceramic National Exhibition: American Ceramics Now,” Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York
1986 Visual Artists Fellowship; National Endowment for the Arts
1980 Visual Artists Fellowship; Connecticut Commission on the Arts
1978 Visual Artists Fellowship; National Endowment for the Arts
SELECTED PUBLIC/CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
ASU Ceramic Research Center, Tempe, AZ
Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA
Ceramics Monthly Magazine
Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
Daum Museum of Art, Sedalia, MO
DePauw Museum of Art
Detroit Institute of Art
Everson Museum of Art, NY
First Bank Systems, St. Paul, MN
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA
Georgia State University
Houston Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX
Icheon World Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea
Johnson County Community College, KS
Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts, MI
Kemper Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Museo de Azulejo, Lisbon, Portugal
Minneapolis Institute of the Arts
Museum of Art and Design, NY
Museum of Craft and Folk Art, San Francisco, CA
Mint Museum of Craft, Charlotte, NC
Newark Museum of Art, NJ
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan, UT
Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Rayovac Corporation, Madison, WI
Renwick Gallery of the Museum of American Art,
Smithsonian, Washington, DC
Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, TX
Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan
Shiwan Treasure Pottery Museum, P.R. China
Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, KC, MO
The St. Paul Companies, St. Paul, MN
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Weber State College, Ogden, Utah
Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
SELECTED ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2009 Sherrie Gallerie, Columbus, OH
2008 “Recent Works,” Reckson Metro Center, White Plains, NY
“New Works,” Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
Philadelphia International Airport, US Air Pavillion
2007 “Embodiment,” NCECA 2007, Louisville, KY
Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, WY
2006 “Embodiment,” Sherrie Gallerie, Columbus, OH
SOFA Chicago, Chicago, IL
2005 Works/Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003 John Elder Gallery, New York, NY
2002 Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston, MA
2000 Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston, MA
1999 Gallery Materia , Scottsdale, AZ
John Elder Gallery, New York, NY
Paul Melon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT
1996 Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art, Boston, MA
1995 Works Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1994 Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, Pittsburgh, PA
1992 Pro Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO
1991 Garth Clark Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1990 Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
Garth Clark Gallery, Kansas City, MO
1989 Pro Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO
1988 Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
1988 Pro Art Gallery, Saint Louis, MO
1987 Objects Gallery, Chicago, IL
1986 Garth Clark Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Pro Art Gallery, Saint Louis, MO
1985 Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
DBR Gallery, Cleveland, OH
1984 Ree Schonlau Gallery, Omaha, NE
1983 Objects Gallery, Chicago, IL
1982 Hadler/Rodrigues Gallery, New York, NY
Paul Mellon Art Center, Wallingford, CT
1981 Greenwich House Gallery, New York, NY
1979 Georgia Southern College, Statesboro, GA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2009 “Simply Formal,” Museum of Anthropology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
2008 “Into the Woods: A Fiery Tale,” American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA), Pomona, CA
“Anderson Ranch at the Aspen Art Museum,” Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO
“Shino: Snow and Fire,” the Maison de la Céramique Contemporaine, Giroussens, France
“Clay/Mates,” James Patrick Gallery, Wiscasset, ME
“SOFA New York,” Lacoste Gallery, New York, NY
“SOFA Chicago,” Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
2007 “Fire to Ash, Invitational Wood Fire Exhibition,” The Fuller Museum of Craft, Brockton, MA
“Skin of Asia, Invitational Exhibition, The 4th World Ceramic Biennale 2007,” Icheon World Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea
“Legacy and Innovation in Contemporary Clay,” The Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, IA
“Contemporary Ceramics: A Dairy Barn Invitational,” Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, OH
2006 “Two Media / Two Expressions,” The Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH
“The Yixing Effect: Echoes of the Chinese Scholar,” Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
“Tea Time: The Art of the Teapot,” Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI
“Watershed 20th Anniversary Exhibition,” Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
“The Elegant Table,” Peters Valley Art Center, Layton, NJ
2005 “Diverse Domain: Contemporary North American Ceramic Art,” Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
“Contemporary Functional Ceramics,” Fort Wayne Art Museum, Ft. Wayne, IN
“Chris Gustin and Friends,” Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
“Gustin, Johnston & Lawton,” LaCoste Gallery, Concord, MA
“NCECA Clay National,” University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
“The Program in Artisanry,” Annapolis Gallery, Annapolis, MD
“Rhythm and Breath,” Loyola University, Baltimore, MD
“Porcelain in the Anagama,” Meredith Gallery, Baltimore, MD
“Terra Sutra II,” Montage Gallery, Baltimore, MD
“Endless Variations: Shino Review ’05,” Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
“Particles and Passion, The Art of Clay,” Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD
2004 “Creations in Clay: Contemporary New England Ceramics,” Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH
“The Art of the Collector,” The Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
“Tile: Matter and Motif,” Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
“Forms,” McMaster Gallery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
“The Fifth Armory National Ceramics Invitational,” Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL
“The Ranch is at UM,” University of Miami, Miami, FL
“Mastery in Clay,” The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
“Teapots: Object to Subject,” Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
2003 “21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada,” Columbus College of Art & Design, Columbus, OH
“Ceramic Faculty Selects: Clay from the Permanent Collection,” Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ
“Boston University’s Program in Artisanry: 1975–1985,” Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
“Crafts Transformed—The Program in Artisanry,” University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA
“Mastery in Clay,” The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2003 “Clay Works: American Ceramics from the Everson Museum of Art,” UBS PaineWebber, New York, NY
“National Ceramics Invitational 2003,” University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX
2003 “Summer Workshops Artists’ Preview Exhibition,” Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2002 “International Teapot Exhibition,” Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
“Yankee Clay,” The Slater Memorial Museum, Norwich, CT
“The Floor Show,” Loft 122, Kansas City, MO
“Postmodern Ceramics,” Dolphin Gallery, Kansas City, MO
“American Shino,” The Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA
“Clay Body Rhetoric: Ceramic Figures of Speech,” Beech Museum of Art, Manhattan, KS
“4x10: Ceramic Sculpture,” The Phillips Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
2001 “The Yixing Effect,” The Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA
“American Shino,” Babcock Galleries, New York, NY
“Clay/Wood/Fire/Salt,” The Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio
“Color/Fire: Defining Moments of Contemporary Ceramics,1950–2000,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2000 “Selections from the Allan Chasonoff Ceramic Collection,” Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC
“American Ceramics,” The Shanghai Arts Fair, Shanghai, PR China
“International Ceramic Art Exhibition,” Shiwan Treasure Pottery Museum, Shiwan, PR China
“The National Ceramics Invitational,” The Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL
“Clay/Wood/Fire/Salt,” Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, NC
“Our Cups Runneth Over,” Society for Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
“Haystack Faculty Exhibition,” Blue Herron Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
1999 “Erotica in Ceramic Art,” Ferrin Gallery, SOFA, New York, Ferrin Gallery, Northhampton, MA
“The Great Balancing Act,” Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA
1998 “RE: Form,” The Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
1997 “Contemporary American Ceramics,” Loveland Museum, Loveland, CO
“IMMS -Atlantic Fusion,” Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, England
1996 “International Multimedia Symposium Exhibition,” Lisbon, Portugal, Madrid, Spain
“Eighth Triennial,” Fuller Museum of Art, Brockton, MA
“A Madcap Teapot Party at the Renwick,” Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
“Sculptural Ceramics in New England Today,” Boston Athenaeum, Boston, MA
1995 “Keepers of the Flame,” Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri
1993 “From Our Vault to the Studio: New Work by Crafts Artists in the Wustum Collection,” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, Wisconsin
1992 “The Eccentric Teapot,” The Shigaraki Ceramic Culture Park, Shigaraki, Japan,
Gallery Koyanagi, Tokyo, Japan, Seibu Department Store, Tokyo, Japan
1992 “The Tea Party,” American Crafts Museum, New York, New York
1991 “Artists Visions,” The Decordiva Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts
“Figurative Clay: A National Juried Exhibition,” Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
1990 “American Ceramics,” Gallery Koyanagi, Tokyo, Japan
“Contemporary Crafts: Ten Years of Collecting,” Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum, Providence, Rhode Island
1989 “Ceramica No ARCO,” Museo do Azuleju, Lisbon, Portugal
1988 “East-West Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition,” Art Center of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, Seoul, Korea (in conjunction with the 1988 Summer Olympics)
1988 “The SIUE Ceramic National,” Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL
1987 “27th Ceramic National Exhibition: American Ceramics Now,” Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
“Contemporary Ceramics from the Smits Collection,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art
1986 “Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical,” American Crafts Museum, New York, NY
“American Potters Today,” Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
1977 “Young Americans: Clay/Glass,” American Craft Museum, New York, NY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2008-09 Gustin, Christopher; “Embodiment of Form”; Studio Potter Magazine; Vol. 32, No. 1; Winter/Spring
2004 Hopper, Robin; Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface; Krause Publications
2003 Peterson, Susan; The Craft and Art of Clay, 4th Edition; Prentice Hall Publisher, NJ
Mathieu, Paul; Sex Pots: Eroticism in Ceramics; Rutgers University Press; Piscataway, NY
Ruescher, Scott; “Anagama Firings at Chris Gustin’s”; Ceramic Monthly Magazine; October
2002 Nelson, Glenn, and Burkett, Richard; Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook; Harcourt College Publishers
Del Vecchio, Mark; Postmodern Ceramics; Thames and Husdon, London
Triplett, Kathy; 500 Teapots; Lark Books; Sterling Press, NY
Zakin, Richard; Ceramics - Mastering the Craft; Krause Publishing
2001 Hopper, Robin; The Ceramic Spectrum; Krause Publications, Iola, WI
Brown, Glen R.; Ceramics Art and Perception; “Chris Gustin-Inverting Perception”; Issue 44,
2000 Peterson, Susan; The Craft and Art of Clay, 3rd Edition; Prentice Hall Publisher, NJ
Rhodes, Daniel and Hopper, Robin; Clay and Glazes for the Potter; 3rd Edition; Krause Publications
Peterson, Susan; Contemporary Ceramics; Watson-Guptill
Mint Museum of Craft & Design; Allan Chasanoff Ceramic Collection; Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
Ferrin, Leslie; Teapots Transformed; Guild Publishing, Madison, WI
Laurie, Jo; Color/Fire: Defining Moments of Contemporary Ceramics, 1950-2000; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Los Angeles, CA
1998 Gustin, Christopher and Fina, Angela (Curators); The Best of Pottery 2; Rockport Publishers; Rockport, MA
Sager, Susan; Selling your Crafts; Allworth Press; New York, NY
Zhou, Guangzhen; American Ceramic Arts Today; People’s Fine Arts Publishing House; Beijing, China
1996 Rice, L. Robin; American Ceramics Magazine; Exhibition Review; Volume 12, No. 2
Rockport Publishers; The Best of Pottery; Rockport, Massachusetts
1994 Doran, Pat; “Ceramicist Chris Gustin”; Art New England; April/May issue
1991 Peterson, Susan; The Craft and Art of Clay; Prentice Hall Publisher, NJ
1990 Lynn, Martha Drexler; Clay Today; Contemporary Ceramists and Their Work; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA
Clark, Garth; The Book of Cups; New York: Abbeville Press
1989 Perry, Dr. Barbara; American Ceramics: The Collection of Everson Museum of Art; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; Rizzoli, New York
1988 Arts Center of the Korean Culture and Arts Foundation; East—West Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition; Seoul Olympic Arts Festival Press, Seoul, Korea; (Exhibition catalog)
Clark, Garth; American Ceramics, 1876 to the Present; New York: Abbeville Press
1987 Dormer, Peter; The New Ceramics: Trends and Traditions; Thames and Hudson; New York, NY
Everson Museum of Art; American Ceramics Now; Salina Press; Syracuse, New York
1986 Clark, Garth and Watson, Oliver; American Potters Today; Victoria and Albert Museum
American Craft Museum; Craft Today: Poetry of the Physical; Weidenfeld & Nicolson Press
LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS PRESENTED
Anderson Ranch Arts Center; Snowmass, CO
Anderson Ranch Arts Center; Good Hope, Jamaica
Armory Art Center; West Palm Beach, FL
Arrowmont School of Crafts
Bennington College
Berkeley Potters Guild; Berkeley, CA
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design; Jerusalem, Israel
Boston University
Brookfield Crafts Center; Brookfield, CT
Bunnel Gallery; Homer/Halibut Cove, AKCentro de Art e Comunicaçao Visual (ARCO); Lisbon, Portugal
Chester Springs Studio Center for the Visual Arts; Chester Springs, PA
Clay Art Center; Portchester, NY
Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Cranbrook Academy of Art, MI
Creative Arts Workshop; New Haven, CT
Cutter Ceramics; Waltham, MA
Dallas Craft Guild; Dallas, TX
Edinboro University; PA
Fitchburg Art Museum; Fitchburg, MA
Georgia State University; Atlanta, GA
Greenwich House Pottery; New York, NY
Guilford Handcrafts Center; Guilford, CT
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, ME
Horizons; Williamsburg, MA
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute; Jingdezhen, P.R. China
Kansas City Art Institute; Kansas City, MO
Lexington Crafts Guild; Lexington, MA
Manchester Craftsmen's Guild; Pittsburgh, PA
Michigan Potters Association; Detroit, MI
Murray State University; Murray, KY
NCECA Conference; Ann Arbor, MI (1979)
NCECA Conference; Atlanta, GA (1983)
NCECA Conference; Kansas City, MI (1989)
NCECA Conference; Cinncinatti, OH (1990)
NCECA Conference; San Diego, CA (1993)
NCECA Conference: Baltimore, MD (2005)
New Hampshire Art Institute: Manchester, NH
Northern Michigan University; Marquette, MI
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design
Parsons School of Design; Lake Placid, NY
Perkins Center for the Arts; Moorestown, NJ
Peters Valley Arts Center; Layton, NJ
Renwick Gallery of the Museum of American Art; Washington, DC
Pewabic Pottery; Detroit, MI
Philadelphia College of Art, Phialdelphia, PA
Plymouth State College
Radcliffe Pottery; Cambridge, MA
Raritan Valley Community College; Somerville, NJ
Reckson Metro Center; White Plains, NY
Rhode Island School of Design
Rochester Institute of Technology
Santa Fe Clay; Santa Fe, NM
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
School of the Museum of Fine Arts; Boston, MA
Sheridan College of Art and Design
Skidmore College
South County Art Association; Kingston, RI Southeastern Massachusetts University
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Spirit Square Center for the Arts; Charlotte, NC
Taipai American School; Taipai, Taiwan
Tel Hai College; Tel Hai, Israel
University of Indiana at Bloomington
University for the Arts; Philadelphia, PA
University of Miami; Miami, FL
Utah State University; Logan, UT
Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts
Wesleyan Potters; Middletown, CT
Wichita State University; Wichita, KS
Yingge Ceramics Museum; Taipei, Taiwan
92nd Street YM-YWHA; New York, NY
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/BOARDS
Current Board of Trustees; Watershed Center of the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
Member; National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
2004–07 President, Board of Trustees; Watershed Center of the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
2000–04 Vice President, Honorary Trustee; Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
2000–03 Board of Trustees; ArtWorks!; New Bedford, MA
2000–01 Advisory Committee; San Bao Institute of Ceramics; Jingdezhen, P.R. China
1998–2003 Board of Trustees; Studio Potter Magazine
1990–1996 Advisory Board MemberWatershed Center for the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
1987–1990 President, Board of Trustees; Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
1986 Co-Founder; Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts; Newcastle, ME
Artist's Statement
I recently came across something I wrote in the early 1980s that said
“I want to get a line to come off of the paper and put it into the
air.” That quote struck me for its simplicity, but in reality, the
questions that arise from taking a two dimensional mark and giving it dimensional form is highly complex. What begins on paper as a mark, a doodle or a gesture, becomes something entirely different
when lifted into space, for the space that this “doodle” now occupies becomes an essential element in how one perceives the object. The line, in effect, now becomes an edge, and for me, this is where the questions are and the excitement lies. Edge is where solid meets air, volume meets volume, concave meets convex, plane meets plane, hard meets soft.
It’s here where tension is explored and where rhythm and gesture find
meaning, revealing context, analogy or metaphor in an object.
I’ve always been much more intrigued by the cognitive than the
rational. It’s how I approach working in clay, and in turn, how I hope a viewer experiences my work. This exhibition explores the vessel form on a human scale, taking simple, historical pottery forms and jumping them up in scale as a vehicle for abstraction. Though my work only alludes to function through the context of the vessel, I am trying to make pots that speak to a “body” reference. I use the pot context because of its immense possibilities for abstraction. The skin of the clay holds the invisible interior of the vessel. How I manipulate my forms “around” that air, constraining it, enclosing it, or letting it expand and swell, can allow analogy and metaphor to enter into the
work. I don’t want my pots to conjure up a singular image for the
viewer. By inviting the hand to explore the forms as well as the eye, I want to provoke numerous memories, recollection that has the potential to change from moment to moment, provoking connections that go past the intellectual to the innate.
