Formed by Nature

Description

Formed by Nature

Ceramic Artists use local materials in a variety of methods and through a variety of materials. Whether to supplement manufactured materials or as base material within an artwork, how each artist defines local materials is just as personal and individual as the artwork. This exhibition seeks to highlight artists using local materials as more than inspiration but as an integration of their materials and processes. Salt Lake City and the 2025 NCECA conference serves as a relevant site for this exhibition with its vast landscapes and diverse resources. Looking at the changing landscape throughout Utah, the West, and regions beyond, we can reflect on the beauty in humanity’s love of material, place, and landscape.

"Formed by Nature" seeks to represent artists from a variety of perspectives to showcase the overlooked beauty of raw materials and witness their transformation into objects of intricate craftsmanship, resilience, and cultural significance.

This call for entry and exhibition seeks artists who share an appreciation for the natural resources that surround us, the story of the land, the hands that shaped the objects created, and the cultural legacy the objects carry forward. Materials specific to a region possess distinct textures, colors, and compositions that are shaped by centuries of geological processes. Whether firing with the wood from a local neighborhood, clay sources from a favorite canyon, or salt from the vast Great Salt Lake, the artwork in Formed by Nature seeks to create a tangible link between the artist's artwork, the landscapes from which they draw inspiration, and those who have come before us, connecting to the past while speaking to the present.

Jurors encourage all artists using local materials to apply by January 31st, 2025 10pm EST, to share their work in an exhibition that reflects the diverse perspectives of clay and materials, each coming from a unique geography, identity, and connection to the land.

All sales of exhibited artwork will be handled through Cottonwood Clay Studio, sales will be split 20% to Cottonwood Clay Studio and 80% to the Artist.

Featured Artists Include: Tom Alward, Paige Harper, Mitch Iburg, Karina Mago, Nikita Nenashev, Zoë Powell, Gabrielle Oman, Caroline Roberts, Adam Addley, and Shasta Krueger.

Eligibility

Artists ages 18 and older using local materials
Artwork must be a minimum 50% clay/ceramic material
Artwork must be made within the last 3 years
Artwork value not to exceed $500 value
Limit 2 submissions per artist
Artists are responsible for shipping to and from the gallery
No wall hanging work

Needed for entry:

1-2 images per entry, images in jpg or png format (min 960px, max 3600px)
$5 entry fee per entry(limit 2 entries per artist)
Artwork Info:

Dimensions in inches (H” x W” x D”)
Materials (including local materials)
Title
Year made

Timeline:

Submissions Due January 31st, 10 pm EST (Fr)

Notification Emails Received by Feb 17th (M)

Artwork Delivered by March 17th (M)

Exhibition Dates March 25-29th (Tu-Sa)

Reception Date, March 27th 6-8pm (Th)

Return Shipment of Artwork by April 7th (local pick up starting Saturday, March 29th
4pm)

Juror Bios:

Adam Addley.  Adam is a maker who uses many different mediums, but has a particular draw to clay. He lives, works and creates in Salt Lake City, Utah. Creating clean simple pieces where function and form are equally attended to is the aim of his craft. Adam studied ceramics and art history at Utah State University where he graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts. His work is informed by his experience in nature, traveling abroad, and the simple things in day to day life.

Shasta Krueger.  Shasta is an artist living and working in Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves to work with clay for both its tactile and intuitive nature and its need for precision and process. She explores pattern and form throughout her work and maintains and active studio practice including firing atmospheric kilns.

Shasta has worked nationally and abroad through various artist residencies and teaching opportunities including: the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee, the Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark, Cub Creek Foundation in Virginia, the Pottery Workshop in China, the Appalachian Center for Craft in Tennessee, the Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project in California, and Kimball Art Center in Utah. She earned her MFA in Ceramics from Utah State University. Shasta currently teaches with local universities in and around the Salt Lake Valley as well as co-managing and teaching at Cottonwood Clay Studio, a community teaching studio in Utah.

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