C eramic E xc ellenc e

Fellowships at the Archie B ray Foundation2006–2007

J ennifer Allen Taunt Fellow

J os eph P intzLincoln Fellow

C hris tina Wes tLilian Fellow

Her voluptuous forms swell and contract, making them comfortablein the hand. Elegantly scalloped rimsmove seamlessly into handy pouringlips, and bases are pinched likepiecrusts. Finials are seized asopportunities for Art Nouveau -styledecorative flourishes, as are theseams where handles and spoutsmeet the body of the pot. Like askilled tailor, Allen alters the clay afterit comes off the wheel, adding folds,seams, and darts that produceslightly asymmetrical contours. She manipulates classical proportionsas well, placing an oversized knob,

for example, on a petite sugar jar or a chunky spout on a slender soycruet. All of this gives the work anappealingly quirky, human character.

Whereas Allen’s generous formsassertively inhabit the space theyoccupy like a gregarious house-mother, the depth achieved in hersurfaces is more nuanced. The artist’seducational background includedpainting, and this is evident in thepictorial sophistication of her work.The main bodies of the pieces areglazed in single colors—icy blues arecommon—with subtle permutationsin hue and value. Inspired by naturalphenomena such as the aurora borealis and glacial recession, theglassy surfaces have the diffused,atmospheric quality of a MarkRothko painting. Encroaching onthese areas are matte, burnt-orangeshapes resembling clouds or flowers.Within these shapes, Allen layers avariety of floral forms derived frompostwar textile patterns and Edo-period kimono fabric designs, both ofwhich historically celebrated everydaylife. The flowers differ drastically instyle and application: Allen uses slip-trailing bottles for those that aregraphic and abstract, commercialdecals for those with a more realisticappearance, and a brush for the soft silhouettes. These differences inform, along with the layering of theimagery and carefully calibrated variations in hue and value, collapsethe illusion of space in some placesand articulate it in others, recallingthe paintings of Robert Kushner. A filigreed white rose placed over a bold, dark blue chrysanthemum,for example, produces an engagingconfusion in the figure-ground relationship.

It is these types of surprising visualcontradictions that deepen the complexity of Allen’s work. The warmexuberance of the patterned areasabruptly interrupts the cool reserve of the glazes. The whimsy of theembellishments is checked by theorderliness of their application. Thedainty politeness of the scallopedrims and arching handles contrastswith the eccentricity of the disproportionate volumes. “I constantly embrace the unexpectedand serendipitous,” Allen says whendescribing her work, “and I strive to capture moments of awe that I experience in nature. The wonder I felt when first witnessing the northern lights in Alaska’s Knik River Valley. A cluster of violets camouflaged by the moist springgrass. A male cardinal darting past a placid winter landscape. The birth of a baby. The intensity of an earthquake. The vulnerability of human nature.” Moments that, in her words, “startle and open your heart.”

A 2003 recipient of the Archie Bray’sEric Myhre scholarship, Jennifer Allenreceived her BFA from the Universityof Alaska, Anchorage, and her MFA from Indiana University inBloomington. Her work has beenshown nationally and she is currentlyrepresented by galleries including the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, the Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, and the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana.

–Casey Ruble

Jennifer AllenTaunt Fellow

Unexpected Moments

Cups, salt fired porcelain, decals, 4" x 4" x 3.5", 2007

Teapot, salt firedporcelain, decals, 6" x 6" x 4.5", 2007

From tulip vases and teapots toplates, cups, and saucers, JenniferAllen’s utilitarian pieces drive homethe fact that a little embellishmentdoesn’t compromise functionality.

The third of four children of immigrantsfrom rural Germany, Pintz was raisedto value a close connection to theland: He grew up harvesting cropsfrom the family’s backyard garden,picking cherries for homemade jelly,and baking loaves of sourdough in the drywall mud pans his fatherbrought home from his job as a unionpainter. This groundedness comesthrough in Pintz’s personality, as wellas in his technically masterful yetdeceptively simple work.

Made from a coarse Nebraska brickclay that, in Pintz’s words, “most potters wouldn’t touch,” the artist’sworks—plates, cups, and bowls;bakeware and kitchen utensils; feeding troughs for barnyard animals—look like three-dimensional realizationsof painter Giorgio Morandi’s still-lifeobjects. Solid to the point of some-times being too thick to actually use,the works are devoid of decorativeembellishment and craftiness; theircharacter is humble, almost crude. Pintz achieves this rough-hewn quality by carving the objects out of solid clay rather than throwing

them on a wheel—a process that, by virtue of the scrape marks and subtle inconsistencies of the hand,accentuates the negative spaces,lending them a physical presence and emotional charge they wouldn’totherwise have. Pintz’s treatment ofthe surfaces, which range in colorfrom neutrals to earthy pinks, greens,yellows, and blues, contributes to the handcrafted feel. The artist usesbrushed-on glazes for some piecesand terra sigillata for others; in bothcases, the rough texture of the claycauses the glaze or slip to go onunevenly, producing a patinated effectin which the red of the clay peeksthrough in places. The overall aestheticsensibility seems guided by an appreciation of the materials’ rawform and its possibilities; whenlooking at Pintz’s “pots,” one doesn’tforget that they, like the food theyhold, originate from the earth itself.

Pintz’s forms are mostly inspired by nonceramic objects—the afore-mentioned kitchen utensils are a case in point—and they range fromfunctional to nonfunctional. But even the nonfunctional objects (hisceramic egg beaters, for example)speak of utility, and the weight of thefunctional objects renders themunwieldy. Pintz utilizes the installationof his work to further challenge the supposed fault line between sculptureand “mere” pottery: A series of grayish-brown muffin tins hung on the wall read something like AgnesMartin’s spare grid paintings, and a group of troughs installed directly on the floor nod to Minimalist sculptor Carl Andre’s floor pieces.The reductive form, seriality, grid-based architecture, and restrainedpalette of Pintz’s objects recallMinimalist sculpture and painting, buttheir handmade quality and embracingof simple, everyday materials andthemes pushes them closer toPostminimalism—Rachel Whiteread’s

concrete castings of negative spacescome to mind as an apt comparison.Like many of the Postminimalists,Pintz utilizes an economy of formalmeans to achieve depth of content. In his work, seriality and uniformityhave metaphoric potential, with con-notations of community, abundance,and prosperity, and the symbiotic relationship he establishes betweenvolume and negative space reflectsthe basic nature of sustenance. Asthe English poet Philip James Baileyonce wrote, “Simplicity is nature’s first step, and the last of art.” Pintz’swork embodies this idea with a down-to-earth directness, reminding us thatthe container is just as essential aswhat we put in it.

Joseph Pintz earned his BA atNorthwestern University in Evanston,Illinois, completed postbaccalaureatestudies at Southern Illinois University,Edwardsville, and received his MFAfrom the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His work has been exhibitednationwide at museums and galleries including the Museum ofContemporary Craft in Portland,Oregon, the Society of Arts andCrafts in Boston, and the HolterMuseum of Art in Helena, Montana.

–Casey Ruble

Joseph PintzLincoln Fellow

Down to Earth

When talking about his work, JosephPintz often begins by describing his childhood in Chicago—a place most people associate with urban life. But Pintz’s story differs from most Chicago natives.

Thick Bowls, earthenware, 2007

Muffin Tins, earthenware, 2006

The dream was so vivid that when I awoke I immediately called a locksmith to add a deadbolt to myfront door. West’s hand-built, lifelikefigures have a similar power: Youknow they aren’t real, but on a gut level you can’t help but relate to them as if they are.

The use of hyperrealism in sculpturemay be a gimmick, but it’s an effective one—employed perhapsmost notably in the work of Duane Hanson and Ron Mueck, to which West’s pieces can easily be compared. But the eeriness ofWest’s figures stems from more thantheir extreme anatomical veracity.They are caught in ambiguous,sometimes vaguely devious acts.They are mostly unclothed, even insituations where one should bedressed, such as sitting at a schooldesk. The color of their acrylic-paintedsurfaces has little resemblance to

human skin. And they are often,though not always, slightly smaller in scale than the average humanbody. The net effect is similar to thatachieved by Eric Fischl’s sexuallycharged, voyeuristic paintings: One feels compelled to stare but has the uneasy sense that doing so might be taboo.

In the roughly two-foot-tall pieceEntry, for example, a naked middle-aged man painted dark olive greensits on a lime-green pedestal. Hisspindly legs dangle off the side, withhis ankles comfortably crossed, andhis body throws a painted greenshadow on the top of the pedestal,incorporating it into the narrative ofthe piece. In his lap is a woman’spurse, which he slides his hand into.His gaze is directed not at the pursebut rather sideways, as if looking tosee whether anyone is watching him.The precision with which the man’sbody is rendered makes him seeminstantly familiar—his belly has a typical paunch; his receding hairlineis one we’ve seen countless times.But his miniature size, sinister color, and odd pose prompt morequestions than they answer.

In colloquial parlance, the termuncanny is used to describe thingsthat seem odd or abnormal, but inthe context of West’s work, psychol-ogist Sigmund Freud’s definition ismore applicable. Freud notes thatthe term derives from a Germanword with two contradictory mean-ings— the first being “familiar” or“intimate”; the second, “clandestine”or “furtive.” Thus, Freud’s uncannyinvolves a certain ambivalence, signifying things that are frighteningnot because they are unfamiliar but

rather because they used to befamiliar but somehow have becomestrange1—like the subject of West’sAll in Fun and Games, an ordinary-looking man wearing a little girl’spink sock on one hand and raisinghis arms in an “it wasn’t me” type of gesture.

This merging of the familiar and unfamiliar runs throughout West’swork. Like sculptor Katharina Fritsch,the artist uses incongruous colors to prevent us from fully relating to the figures, but the realism of their details—the double chins, the beady eyes—draws us into their odd narratives. As we look at these figures, they look back at us,implicating us as participants in aworld where normal and strange are strangely interchangeable.

A recipient of a 2007 fellowship from the New York Foundation forthe Arts, Christina West received her BFA from Siena HeightsUniversity in Adrian, Michigan, and her MFA from Alfred University in Alfred, New York. Her work has been shown nationally and isincluded in collections including theSan Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in San Angelo, Texas, Wright StateUniversity in Dayton, Ohio, and the Schein-Joseph InternationalMuseum of Art in Alfred, New York.

–Casey Ruble

Christina WestLilian Fellow

The Strangely Familiar

The best way to describe the impact of Christina West’s psychologicallyinvasive sculptures is to relate one of my own personal experiences—a disturbing dream I had in which astranger stood immobile in a corner ofmy bedroom, watching me as I slept.

No Way, 38" tall x 24" wide x 43.5"long, painted ceramic and desk, 2007

1Anneleen Masschelein, A Homeless Concept:Shapes of the Uncanny in Twentieth-CenturyTheory and Culture. Image and Narrative: OnlineMagazine of the Visual Narrative, January 2003,Issue 5. Retrieved from www.imageandnarrative.be/uncanny/anneleenmasschelein.htm>

P as t F ellows hip R ec ipients

1999Marc Digeros , Taunt Fellowship S haron B rus h, Myhre Fellowship

2000E ric E ley, Taunt Fellowship J ohn B yrd, Myhre Fellowship

2001J iman C hoi, Taunt Fellowship J ohn Utgaard, Lilian Fellowship

2002J as on Walker, Taunt Fellowship S andra Trujillo, Lilian Fellowship

2003J eremy K ane, Taunt Fellowship K aren S wyler, Lilian Fellowship

2004Trey Hill, Taunt Fellowship Miranda Howe, Lilian Fellowship K owkie Durs t, Lincoln Fellowship

2005K oi Neng L iew, Taunt Fellowship Deborah S c hwartzkopf,

Lilian Fellowship Melis s a Menc ini,

Lincoln Fellowship

B oard of Directors

Dan Anderson R ichard B aiterJ ohn B alistreriWally B ivinsToni B roadbentS ally B rogdenLin M. DeolaJ ohn GreenAyumi HorieH. J ames KolvaB eth LoAlan NicholsonJ ess ParkerJ on S atreLinda S chlengerAnn S hanerB obby S ilvermanR ebecca S iveNorma TirrellMargaret Woo

R es ident Artis t Direc tor

S teven Young Lee

This publication is generously funded by the J oliet Foundation.

Arc hie B ray Foundation for the C eramic Arts

2915 C ountry C lub AvenueHelena, MT 59602 406-443-3502 archiebray@archiebray.org www.archiebray.org

The Archie B ray Foundation for theC eramic Arts has always been anongoing experiment, a place andexperience with no artistic bound-aries. The extensive facilities, thefreedom to explore, and the creativeexchange that occurs within thecommunity of res ident artis ts provides a profound opportunity forartistic growth, both for individualartists and for the field of ceramics.

To further encourage the B ray“experiment,” R obert and S uzanneTaunt es tablis hed the Taunt Fellowship in 1998. Inspired by the Taunts’ vision and generosity,others established additional awards,including the Myhre Fellowship in

1999 and 2000, the Lilian Fellowshipsince 2001, and most recently theLincoln Fellowship, inaugurated in2004. C urrently the Taunt, Lilian, andLincoln fellowships each provide$5,000 and a one-year residency toa ceramic artist who demonstratesexceptional merit and promise,allowing them to focus more com-pletely on producing and exhibiting a significant body of work duringtheir fellowship year.

Individuals wishing to establish a fellowship at the Archie B rayFoundation are encouraged to contact R esident Artist DirectorS teven Y. Lee.

Annually, the Archie B ray Foundationinvites a critic to spend time at the B ray to meet with the artists,experience the B ray’s unique environment, and develop essays forthe fellowship exhibition catalogue. This year the residency was awardedto C as ey R uble, a New York-based

artist and writer. R uble works as afreelance critic for Art in America.Her paintings have been included inexhibitions in New York and abroad,and she is represented by FoleyGallery in New York C ity. S he alsocurrently holds an artist-in residenceposition at Fordham University.

Nurturing C reative Excellence