The thesis below…
The following posts are from my Ceramics MFA thesis written in the spring of 2007 at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). I decided to write my thesis as an extended artist statement rather than a research document as a way of exploring my artistic concerns through verbal as well as visual means. The presentation of ideas through written language has always been of interest, and it adds an interesting counterpoint to the rather visceral, experiential, and intuitive nature of my work.
I intend to continue writing critically about my own work, as well as that of other emerging artists. I hope to engender a more critical dialogue in the field of ceramics (beyond the old versus craft debate) and to explore the ways in which artists may use this medium to engage their social, cultural, and artisitic concerns in a very contemporary way. How does such a humble, ancient, and earth-bound material speak to our increasingly digital culture? How does the possibility of a purely virtual presence affect not only the way we chose to interface with the physical world, but our capability and willingness to do so?
