2019 Symposium: Clay Bodies

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ClayHouston presents it's 5th Annual Symposium

featuring Thaddeus Erdahl and Lorna Meaden

ClayHouston is pleased to announce the 2019 Fall Symposium, “Clay Bodies” This year we are very happy to have Lorna Meaden and Thaddeus Erdahl for our visiting artists. Lorna and Thaddeus are two prolific ceramic artists with diverse backgrounds and multi-faceted studio practices. Kathryn Hall, curator at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, will be our Keynote Speaker and Jessica Kreutter, an art faculty member in ceramics and sculpture at Houston Community College, will be our Panel Moderator.

Both Thaddeus Erdahl and Lorna Meaden create work that considers the human body, whether it be sculpting the accumulation of stories and time on the faces of figures, or the bodily experience, routine and celebration that revolves around daily sustenance through handmade vessels. Thaddeus Erdahl is a studio artist and teacher in St. Petersburg/Tampa, Florida. He was a resident of Arrowmont and Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center.  He has taught numerous workshops on the subjects of ceramic sculpture and surface design.  Erdahl uses exaggerated figurative forms to explore myth and the oddities of human nature. The content of his work tends to juxtapose dark humor and ancient narratives with cartoon-toy playfulness.  Lorna Meaden is a studio potter in Durango, Colorado. She has been a resident at Archie Bray, Anderson Ranch and was a demonstrating artist at NCECA. Meaden creates wood/soda fired porcelain vessels that are rich in ornamentation. She uses features like long spouts, soft bulging handles and textile patterns in mishima lines to create an extravagant, nostalgic experience that gives reverence to the handmade.