Opening Reception during Gallery Walk, Friday June 6, 5-8pm. This event takes place during the Iowa Arts Festival, June 5-8. For more information about the Festival, visit www.iowaartsfestival.com

Narrative Ceramics by Laurie Shaman

On view at the Gallery through August 7, 2003, Shaman’s mostly hand-built forms combine her love of clay with her interest in drawing. “The vessel, whether a vase, a bowl or plate form, holds an interest for me as a functional piece as well as an object that tells a story,” comments the artist. Shaman explores a variety of subjects, including the human face and figure, animals, and elements of nature, architecture and landscape. After creating the initial clay forms, Shaman uses several approaches to drawing on the surface. One involves spontaneous brushwork. A second is sgraffito, in which she carves through a dark underglaze to reveal the white clay underneath. A third approach is to draw directly into wet clay and later emphasize the movement of lines with glazes and stains. She enjoys promoting a theatrical feeling in the work, as well as a reference to historical and classical art, literature and mythology.

Shaman was a resident ceramic artist for 13 years at the well-known Lill Street Studio and currently works out of the Midwest Clay Guild in Evanston, IL. Shaman curated over 45 ceramic exhibitions while serving as Director of the Lill Street Gallery and classrooms. For several years, she also served as the Program Coordinator of the Art in Public Places program, as well as the Visual Arts Coordinator for the Wisconsin Arts Board. During that time she was a studio potter in Mineral Point, WI. She currently makes her home in the Chicago area.