SUSAN FREDA
Susan Freda
[1996, Sculpture]
Based in Warren, RI
Transparency, form, and flowing line, the play of cast shadows and light on a wall, sparkling, subtle states of being that invoke intimate, emotive responses. Freda imbues her pieces with an ephemeral presence and ability to catch and hold light and form. Created from hand woven wire and glass, her pieces envelope viewers in a seductive, entranced space. Their transparent and interconnected forms and jewel-like nature reference nature, fashion, and otherworldly phenomena.
Susan earned her MFA at the Massachusetts College of Art, following her degree at RISD. She has received numerous awards, notably a residency & exhibition at the de Young Museum & a Pollock Krasner Award.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Ritual. I love the ritual of the studio and of keeping certain hours there. Another important ritual is connecting with nature. I try to take regular walks in nature to let me mind wander and to experience nature.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD was the first experience I had with having a studio and a place and time to make my work. It gave me the foundation for this practice which is integral to my life and which I use daily. The studio is a home to me and it is something I trace back to by very first studio at RISD
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The detritus that I find in nature is something that fuels the forms, compositions, colors and the textures that I emulate in my work. I study marine botany and shell structures and plant forms on land. I also feel drawn to fashion and the expression of clothing on the body to reflect inner states of being.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am creating a new body of work in porcelain. They are ocean like coraline structures that are wall mounted. They are a hybrid between bone, plant, and animal. Im very excited to explore this new material and I cant wait to show it at RISD Craft. Its always a treat to be able to get feedback on new work from people on the street.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I will be exhibiting at the NY Art Expo this year and also in the Hong Kong Art Fair. I am to be represented by 5 new US galleries this year and will be having a two person show with Allison Paschke in Feb at the Wheeler Gallery here in Prov.
To see more of Susan’s work, visit susanfredastudios.com
NIKIMADE
Nicole Havekost
[1994, Printmaking]
Based in Rochester, Minnesota
I have always made doll-like bodies. These bodies have been a kind of self-portrait that explores different phases of my life and bodily experience. Some years ago I gave birth to a son and my relationship with my body and my world changed. I wanted to create dolls that embraced joy and innocence; figures that explored my son’s growing identity and experience. Using Paper clay, tissue paper, cotton thread and acrylic paint, I have sculpted another family of animals that stand on hoofed feet with human hands. These figures have both an awkwardness and beauty that both my son and I are learning how to grow into. These animal dolls are the small totems of a family.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Showing up is the most important part of my creative practice. Some days I will make dumb things and other times I might make better things, but it doesn’t get done if I don’t show up to do it. Repetition and process are particularly important to me as well; I find slow, fussy and layered as a way of working to be meditative.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The experience of my body has always been an inspiration to me. Motherhood and aging have also become areas of exploration for me.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I have been working on a series of anthropomorphic animal dolls over the last several years that I am excited to bring. I am hoping to create a few more with masks and capes to see how their character changes. Honestly, I am just really excited to see the work my fellow alumni bring and be immersed in that creative culture for a weekend.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I am a 2018 fiscal year Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant recipient as well as a 2018 fiscal year Southeaster Minnesota Arts Council Advancing Artist Grant recipient. I have recently exhibited work in group exhibitions in New Orleans, Chicago and Dallas and will soon be sending work to an exhibition in Tasmania, Australia. I will have a solo exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, California in March 2019.
To see more of Nicole’s work, visit nikimade.com
RICKY BOSCARINO
Ricky Boscarino
[1982, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in New Jersey
Ricky Boscarino’s RISD Craft Gallery
My jewelry work is created by the repoussé method as well as traditional fabrication. Sterling silver and bronze are my main materials. I also incorporate found objects and antique glass stones.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Channeling sources of inspiration is my most important practice. Since I live and work in my great work in progress which is my home and studio every day is an adventure in creativity. I have the ability to switch media from metal, clay, glass, wood and cement and many others which I dabble. My work is mixed media and this is one of my most important practices.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I look back on my years at RISD as incredibly productive and inspiring. I feel just as inspired as ever and even more so that I am passionate with my current work. RISD showed me the abundance of creativity which I carry with me everyday.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My home Luna Parc is my main Well-Spring of inspiration. It is my 30 year obsession. Since 1989 the house and grounds have been developed by me into a museum and sculpture park.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My articulated insect jewelry pieces are certainly my most favorite to make. Since my youth I’ve been an entomologist and now as a working artist I have incorporated this concept into my work. The insect pieces are made of sterling silver and bronze. The appendages, head, thorax and antennae are fully articulated with minute rivets. These I consider my signature pieces.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I’ve been featured on several home shows on HGTV for Luna Parc: Extreme Homes, Home Strange Home, Extreme Cribs. Also on TLC on a show called Four Houses and on a Canadian TV show called Home Work.
To see more of Ricky’s work, visit lunaparc.com
ANNA BOOTHE
Anna Boothe
[1981, Sculpture]
Based in Pennsylvania
Anna Boothe’s RISD Craft Gallery
The work I will show at RISD Craft is comprised of individually crafted, one-of-a-kind sculptural vessels, flacons, “talismans,” beads and other decorative objects. With technical inspiration taken from the late 19th C. – early 20th C. French glass-casting technique known as pate de verre, all are constructed of brilliantly colored glass elements, kiln-cast from lead crystal via the lost-wax casting process, then ground, hand-polished and assembled.
Conceptually and visually, the objects elicit a sense of history and ritual. Formally, their prompts derive from antiquity and nature. The resultant composite forms interpret symbols from a variety of sources. Prominently featured in many pieces, the hand motif represents a ubiquitous cross-cultural human tool of communication through its emblematic gestures of friendship, generosity, holding, letting go, etc.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My experience at RISD set the foundation for my ongoing practice – through challenging and helping to develop my resolve to keep at it and pursue a life grounded in the arts. Friendships made at the time keep circling back to support and strengthen what I do now. At RISD I studied Sculpture, and combined with what I learned in the great studio and art history electives I took, I don’t think I could’ve started my career with a better critical and practical overview of what lay ahead. Several of those electives were in the Glass Department; those classes sparked a connection to the material that is now central to my work.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
By practices, I’m assuming the question refers to techniques I use in fabricating my work. I cast glass using the lost wax process. All of the work is made from crushed lead crystal that gets melted in one-use molds – that which is hand or machine finished/polished and assembled. Some of the work is created using a more refined version of this process: pate de verre ( late 19th C. French casting technique that traditionally relied on the casting of colored glass powders). Other than actual art-making practices, my regular and longterm yoga practice greatly informs my hands-on and conceptual approach to how I work – mostly around patience (it’s glass! it breaks all the time!) and the intensely long and tedious process I use.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The work that I plan to show at RISD for the October market is inspired by iconography from a variety of cultures. Many of the objects I create are extrapolations or interpretations of Buddhist symbols and forms, as well as those from ancient Mediterranean civilizations…..and from object-memories from my travels and research. A lot of the objects are an outgrowth of a large collaborative project I’ve been involved in since 2012, initiated through a Collaborative Residency at the Corning Museum of Glass. The result of that project, “Between Seeing and Knowing” – an approx. 50′ long x 11′ high installation comprised of 300+ glass elements – has been shown at Accola Griefen Gallery in Chelsea (2013), Philadelphia Art Alliance (2017), and the Philadelphia International Airport (2018).
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
In addition to the current exhibit I have with my collaborative partner Nancy Cohen at the Philadelphia International Airport (through July, 2018), she and I have a collaborative exhibit opening in October at the Arts Council of Princeton (NJ). In addition I’ll be participating in 2018 Fall exhibits at the Albuequerque Museum of Art, Wayne Art Center (PA) and will be showing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.
To see more of Anna’s work, visit annaboothe.com
JUDI GOUDREAU
Judi Goudreau
[1991, Illustration]
Based in Pawtucket, RI
Judi Goudreau’s RISD Craft Gallery
This year will be my twelfth making my small expressive sculptures of animals. I try my best to capture each dog or cat’s most endearing quality or characteristic in clay. Each figure is formed from a fist size piece of clay. Using breed specific images and my own memories of my friends, families, and my own pets as a guide. All my sculptures are custom glazed and fired in my studio in Pawtucket, RI.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Observation, observation, observation! Knowing how my subjects move and interact with each other is the best tool to bring to the table.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Studying in the illustration department at RISD I was encouraged to try to keep the gestural quality in my drawings and paintings. In my current work this gestural skill is invaluable, it brings life to my sculptures. I strive to bring out the character traits and personalities of the different breeds of dogs and cats that I create. I know I have succeeded when I make you smile.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
It all began when I was sharing a space with a ceramist, I picked up some clay and had fun. I created dogs for my friends and family after my first dog, Conner, died. Making these dogs I used memories of him and found sharing the little sculptures made me smile. I still enjoy making others smile with them.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am working on creating a line of pet urns that can be customized to suit the client. They are a beautiful way to honor your furry family member.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
My first solo show this August: the opening was August 2nd, with viewing hours August 3-5 at One Buzzards Bay Avenue, Woods Hole, MA.
To see more of Judi’s work, visit judigoudreau.com
MARTIN MCDERMOTT
Martin McDermott
[2016, MFA Ceramics]
Based in Jamaica Plain, MA
Martin McDermott’s RISD Craft Gallery
My artistic practice is rooted in the creation of abstract sculptural forms inspired by objects found in nature. I investigate the borders where contrasting formal languages converge: geometric and sensual, raw and refined, emotional and analytical. I look to the canyons, caves, and cliffs in the rocky landscape of the American West, where I grew up, as source material for much of my work. My current interests include the history of land use, development, and preservation.
I choose to work with clay because of its deep literal and metaphorical connection to land. The dynamic processes of shaping, building, drying, and firing mimic geological mechanisms, while the accumulation and subtraction of material encourages the emergence of unexpected sculptural forms. The natural, intuitive gestures of the hand in soft clay meet the geometric, analytical cuts in the surface. Additional layers of meaning are added through the use of slips and glazes.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The two most important practices in my creative process are experimental mark-making for idea generation and glaze testing. Many of my ideas for new works grow out of the process of making a current piece. It might be a mark that is make or a form I see in a developing work that sparks the idea for a new sculpture. Being present in the process and open to new discoveries is essential for me to continue my creative momentum. Glaze testing is the other area that is fundamental to my process. I create hundreds of glaze tests each year, searching for and refining my recipes for particular surface effects.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Many of the ideas and themes I’ve explored in my work over the past two years were developed in my time at RISD or grew out of seeds planted during my time in the graduate Ceramics program. The conversations I had with other students, faculty, and visiting artists were so rich and fertile that they are still bearing fruit in my creative process today.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My main source of inspiration is the junction between human construction and the natural landscape. I’m particularly interested in areas where this junction creates an uneasy tension. An example of this is the strict grid system for laying out roads which was applied most evidently in Western areas of the U.S. The areas where the grid meets the natural topography of the landscape can create feelings of serendipity, tension, and can feel absurd at times. My experience of these areas growing up in Colorado had a profound impact on how I see the landscape and on what I find interesting.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Over the past year, I’ve been working on a series of small sculptures that I can my “Ore Series.” These works take inspirations from gemstones, crystals, and geodes and use brightly colored glazes to highlight and enhance their forms. I hope to share several of these at RISD Craft this year.
To see more of Martin’s work, visit martinrmcdermott.com
ANASTASIA AZURE
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The elegance of geometry is my main source of inspiration. I am particularly drawn to radial symmetry and its ability to provide serenity. I merge the disciplines of jewelry metal arts and textiles to explore mathematical shapes and scientific principles. I toggle back and forth in size between bold, wearable jewelry and geometric, wall sculptures. I use an ancient Peruvian weaving technique that I have adapted to a floor loom and weave with nylon and wire.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am thrilled to debut my Dimensional Weave Jewelry collection with the RISD community this year. I handcraft contemporary art jewelry by combining textiles and jewelry metal arts with non-traditional materials. The jewelry is very detailed, complicated and time intensive to make. I do very limited production throughout the year. RISD Craft will be my exclusive retail event of 2018.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
EXCERPT FROM MY UPCOMING PRESS RELEASE: Anastasia’s innovative artwork attracted the eye of a Hungarian art consultant on Instagram, leading to her largest project to date. Fifteen woven wall sculptures were commissioned for an overseas installation! This led to the expansion of her studio at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, RI, a harmoniously designed space for production and exhibition.
Her largest international project will proudly be displayed in the newly built Grand Hyatt, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, slated to open its doors late summer 2018. The 5-star property will display Anastasia’s architectural, interior décor in the atrium lobby among many other works by respected artists. Additional sculptural work by Anastasia can be found in the Ritz Carlton – Half Moon Bay, CA, and the Hilton in Singapore.
To see more of Anastasia Azure’s work, visit anastasiaazure.com