Artist: Brent Pafford
Brent Pafford, OREGON
View Artist's Products
At the intersection between generations things are lost: items lose their potency in daily life, and rarely are objects created, manufactured, or bought with the intention to spend a meaningful amount of time with them, care for them, and pass them along to future generations. The work I create is a reaction to the time in which it is being created, reminiscent of objects that have been passed down to me, that I cherish and value. They are contemporary heirlooms: counterpoints to disposability, objects imbued with touch and labor, time and energy. They patiently wait to be discovered and enjoyed, retained and passed on. POPJCTs are my most recent body of work, and investigate object, materiality, and tactile sensations. POPJCTs are made using a variety of methods, creating harmonious interactions out of disparate materials, contrary textures, and incompatible forms. My aim is to situate this work at the intersections of tactility and fragility, anxiety and absurdity: to create objects which demand physical interaction, and that react to contemporary dialogues of queerness, embodying my own explorations of queer identity and belonging, the commodification of queer identity, and the reduction of queer meaning into object, form, and gesture.
POPJCTs, as objects question the interaction of the individual with culture, have emerged as a phenomenology of the self, capturing the ephemerality, disposability, function, utility, value, and experiential worth found and lost in individuality, by the individual. A recent iteration of POPJCTs locates this finding and losing in the concept and realities of access. Access – who has it or does not, and why, and at what gain and at what cost – has been and will continue to be a conversation in our lives. Advocacy and efficacy, equality and equity, mental health and physical health, social barriers, identity, age, class, race, addiction – all factors weaving the complex and complicated pattern of contemporary society, and shaping the exaltation and deprivation of the individual. With rock salt handles, these POPJCTs first glisten, but with each touch and interaction, the salt degrades, leaving on the user’s hand a residue of the time shared. But in gaining this physical impression of the encounter, there is also loss: with each touch the salt erodes, until nothing remains to hold the vessel.
My assertion and investigation, then, is this: If the cup had never been touched, it would simply be an object: static, empty. But in the slow loss and erosion coming through interaction, the cup itself takes on memory; indeed, it transforms from static to semiotic, to vessel and heirloom. Accessing the experience of this object, then, is not simple: it is a complex movement, with anticipated benefit and unexpected loss. This body of work challenges its user to consider their own access – what they gain from it, what is lost in it, and at whose cost does it come.
EDUCATION
Clemson University Clemson, SC
Master of Fine Arts Dec. 2014
-Emphasis in Ceramics
Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC
Bachelor of Fine Arts May 2011
-General Studio – Sculpture and Ceramics
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
2018
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
- American Pottery Festival 2018
- NCECA 2018
2017
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Holiday Sale 2017
CFile, Santa Fe, NM
- Holiday Group Pop-Up Shop
- “10 Potters You Gotta Know”
EXHIBITIONS
2018
Criss Cross Pop Up, Wigle Whiskey, Pittsburgh, PA
Sun Boxes Mach II, Stormwater Studios, Columbia, SC
SIP: A Cup Show, Savannah Clay Community, Savannah, GA (Juried)
2017
Mug Shots, LUX Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE (Juried)
Containers, Three Wheel Studio, Providence, RI (Juried)
Conductivity : Copper In Ceramics, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN (Juried)
The Almighty Cup, Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY (Juried)
Sydney Teapot Show, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney, Australia (Invited Artist)
Visions in Clay, San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA (Juried)
Carbondale Clay National XII, Carbondale, CO (Juried)
Working Pots, James May Gallery, Algoma, WI (Juried)
Feast Your Eyes, Myrtle Beach Art Museum, Myrtle Beach, SC (Invited Artist)
Functional Relationships, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art,
New Harmony, CT (Juried)
Gateway Arts District, Craft Store Exhibition, Brentwood, MD (Invited Artist)
39th St. Corridor, 39th Street Gallery, Brentwood, MD (Invited Artist)
Sip: A Cup Show, Savannah Clay Community, Savannah, GA (Juried)
2016
Creative Corridor, Prince George Community College, Largo, MD (Juried)
Christkindlmarkt, Heurich House Museum, Washington, DC (Invited Artist)
Homegrown Talent, District Clay, Washington, DC (Invited Artist)
Cups, Three Wheel Studio, Providence, RI (Juried)
The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas, George Caleb Bingham Gallery,
University of Missouri, Columbia MO (Juried)
The Almighty Cup, Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY (Juried)
Fire and Earth: The Mighty Mug, Del Ray Artisans, Alexandria, VA (Juried)
Again & Again: The Art of Repetition, 701 Center for Contemporary Art, Columbia, SC (Invited Artist)
Southern Miss Ceramics National, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS (Juried)
1460 Wallmountables, District of Columbia Arts Center, Washington DC
Cheers, Medalta, Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada (Juried)
Proximity, The Clay Co-op, Rockville, MD (Juried)
2x6, VisArts Resident Artist Exhibition, Rockville, MD
ArtFields, R.O.B Building, Lake City, SC
- Jury Prize Winner (Juried)
Across the Table, Charlotte St. Foundation, NCECA 2016, Kansas City, MO (Juried)
Beyond the Brickyard, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT (Juried)
Materials : Hard / Soft, Denton Texas Arts Council, Denton, TX (Juried)
2015
Southern Intentions: Pots, Prints, Provisions, New Orleans, LA
In The Kitchen, Hood College, Franklin, MD (Juried)
The Almighty Cup, Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY (Juried)
Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics, Zanesville, OH (Juried)
-Finalist
Southern Intentions: Pots, Prints, Provisions, 100 West, Corsicana, TX
Delectable, Dalton Gallery, York County Arts Council, Rock Hill, SC
NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition, Sol Koffler Gallery, RISD,
Providence, Rhode Island (Juried)
- Retired Professor Merit Award
2014
Liminal / Sustenance, Lee Gallery, Clemson S.C (MFA Thesis Exhibition)
Corporeal Complexities, Lee Gallery, Clemson S.C (Juried)
20x20, Clemson Arts Center, Clemson S.C (Invited Artist)
Anyway You Wanna Shake It, Clemson Arts Center, Clemson S.C (Invited Artist)
True Colors, Press Street, New Orleans, LA (Juried)
Marge Brown Kalodner Grad Exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA (Juried)
- Awarded Second Place
South Carolina Annual Arts Auction, Invited Artist
Drink This! National Juried Cup Show, Silpe Gallery, Hartford Art School, Hartford C.T (Juried)
Twin Cups: National Ceramics Exhibition 2014, Saint Joseph, Montana (Juried)
Potent Object Project, Acorn Gallery, Clemson, S.C (Solo Exhibition)
2014
delecTABLE: the Fine Art of Dining - Second Biennial Juried Exhibit of Functional Ceramics,
Denver Arts League, Denver, C.O (Juried)
2013
Process This, Clemson Visual Arts Greenville, Greenville, S.C (Juried)
Craft Hilton Head 2013, Hilton Head Arts League, Hilton Head, S.C (Juried)
“FUNK”tion National 2013, Arts Delivered, Charlotte, N.C (Juried)
Battle of The Bowls, Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, V.A (Juried)
Medalta International Cup Show, Medalta Gallery, Alberta, Canada (Juried)
South Carolina Botanical Garden Gallery, Clemson, S.C (Invited Artist)
Festival Of Flowers, Greenwood Arts Council, Greenwood, S.C (Juried)
Thirty-Fourth Annual Juried South Carolina Artist’s Exhibition, Pickens, S.C (Juried)
ArtFields, McNair Life History Center, Lake City, S.C (Juried)
2012
Clemson Ceramics National. Lee Gallery, Clemson, S.C (Invited Artist)
Deans Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C (Invited Artist)
Organics, York County Center For The Arts, Rock Hill, S.C
2011
Winthrop 6th Annual Silent Arts Auction, Gallery UP, Rock Hill, S.C
Stratus Sky: Winthrop BFA / MFA Students, The Loading Dock, Rock Hill, S.C
Art Frenzy, Dalton Gallery, Rock Hill, S.C (Juried)
Handmade (by REAL hands), Hosted by McHales on Main, Rock Hill, S.C
2010
Winthrop 5th Annual Silent Arts Action, Gallery UP, Rock Hill, S.C
Decorative Devices, Hosted by McHales on Main, Rock Hill, S.C
SC Art Ed Conference, Gallery 80808, Columbia, S.C
2009
Public Commission in conjunction with Charlotte Shout! Festival, Charlotte, N.C
Student Undergraduate Exhibition, Rutledge Gallery, Winthrop University (Juried)
2008
Student Undergraduate Exhibition, Rutledge Gallery, Winthrop University (Juried)
Palmetto Hands, North Charleston Convention Center, Charleston, S.C (Juried)
2007
Student Foundations Exhibition (Juried), Edmund Lewandowski Student Gallery, Winthrop University
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Brent Pafford Ceramics USA
Owner/Operator 2015-Present
-Ceramics Studio / Wholesale and Retail Business
Greenville Technical College Greenville, SC
Adjunct Professor May 2014-August 2014
-Introduction to Ceramics (Summer Course / Instructor of Record)
-Syllabus/Rubric available upon request
Clemson University Clemson, SC
Teaching Assistant / Co-Instructor / Studio Technician Aug 2012-Dec 2014
-Manage ceramic studio facility – schedule, inventory, maintenance
-Prepare demonstrations, process student work, ensure studio efficiency, kiln building/repair
-Instruct Intro to Ceramics (Instructor of Record)
Southern Intentions Dinner USA
Founder, Co-Owner/Operator June 2015-Present
-Manage scheduling, finances, and events
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
NCECA Volunteer
Pittsburgh, PA – Registration March 2018
Kansas City, MO - Audio Transcriber Jan. 2016 - March
VisArts Rockville, MD
Resident Artist Feb. 2016 –Present
Tulane Ceramics Department New Orleans, LA
Volunteer Spring 2015
Clemson University Ceramics Association Clemson, SC
Treasurer 2013-2014
Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC
Student Gallery Coordinator 2009-2011
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2016 Artfields 2016 Jury Prize Award, Lake City, SC
Presidential Scholarship, Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts, Snowmass, CO
2015 Finalist, Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics
Retired Professor Merit Award, NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition
2014 Second Place, Marge Brown Kalodner Grad Exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA (Juried)
Professional Enrichment Grant Application Service, Clemson University Graduate School, Clemson University
Clemson University College of Art, Architecture, and Humanities Graduate Research Grant, Clemson University
2013 Clemson University Art Department Scholarship, Clemson University
2008 2008 Sculpture Student of the Year Award, Winthrop University
DEMONSTRATIONS, WORKSHOPS, & DISCUSSIONS
2018 Artist Talk, Northern Clay Center (NCECA)
2015 Delectable, York County Arts Council, Rock Hill, SC (Panel Discussion)
2014 Artisphere 2014, Greenville, SC Clemson University Center For Visual Arts Demonstration Tent
NCECA Topical Discussion, 48th Annual NCECA Conference, Milwaukee, WI “Ornamentation in the Material World”
PUBLICATIONS
2018 Ceramic Artists Now, Online Publication -
http://ceramicartistsnow.com/2018/03/02/brent-pafford-popjcts/
2016 Clemson World, Clemson University Alumni Magazine, Summer 2016
2015 Clemson World, Clemson University Alumni Magazine, Winter 2015
2014 Glimpse, Research and Creative Discovery, Clemson University, Spring
2014
-Article Featured the Potent Object Project
2013 The Chronicle, Fall 2013 Issue, Clemson University