Artist: Guillermo Cuellar

Guillermo Cuellar, MINNESOTA
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I fell in love with the potter's wheel in college. Inspired by "A Potter's Book", by Bernard Leach, I wanted to become a part of the historical sweep of this ancient and vital art. I find exquisite beauty in the best pots made for use, for the preparing and sharing of food.

Travelling in Venezuela where I was born, I came across the baskets, pots, weaving and woodwork of native Indian people. To see their beautiful objects in daily use was a revelation. It was not only the handwork I loved but also how these pieces brought people together, as the focus of almost every activity. The way these Indians integrate their art with their lives remains an ideal to me.

Accident and surprise are elements I love in the making process and in the firing. My kilns are just unpredictable enough to be interesting. I still look forward to every firing like a celebration, complete with gifts.

BIOGRAPHY
Guillermo was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1951 and grew up in Caracas.

He studied ceramics at Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where he met his wife Laurie MacGregor. After graduating he worked for the World Wildlife Fund in Venezuela before returning to pottery in 1980. He set up a studio in the village of Turgua, an hour southeast of Caracas, where he and Laurie raised their two children, Carlos and Alana and grew coffee. Guillermo made pots and had group sales in Turgua over the following 20 years.

In 2005 he established a studio and showroom in the upper St. Croix River valley near Shafer, Minnesota, where he currently lives and works.

EDUCATION/TRAINING
1984-2006 Shared workshop experience: Warren MacKenzie, summers

1981-1991 Workshops: Linda Christianson; Clary Illian; David Leach; Warren MacKenzie; Randy & Jan McKeachie-Johnston; Mark Pharis

1976 BA in Art (Honors), French and Geology from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA

EMPLOYMENT
1980-Present Self-employed as a studio potter

GRANTS & AWARDS
2012 Artist Initiative Grant in Visual Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2011 East Central Arts Council/McKnight Individual Artist Grant, Mora, MN

2006 Artist Initiative Grant in Visual Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN

1997 Vicente Emilio Sojo Silver Medal for Influence in Advancement of Culture in the state of Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela

1981 Carabobo University Prize for Utilitarian Ceramics, IX National Salon of the Arts of Fire, Valencia, Venezuela

COLLECTIONS
The Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Mashiko Municipal Pottery Art Museum, Mashiko, Japan
Cornell College, Mr. Vernon, IA
Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN
Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Banco Mercantil, Caracas, Venezuela
Galería Nacional de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2018
Functional Ceramics Exhibition, Wayne Center for the Arts, Wooster, OH
Subtle Variations, Solo Show, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
On Wheels, Pots by Guillermo and Alana Cuellar, Chilkoot Café & Cyclery,
Stillwater, MN

2017
4th Yunomi Invitational, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, MN
200 Cups, Edina Art Center, Edina, MN
Ashes to Ashes, The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Shino Splendor, District Clay Center, Washington D.C.
A Culture of Pots: The 25 th Anniversary of the St. Croix Valley Potters, Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Warren MacKenzie and Friends, The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Latino Art Migration, Concordia Art Center, St. Paul, MN

2016
3rd Yunomi Invitational, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Members Show, White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear Lake, MN
Members Show, Grand Marais Art Colony, Grand Marais, MN
TEA, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
FORMS, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
Featured Artist, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2016 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2015
MUD MEN: Works from a Shared Studio by MacKenzie, Cuellar, Branum, TRAX
Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2nd Yunomi Invitational, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2015 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
For Our Daily Lives, solo exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI

2014
Guillermo Cuellar: St. Croix Stoneware, The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
1st Yunomi Invitational, Raymond Gallery, St. Paul, MN
MacKenzie’s Influence in the St. Croix, ArtReach St. Croix & St. Croix Galleries, Stillwater, MN
Red River Reciprocity: Contemporary Ceramics in Minnesota and North Dakota, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Men of the North Woods, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
MinneSoda, Edina Art Center, Edina, MN
Lasting Appeal, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
2014 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
17th Annual Friends Show, St. Croix ArtBarn, Osceola, WI
Members Show, ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN

2013
Minnesota to Massachusetts: Sharing the Fire, Lacoste Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Myriad, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
30 x 5: Sushi and Me, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
Instructor Show, White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear Lake, MN
Featured Artist, St. Anthony Park Arts Festival, St. Anthony Park, MN
16th Annual Friends Show, St. Croix ArtBarn, Osceola, WI
Strong. Gracious. Useful. Solo Exhibition, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
2013 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
Dish it Up: Dinner Plate Show, TRAX Gallery, Berkeley, CA

2012
Pacemakers, MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN
Tour de Force, St. Croix Galleries, ArtReach, Stillwater, MN
Reencuentro, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Locals We Love, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
15th Annual Friends Show, Osceola, WI
2012 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA
Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
GROUNDED, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI

2011
Minnesota Nice, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL
9th Annual It’s Only Clay Exhibition, Bemidji Community Art Center, Bemidji, MN
Doug Hanson Legacy Show, Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA
FRESH, Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, MI
2011 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2010
Featured Artist, The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Guillermo Cuellar Solo Exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Red Lodge, Montana

2009
Warm Pots for Cold Times, Guillermo Cuellar with Lisa Buck, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota
New Host Studio: Minnesota Potters of the Upper St. Croix River
Minnesota Traditions: Potters of the Upper St. Croix River, Roswell Art Center West, Roswell, Georgia

2008
fiber for the walls, pots for the table, Howard Conn Fine Arts Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Form and Figure, Guillermo Cuellar with Doug Lew (watercolors and drawings), The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota

2006-2007
Artist Initiative Grantees in Visual and Media Arts Exhibition, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul Minnesota
4 SCORE: Guillermo Cuellar, Julia Galloway, Forrest Lesch-Middleton,
Craig Petey, TRAX Ceramics Gallery, Berkeley, California

2006
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar, Pottery, Raymond Avenue Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota

2004
Solo show: Objects We Live With, Guillermo Cuellar; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa

2003
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar: Los Objetos que Escogemos, Sala Mendoza, Caracas
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar: Influences and Recent Work, Peter Paul
Luce Gallery, Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa

1997
Vivan los Artesanos! Fine Crafts from Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela, The 1997 Smithsonian Craft Show, Washington D.C.
Tracing Tradition: Warren MacKenzie, Wayne Branum, Guillermo Cuellar, Barbara Diduk, Shirley Johnson, Randy Johnston, Michael Simon, Sandy Simon, Mike Thiedeman, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1996
De Mar a Tierra, Sala Cultural Corpoven, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
Una Década de Arcilla, Sala Angelmó, Santiago, Chile
XXIII Salón Nacional de las Artes de Fuego, Sala de Exposiciones Braulio
Salazar, Valencia, Venezuela
1995 Diez Presencias – Las Artes del Fuego en Venezuela, Galería de Arte Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela
Intercambio 3, Cerámica en Pequeño Formato, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo
de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Primer Pequeño Encuentro en Turgua, Turgua, Venezuela

1993
Interpretaciones en Barro: Tendencias Contemporáneas en la Cerámica, Museo
de Arte Contemporáneo Mario Abreu, Maracay, Venezuela
Cerámica Venezolana, The Clay Place, Pittsburgh, PA

1992 Barros Comunicantes, Sala CANTV, Caracas, Venezuela
XLVII Asamblea Anual de Fedecameras, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela

1991
Cerámica en Pequeño Formato, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas,
Sala CADAFE, Caracas, Venezuela
Cerámica para Convivir, Galería Barro y Fuego, Caracas, Venezuela
KFETTRAS, Centro de Arte Euroamericano, Caracas, Venezuela
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar, Asociación Venezolana de las Artes del Fuego,
Caracas, Venezuela

1990
Cornell College Alumni Ceramics Exhibition, Armstrong Gallery, Mt. Vernon, IA
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar, Galería VIA, Caracas, Venezuela

1985
Cerámica Utilitaria, Sala CANTV, Caracas, Venezuela
Los Hombres Frente al Barro, Galería Barro y Fuego, Caracas, Venezuela
Primer Salón Nacional de las Artes de Fuego, Rotary Club, Hotel Caracas Hilton,
Caracas, Venezuela
RAKU-AVAF, Asociación Venezolana de las Artes del Fuego, Caracas,
Venezuela
Solo show: Guillermo Cuellar, Asociación Venezolana de las Artes del Fuego,
Caracas, Venezuela

1984 XIV Exposición de las Artes del Fuego, Sala de Exposiciones Fundación
Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela

1983
Arte y Fuego en Movimiento, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela
Solo show: Cerámica, Galería Terracota, Caracas, Venezuela

1982
Primer Salón Nacional de la Asociación Venezolana de las Arte del Fuego, Sala
CANTV, Caracas, Venezuela

1981
Form and Function, VAAUW Gallery, Caracas, Venezuela
IX Salón Nacional de las Artes del Fuego, Sala de Exposiciones Braulio Salazar,
Valencia, Venezuela

WORKSHOPS
2017
Taller Huara Huara, Santiago, Chile
Grand Marais Art Colony, Grand Marais, MN
Adamah clay Studios, Dodgeville, WI

2016
Penland School of Crafts, Bakersville, NC
Grand Marais Art Colony, Grand Marais, MN
Adamah Clay Studios, Dodgeville, WI
Marshalltown High School, Marshalltown, IA

2015
Grand Marais Art Colony, Grand Marais, MN
Adamah Clay Studios, Dodgeville, WI
The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI

2014 Centro de Arte Curaumilla, Curaumilla, Chile

2013 Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire, Arts Center of St. Peter, St. Peter, MN
White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear Lake, MN

2011
Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire, Workshop 1, Anoka Ramsey Community
College, Coon Rapids, MN
9th Annual It’s Only Clay National Juried Competition and Exhibition, Bemidji
Community Art Center with Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Taller Huara Huara, Santiago, Chile

2009 Rochester Community and Technical College, Rochester, MN

1998 Taller Huara Huara, Santiago Chile

1991-1997 Venezuelan Arts of Fire Association (AVAF), Caracas, Venezuela

1982 Sala Mendoza, Caracas, Venezuela

RELATED EXPERIENCE
2016
Grant review panelist, Artist Initiative Grants FY 2017, Minnesota State Arts
Board, St. Paul, MN
Board Member, Art Reach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN
Presenter, Grupo Turgua Experience, Foro Mercantil, Caracas, Venezuela

2015 Board Member, ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN

2014 Board Member, ArtReach St. Croix, Stillwater, MN

2013
Presenter, Last Chance Gallery, Lutsen, MN
Presenter, White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear Lake, MN
Visiting Artist, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Juror, St. Anthony Park Arts Festival, St. Paul, MN
2012
Grant review panelist, Cultural Community Partnership Grants FY 2013
Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
Juror/Curator, Northern Lights Exhibition, White Bear Center for the Arts, White Bear, MN
Board Member, Art Reach, Stillwater, MN
2011
Juror/Curator, 9th Annual It's Only Clay National Juried Competition and Exhibition, Bemidji Community Art Center with Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN

MEDIA
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN
Documentary: Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire.
Minnesota Original/Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul, MN
Guillermo Cuellar, Episode #314.

PUBLICATIONS
Arroyo, Miguel
- Cuellar y la Cerámica Utilitaria
Catia, Venezuela: Galería de las Artes de Fuego de Caracas, Gobernación del Distrito Federal, 1992.
Asprino, Alberto
- Barros Comunicantes.
Caracas, Venezuela: Sala de Exposiciones CANTV, 1992.
- Diez presencias.
Las artes de fuego en Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela: Fundación Galería de
Arte Nacional, 1995.
- De Mar a Tierra.
Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela: Sala Cultural Corpoven, 1996.
- Intercambio 3.
Cerámica en pequeño formato. México, Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Catia.
- Venezuela: Museo Jacobo Borges, 1998.
Ceramico.con.ve Una mirada a la cerámica contemporánea venezolana.
Caracas, Venezuela: Fundación Corp Group Centro Cultural, 2001.
- Barbieri, Nelly
El Movimiento Cerámico en Venezuela.
Caracas, Venezuela: Consejo Nacional de la Cultura, 1999.
- Caneschi, Gigliola
Guillermo Cuellar. Los Objetos Que Escogemos.
Caracas, Venezuela: Sala Mendoza, 2003.
- Ceramics Monthly
Studio Visit: Guillermo Cuellar. Ceramics Monthly, (April 2011: 36-39):
Charles Spahr, Westerville, OH, 2011.
- Erminy, Perán
Venezuelan Studio Ceramics.
London, England: British Crafts Centre, 1985.
- Galería Lis
Grupo Turgua, Trabajos Recientes.
San Cristóbal, Venezuela: Quinta Lisa Galería de Arte, 1999.
- Galería Vía
Cuellar.
Caracas, Venezuela: Galería Vía, 1990.
- Glück, David A.
Yunomi.
Israel: David A. Glück, 2010.
- Grupo Turgua Diez Anos
Caracas, Venezuela: Editorial Ex Libris y Grupo Turgua, 2003.
- Guevara, José Luis
Diez presencias. Las artes del fuego en Venezuela.
Guía de Sala No. 2. Caracas, Venezuela: Fundación Galería de Arte Nacional,
1995.
- Guevara, Roberto
Arte y Fuego en Movimiento.
Caracas, Venezuela: Universidad Simón Bolívar, 1983.
- Kowalski, Andrea
“Ceramists Throw Out-of-Town Pottery Exhibition”.
In: The Daily Journal. Caracas, Venezuela: The Daily Journal, 1992 (Arts,
November 5).
- Láncara, Juan Carlos
Pluralidad y oficio.
Cerámica contemporánea venezolana en la Colección Banco Mercantil.
Caracas, Venezuela: Sala Mendoza y Banco Mercantil, 2000.
- Lange, Augusto et al
Asociación Venezolana de las Artes del Fuego 1979-1992.
Testimonio. Caracas, Venezuela: Editorial Arte, 1992.
- MacKenzie, Nancy and Warren
Guillermo Cuellar, una nueva dirección.
ESTEKA, Revista de Cerámica Contemporánea. (9:16-18). Santiago, Chile:
Huara Huara 1932, 2010.
- Monsalve, Yasmín
“En Turgua los ceramistas tienen su refugio”.
In: El Universal, Cultura y Espectáculos. Caracas, Venezuela: El Universal, 1998.
“La austera belleza de la cerámica”.
In: El Universal. Caracas, Venezuela: El Universal, 1998.
“La artesanía en otra dimensión”.
In: El Universal. Caracas, Venezuela: El Universal, 2001.
- Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico
Intercambio 3. México, Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Cerámica en Pequeño
Formato. Puerto Rico: Museo de Arte contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, 1995.
- Pereira, Livia
“Objetos de Arte para la Vida Diaria. Cerámica y orfebrería del Grupo Truga"
In: DecorArt. Ambientes en Venezuela (11:78-85). Caracas, Venezuela:
Inversiones C.A., 2001.
- P.G.B.
Guillermo Cuellar. Un alfarero en busca de tradición.
In: El Universal, 19 de julio. Caracas, Venezuela: El Universal, 1985.
- Planetario Alfa
Intercambio 3. México, Puerto Rico, Venezuela.
Cerámica en Pequeño Formato. Monterrey, México: Planetario Alfa, 1997.
- Reig, Ana
De Mano en Mano. Siete Ceramistas Venezolanos.
Caracas, Venezuela: Sala Mendoza, 1999.
- Smithsonian
15th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show and International Loan Exhibit, “Vivan los
Artesanos”. Washington D. C.: The National Building Museum, 1997.
- Suárez, David
“La cerámica como máxima celebración de lo cotidiano”.
In: El Diario de Caracas, Arte y Espectáculos. Caracas, Venezuela: El Diario de
Caracas, 1994.
- Universidad de Carabobo
VIII Salón Nacional de la Artes del Fuego. Valencia, Venezuela: Sala de
Exposiciones Braulio Salazar, Universidad de Carabobo, 1980.

CURRENT GALLERY REPRESENTATION
AKAR, Iowa City, Iowa
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, Massachusetts
Last Chance Gallery, Lutsen, Minnesota
Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, Illinois
Northern Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
Schaller Gallery, Benton Harbor, Michigan
The Grand Hand, St. Paul, Minnesota