Artist: Kelly Justice
Kelly Justice, NEW YORK
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My work begins as a collage, parts and pieces of found objects stacked together to create new forms. I am constantly on the look-out for alluring shapes, patterns and textures. The shelves of my studio are stockpiled with objects for potential use: vintage glassware from thrift stores, old light fixtures from architectural salvage shops, plastic junk food canisters, takeout containers from local restaurants. Through the processes of mold-making and slipcasting, I transform and elevate these objects, many of which are easily overlooked and too often discarded. I use a combination of intensely colored porcelains and glazes to activate the forms, superimposing patterns over textures, and contrasting glossy surfaces with sensually smooth matte finishes. The surface imagery (floral motifs, sunbursts, geometric and radial designs) in bright pops of color, paired with the symmetry of the forms, serves to elicit a sense of lightheartedness and play, abundance and multiplicity. I create vibrant wares that exist as statement pieces in the home. Confident and assertive, these pieces brighten your living space and add a bit of joy each time they are used or viewed.
EDUCATION
2015 Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2010-2013 Post Baccalaureate in Ceramics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2010 Bachelor of Arts in English, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
▪ Minor in Studio Art
PROFESSIONAL
2016-Present Ceramic Studio Manager, Flower City Arts Center (Formerly Genesee Center for the Arts and Education), Rochester, NY
2011-2013 Development Coordinator, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR
RESIDENCIES
2015-2016 Ceramic Artist in Residence, Genesee Center for the Arts and Education, Rochester, NY
EXHIBITIONS
2021
(Upcoming) Untitled Group Exhibition: Anne Stevens, Kelly Justice, Kassandra Palmer, Taylor
Loftin, James May Gallery, Algoma, WI
2020 (Upcoming) Flower City Pottery Invitational, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY, Curated by Matt Metz, Peter Pincus and Richard Aerni
Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City, IA
Gandee Gallery Expo, 54th NCECA Conference Expo, Richmond, VA
2019
Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City, IA
White & Black Invitational, Firehouse Gallery, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester NY
Articulating Craft, Arts Center Gallery, Nazareth College Arts Center, Rochester, NY
2018
The Almighty Cup, Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY, Juried by DJ Hellerman
Unwedged, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA, Juried by Julia Galloway
Out of the Mold: Carbondale Clay National XIII, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO, Juried by John and Andrea Gill
Imprinted: New Work by Kelly Justice, Firehouse Gallery, Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY Coffee & Clay, Invitational, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA
Ware/Wear, Pocosin Arts, Columbia, NC, Juried by Doug Peltzman
2017
Working Pots II, James May Gallery, Algoma, WI, Juried by Birdie Boone
Confluence and Bifurcation, PNCA/OCAC, MFA AC+D Studios, NCECA Portland 2017
Last Call II: Handmade Ceramics for Storing, Pouring, and Sipping Fine Libations, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN, Juried by Jennifer Allen
2016
Setting the Table: Ceramics, Furniture, and Still Life Paintings, Invitational, Main Street Arts, Clifton Springs, NY
Domestic Digest, Artist in Residence Exhibition, Firehouse Gallery, Genesee Center for the Arts and Education, Rochester, NY
Domestic Design, Architecture Gallery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Juried by Heather Mae Erickson
DelecTABLE: the Fine Art of Dining, Third Biennial Juried Exhibit of Functional Ceramics, The Art Students League of Denver, CO, Juried by Peter Beasecker
2015
30 Under 30, Invitational, Memorial Art Gallery Store, Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Showroom, MFA Thesis Exhibition, Turner Gallery, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Variance: Survey of Graduate Student Work, Alfred Ceramics 2015, The WURKS, NCECA Providence, RI
2014
TeaTime, Invitational, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2013 Beyond the Brickyard, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT, Juried by Andrea Gill
2012 Solo Show: Works by Kelly Brenner Justice, Anne Kittrell Gallery, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, Juried by Pete Pinnell
2012
NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Juried by Kathy King and Mark Burns
Cups and Coffee, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Fuel Coffee Seattle, Seattle, WA, Juried by Dylan J. Beck
2011
To Go, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA, Juried by Christa Assad
Finer Things: A Juried Contemporary Craft Exhibit, sUgAR Gallery, Bentonville, AR, Juried by Leo Mazow
US, An Undergraduate Salon, sUgAR Gallery, Bentonville, AR
Atmospheric Fired 2011, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO, Juried by Lorna Meaden
AWARDS
2017
Birdie Boone Cup Prize, Working Pots II Exhibition, James May Gallery 2014
2014 Summer Conference Award at The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Selected by the Faculty of the Division of Ceramic Art, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
2012
The Studio Potter Merit Award, Undergraduate Level, 2012 NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition
COLLECTIONS
2016 Private collection of John and Andrea Gill, Alfred, NY 2015 Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, MFA Collection
Private collection of Robert Pffanebecker, Philadelphia, PA 2013 University of Arkansas Ceramics Student Collection, Fayetteville, AR
PUBLICATIONS
2019 Justice, Kelly, “Tear Out and Try: Inlaid Slipcasting by Kelly Justice,” Pottery Making Illustrated,
March/April 2019, pp. 22-26. 2018 Unwedged No. 8, Exhibition Catalogue, Pottery Northwest with Juror Julia Galloway 2017 Flanigan, Robin, “Two Hand Touch: Maker Kelly Justice,” POST Rochester, Winter 2017, Issue
24, pp. 100-105 2015 Variance, Catalog of Graduate Student Work at the Alfred University School of Art and Design
2012 King, Cyd, “Solo Cups Become Art in UA Exhibit,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, November 30,
2012, pp. 1B, 6B Merino, Tony, “Exhibition Review: NCECA 2012 National Student Juried Exhibition,” Ceramics Monthly, September 2012, pp. 44-48
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2016-Present Instructor: Beginning and Intermediate Mold-Making and Slip Casting Classes, Flower City Arts
Center (formerly Genesee Center for the Arts and Education), Rochester, NY
2015 Instructor: Wheel for Beginners, Genesee Center for the Arts and Education, Rochester, NY
2015 Teaching Assistant to Jason Green: Junior Tile, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2014 Teaching Assistant to Matt Katz: Sophomore Intro to Mold Making, Alfred University,
Alfred, NY Summer School Studio Assistant, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
▪ Led one morning workshop in the uses of plaster for prototyping and mold making Teaching Assistant to Professor Andrea Gill: Junior Hybrid Vessel, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2013 Teaching Assistant to Jason Green: Junior Color and Surface, Alfred University, Alfred, NY