Artist: Lars Voltz

Lars Voltz, IOWA
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My explorations within geologic phenomenon, language, mass, volume and diversity of form develop awareness to connections with base materials and environments. My work encompassing vessels built upon dynamic forms, diversely bodied clay and turbulent, colorful wood fired surfaces assert a continued geologic impact on our understanding of the conditions of contemporary life.

Viewing the ceramic vessel as a crucial synergy between the material world and our cultural existence drives my investigations. Smooth volumes, stressed surfaces, thick slashes, jagged edges, ripped and torn segments of a vessel act as abstracted conduits to potent Earth features and physicality while not obliterating inherent containment and presentation properties. Compressing rugged forms with obvious volumes in this way evoke reactive spatial relationships. Ranges of dark color built in the volatile atmosphere of a wood kiln extend connections to material diversity reflected in the world. Dynamic additive and subtractive layering of information through forming and firing, akin to deposition and erosion, point toward constantly shifting our immediate relationship to massive geologic systems.

Ceramic vessels act as agents of metaphor, exploring relationships to severe aspects of geology. Drawing connections between domestic contexts and dramatic geologic forces, I set out to evoke a sense that what shapes our understanding of our surroundings is inherently tumultuous and continually shifting in intimate ways within and beyond our control.

EDUCATION
2014
Master of Fine Art, Ceramics, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
2009
Bachelor of Science, Art Education, Minor Creative Writing, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2017-Present
Long Term Artist in Residence, iowa Ceramics Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
2015-2017
Long Term Artist in Residence, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2014-2015
Apprentice to Simon Levin, Mill Creek Pottery, Gresham, WI
2014
Kiln Construction, China Academy of Arts, Hangzhou, China
2011-2014
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Studio Technician, Research Assistant Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
2013
Assistant to Simon Levin and Kenyon Hansen, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
2009-2011
Assistant to Special Education Department, Trek North Junior Senior High School, Bemidji, MN
2009
Arts and Crafts Director, Camp Thunderbird, Bemidji, MN

DEMONSTRATIONS/LECTURES/PANELS
2017
University of South Dakota, Demonstration and Lecture
Wood Fire NC, Star, NC, Panel presentation
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, Demonstration and Lecture
2016
Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT, Demonstration and Lecture
2015
Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT, Demonstration and Lecture
Clintonville Junior High School, Clintonville, WI, Demonstration
Fired Earth Pottery, Appleton, WI, Demonstration
2014
China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China, Artist Lecture
Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, Artist Lecture
Trinity High School, Euless, TX, Demonstration
2013
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME, Artist Lecture
Karg Art Glass Opening Reception, Kechi, KS, Demonstration
Fairmount Park, Back to the Park Community Event, Wichita, KS, Demonstration

GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS/AWARDS
2017
Best in Show, Staff Pick, Clay National XII: The Art of Utility, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
2016
Honorable Mention Award, Juror Jack Troy, 6th Annual Workhouse Clay International, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA
2015
Best of Show Award, Juror: Conrad Snider Empty Bowls, Grafly Gallery, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
2013
Technical Assistant Grant (Mary Nyburg Scholarship)
2011
Student Government Association Research Scholarship, Wichita State University
2011-2014
Clayton Staples Fellowship, Wichita State University
2005-2008
Fred Breen Scholarship, Bemidji State University

EXHIBITION RECORD
2017
Cup: The Intimate Object XIII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
Curator: Varian Wolf, Assistant Director, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC
Heartland Table, Kansas Food Bank, Wichita, KS
Curator: Brenda Lichman, Director of Empty Bowls, Wichita, KS
BSU Clay, Talley Gallery, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Curator: Butch Holden, Professor of Ceramics, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
RA Welcome Exhibition, iowa Ceramics Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Curator: Ellen Kleckner, Executive Director, iowa Ceramics Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Bienal de Curitiba 2017, Schimmel, Curitiba, Brazil
Curator: Dr. Royce W. Smith, Dean, College of Arts and Architecture, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2017 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Architecture Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Curator: Jigna Jani, Executive Director AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Red Lodge Clay Center Resident Exhibition, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Curator: Jenn Cole, Curator/Gallery Manager, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Carbondale Clay National XII – The Art of Utility, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
Juror: Linda Christianson
Confluence: A Woodfire Invitational, STARworks Gallery, Star, NC
Curator: Denny Gerwin, Assistant Professor or Art, Queens University, Charlotte, NC
NCECA Gallery Expo, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO
Curator: Jenn Cole, Curator/Gallery Manager Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Technique: International Contemporary Ceramics, Colony, New York, NY
Curator: Damon Crain, Proprietor, Culture Object, New York, NY
Last Call II, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
Juror: Jennifer Allen
Rocky Mountain College Presents: Red Lodge Clay Center, Ryniker-Morrison Gallery, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT
Curator: Sally McIntosh, Gallery Director, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT
Volumes and Gestures (Two-person show), Oak Room Gallery, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
Curator: Pam Campanaro, Gallery Director, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
9th Annual Beyond the Brickyard, North Gallery, Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Juror: Josh DeWeese, Associate Professor, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Materials Hard + Soft, Meadows Gallery, Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, Denton, TX
Juror: JoAnn Edwards, Executive Director of Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco, CA
Vessels, MANTLE Gallery, Kentucky Mudworks, Louisville, KY
Juror: Bill Wilkey, Assistant Professor Indiana University Southeast, Albany, IN
Red Lodge Clay Center Exhibition, SinClair Gallery, Northwest College, Powell, WY
Curator: Elaine Debuhr, Associate Professor, Northwest College, Powell, WY
2016
6th Annual Workhouse Clay International 2016, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA
Juror: Jack Troy
Bowls, Guilford Art Center, Guilford, CT
Juror: Julia Galloway, Full Professor of Art, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
Irons in the Fire, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
Juror: Justin Rothshank
Holiday Clay, Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT
Curator: Jason Neal, Director, Radius Gallery, Missoula, MT
Woodfire Invitational, Todd Library, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
Curator: Doug Jeppesen, Associate Professor of Art, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
Train Kiln Invitational, David L. Pierce Art and History Center, Aurora, IL
Curator: Doug Jeppesen, Associate Professor of Art, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
Red Lodge Clay Center Resident Exhibition, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Curator: Wesley Harvey, Curator/Gallery Manager Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
NCECA Gallery Expo, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, MO
Curator: Wesley Harvey, Curator/Gallery Manager Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Empty Bowls, Henrion Hall, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Curator: Brenda Lichman, Assistant Professor or Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
2016 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Architecture Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Curator: Jigna Jani, Executive Director AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Last Call, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
Juror: Matthew Schiemann, Artists in Residence Manager, Morean Arts Center, Saint Petersburg, FL
Different Perspectives, SinClair Gallery, Northwest College, Powell, WY
Curator: Elaine Debuhr, Associate Professor of Art, Northwest College, Powell, WY
Rocky Mountain College Presents: Red Lodge Clay Center, Ryniker-Morrison Gallery, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT
Curator: Sally McIntosh, Gallery Director, Rocky Mountain College, Billings, MT
2015
Living With Pots. Ceramics from the Eric Dean and Todd Thelen Collection, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
Curator: Eric Dean and Todd Thelen
Create. Innovate. Play, Curtis Statehouse Building, Kansas Board of Regents, Topeka, KS
Curator: Dr. Royce W. Smith, Director of School of Art, Design and Creative Industries, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore, Arts Council of Southwest Indiana, Evansville, IN
Curator: Al Holen, Associate Professor of Art, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN
Teapots, Three Wheel Studio, Providence, RI
Curator: Bridget Keough, Gallery Manager, Three Wheel Studio, Providence, RI
Empty Bowls, Ulrich Underground: Grafly Gallery, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Curator: Brenda Lichman, Assistant Professor, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Red Lodge Clay Center National III, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Juror: Gail Kendall
Apprentice Lines, Pawtucket Armory, Providence, RI
Curator: Mark Shapiro
Holiday Show, Fired Earth Pottery, Appleton, WI
Curator: Rick Mckinney, Director, Fired Earth Pottery, Appleton, WI
Monumental Ideas/Intimate Scale, River Campus Art Gallery, Cape Girardeau, MO
Juror: Benjie Heu, Professor of Ceramics, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO
2015 Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Architecture Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA
Curator: Jigna Jani, Executive Director AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA
2014
Miles of Art, Mill Creek Pottery, Gresham, WI
Curator: Simon Levin
Anthropocene: MFA Thesis Exhibition (solo show), Diver’s Studio Wichita, KS
Central Time Ceramics, Heuser Art Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, IL
Juror: Don Pilcher
WSU MFA Thesis Exhibition, Ulrich Underground: Grafly Gallery, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Curator: Jodi Throckmorton, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS
Artworks Presents: Lars Voltz, Joyce St. Clair and Eric Carbrey, The Gallery at Artworks, Wichita, KS
Curator: Reuben Saunders, Director, Artworks Gallery, Wichita, KS
Pots at Waterwalk, Waterwalk Plaza, Wichita, KS
Curator: Kate Van Steenhuyse, Director of Harvester Arts, Wichita, KS
2013
Back to the Park, Fairmount Park, Wichita, KS
Curator: Darryl Carrington, Vice President Fairmount Park Association, Wichita, KS
Moving Fingers, WSU Shift Space, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Curator: Ted Adler, Associate Professor of Art, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Form and Function, Karg Art Glass Gallery, Kechi, KS
Curator: Sherry Waters, Gallery Director, Karg Art Glass, Kechi, KS
ARTAID, The Cotillion Ballroom, Wichita, KS
Curator: Cody Patton, Executive Director Positive Directions, Wichita, KS
A Common Goal II, Fibers Studio, Wichita, KS
First Session Instructors and Assistants, Gateway Auditorium Gallery, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
Curator: Stuart Kestenbaum, Director, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
2012
Forces of Nature (solo show), City Arts Gallery, Wichita, KS
Curator: Marilee Mitchel, Artistic Director, City Arts, Wichita, KS
Art 4 Life, The Cotillion Ballroom, Wichita, KS
Curator: Cody Patton, Executive Director Positive Directions, Wichita, KS
Negotiating Body and Space, Wichita State University Shift Space, Wichita, KS
Curator: Joseph Keehn, Curator of Public Programs, Salina Arts Center, Salina, KS
WSU Ceramics Guild, Jones Gallery, Positive Directions, Wichita, KS
2011
It’s Only Clay, Watermark Art Center, Bemidji, MN
Juror: Guillermo Cuellar
Anlmouth Art Festival, Alnmouth Post Office, Alnmouth, England
Curator: Terry Collinson
2010
Foot in the Door, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Curator: Chris Atkins, Curator, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
Alnmouth Art Festival, Alnmouth Post Office, Alnmouth England
Curator: Terry Collinson
Recent Work (solo show), Gallery X, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Bemidji State University, Margaret Harlow Collection, Bemidji, MN
St. Olaf College, Ron Gallas Cup Library, Northfield, MN