Artist: Lucien Koonce
Lucien Koonce, MASSACHUSETTS
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I approach the composition of my work with spontaneity and immediacy, discovering the form during the process of making it. My alteration and manipulation of solid clay emphasizes the plasticity and gestural qualities of that material while achieving asymmetry. I seek to push the disorganization and the subsequent reorganization of the vessel from being a member of the “pot” realm to becoming an abstract object in the sculptural realm while retaining its function.
Beginning with a solid mass of clay, I use a metal and/or wooden blade to shape the exterior surface. While I may have preconceived notions of the form, it is through spontaneous manipulation that the exterior of an object is derived. Once the clay stiffens, I hollow out the interior by hand with a carving tool, a process known as 'kurinuki' This technique, in which a form is dug or carved out of solid clay instead of being shaped on a potter’s wheel or made from coils or slabs, is a process that allows me to intently focus on the inner shape. I strive to keep a balance between the outer and inner movements of an open form.
Wood-firing adds another dimension to the composition, ultimately helping to define an interpretation of the whole. The inherent nature of continuous flame, intense heat, and ash upon the clay, whether glazed or unglazed, adds color and textural effects that are congruent to each piece. The unpredictability of the firing, juxtaposed to the implementation of as many controlled variables as one can, creates random visual beauty, or landscape, which harmonizes with the physical form. Subsequently, the form, whether functional or non-functional, has
become like a diary, recording the thoughts and process of the maker and the kiln’s fire.
EDUCATION
University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA.
Master of Fine Arts (Ceramics)
University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA.
Master of Arts (Ceramics)
East Carolina University; Greenville, NC.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics)
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
(21st Century)
2022
GeoLogic; Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY.
2021
Kilnship: International Wood Fire III; Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI.
East Carolina University School of Art and Design Alumni Exhibition;
Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
2020
Shuki: The Art of Sakeware; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY.
Woodfire Works III; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainsville, FL.
Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
23rd San Angelo National Ceramics Competition;
Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX.
Sculpture National 2020; Clay Center of New Orleans,
New Orleans, LA.
Woodfire; Longwood Center for the Visual Arts,
Longwood University, Farmville, VA.
2019
The Sake Vessel: Contemporary Interpretations; The Stratford Gallery,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK.
International Ceramics Juried Exhibition; The Center for Contemporary
Art, Benmeister, NJ.
Time Honored: Glazes; Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
The Intimate Cup XV; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainsville, FL.
Rough Stuff: A Celebration of Wild Surface; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY.
Sushi, Sake, Tea; Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
Art of Clay National; North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC.
2018
Small Works; Atlantic Gallery, New York, NY.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2019 (continued)
Chawan; The Stratford Gallery, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK.
The Intimate Cup XIV; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainsville, FL.
Visions in Clay; L. H. Horton, Jr. Gallery, Delta Center for the Arts,
San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA.
Shapes of Influence: Contemporary Ceramics; M. G. Nelson Gallery,
Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL.
2018
Crosscurrents: Movements in Contemporary Ceramics;
Highfield Hall, Falmouth, MA.
Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
Shibori/Tokkuri: Virtuosity and Chance in Two Art Forms;
The Island Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA.
Contemporary Clay 2018; Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, Co.
Atmospheric; Clay Center of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA.
22nd San Angelo National Ceramic Competition;
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX.
The TeaBowl : East and West; Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA.
TEA; Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
International Cup 2018; Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT.
2017
Spectra: A Survey of American Contemporary Wood Fired Ceramics;
Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg, FL.
Shino Splendor; District Clay Gallery, Washington, DC, and the Japanese Information and Cultural Center, Washington, DC.
Artful Ambiance: Contemporary Sake Vessels with Character;
Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
20/30 : Gustin Anagama/Watershed Anniversary Exhibition;
Chris Gustin Gallery, South Dartmouth, MA.
CONDUCTIVITY: The Many Faces of Copper in Ceramics;
Companion Gallery, Humbolt, TN.
Workhouse Clay International; Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
The Art of Utility; Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO.
4th National Clay and Glass Biennial; Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA.
Woodfireworks; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC.
Journey with Wood Fired Pottery: A Collector's International Collection; Cooroy Scout Hall, Cooroy, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Functional Relationships; New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN.
Off Center; Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA.
TEA: The Ritual and the Art; Plough Gallery, Tifton, GA.
Ceramic Innovations; Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA.
SIP: A Ceramic Cup Show; Non-Fiction Gallery, Savannah, GA.
Vessels: Interpretations and Iterations; MANTLE Gallery, Louisville, KY.
Out of the Ashes; Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg, FL.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2016
International Chawan Expo Exhibition; National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, Maioli, Taiwan.
Out of the Ashes; Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg, FL.
International Chawan Expo Exhibition; National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, Maioli, Taiwan.
UnWedged; Pottery Northwest Gallery, Seattle, WA.
The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas; George Calab Bingham Gallery,
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
International Wood Fired Ceramics; Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
Cup: The Intimate Object XI; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Chapel Hill, NC.
Strictly Functional Pottery National; Market House Crafts Center, East Petersburg, PA.
UNF International Ceramics Exhibition; UNF Gallery of Art,
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL.
Visions in Clay; L. H. Horton, Jr. Gallery, San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, CA.
Carbondale Clay National XI: Intimacy of Scale;
Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO.
The Art of Drinking: Beakers, Cups, and Mugs; Blue Dome Gallery, Silver City, NM.
Shapes of Influence; M. G. Nelson Gallery, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL.
Clay VI; Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA.
Working Pots; James May Gallery, Algoma, WI.
Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
21st Contemporary Clay; Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO.
San Angelo National Ceramic Competition; San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts,
San Angelo, TX.
SAKE WARE: Contemporary Sake Vessels by Japanese and Western Artists;
Lacoste Gallery, Concord, MA.
delecTABLE: The Fine Art of Dining; ASLD Gallery, Denver, CO.
Small Favors XI; The Clay Studio; Philadelphia, PA.
Last Call; Companion Gallery, Humbolt, TN.
International Cup 2016; Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
2015
International Chawan Exhibition; Todd Art Gallery, East Tennessee State University,
Murfreesboro, TN.
Eighth Annual Cup Show: Form and Function; Amelia Center Gallery,
Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, FL.
Contents May Vary; Pewabic, Detroit, MI.
Its Only Clay; Watermark Art Center, Bemidji, MN.
The Almighty Cup; Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY.
17th International Chawan Expo Exhibition; Abbey of Hemiksem, Sint-Bernardusabdij, Hemiksem, Belgium.
East Carolina University School of Art and Design Alumni Exhibition;
Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, NC.
The Cup Show: The Hudgens 1st National Juried and Invitational Cup Exhibition; The Hudgens Center for the Arts, Duluth, GA.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2015 (continued)
Sip, Shots and Gulps; Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Sewickley, PA.
Anagama Ceramic Artists: Jack Troy, Rob Barnard, Lucien Koonce, Susan Kotulak, Kevin
Crowe; Weyrich Gallery, Albuquerque, NM.
Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
Teapots, Vessels, Flagons & Flasks; Mill Gallery, Guilford Art Center, Guilford, CT.
Crave the Cup; Victor F. Keen Gallery, Las Vegas, NV.
Purposeful Pottery; Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA.
Masterful Claywork; Falmouth Art Center, Falmouth, MA
7th National Juried Cup Exhibition; LUX Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE.
2014
Friends of Fire: Contemporary Wood Fired Ceramics;
Gustin Ceramics Gallery, South Dartmouth, MA
All Things Tea; Studio 550 Gallery, Manchester, NH.
Drink This: The Workhouse International Ceramic Cup Show;
Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
Seventh Annual Cup Show: Form and Function; Amelia Center Gallery,
Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, FL.
A Single Stem: The Bud Vase; Studio Kiln Gallery, Fairhope, AL.
Ceramics Biennial Exhibition 2014; Amherst Street Gallery,
New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, NH.
Biennial Plate Show; Morean Center for Clay, St. Petersburg, FL.
5th Contemporary Ceramics International Biennial;
Halcyon Art Gallery, Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN.
Cup: The Intimate Object X; Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL.
The National Juried Bowl Show; Academy of Fine Arts, Lynchburg, VA.
Strictly Functional Pottery National; Market House Crafts Center, East Petersburg, PA.
The Clay Cup: Vessel, Icon, Canvas; George Calab Bingham Gallery,
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
16th International Chawan Expo Exhibition; Teochew Building, Singapore.
Selected Works: Lisa Hammond, Ryoji Koie, Lucien Koonce, Akira Satake, Jeff Shapiro, and Jack Troy; The Nevica Project, Chicago, IL.
The Joy of Drinking; Phoenix Fired Art Gallery, Joplin, MO.
Shapes of Influence: Contemporary Ceramics; M. G. Nelson Gallery, Springfield, IL
Contemporary Clay 2014; Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO.
Small Favors IX; The Clay Center, Philadelphia, PA.
6th Annual Juried Cup Show; LUX Center for the Arts; Lincoln, NE.
20th San Angelo National Ceramics Competition; San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts,
San Angelo, TX.
14th Annual National Juried Cup Show; Kent State University School of Art,
Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH.
UNF National Juried Ceramics Exhibition; UNF Gallery of Art, Founders Hall,
University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL.
DRINK; Silpe Gallery, Hartford Art School, West Hartford, CT.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2014 (continued)
Drink This: The Workhouse International Ceramic Cup Show;
Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
2013
Images from This World; Weyrich Gallery, Albuqueque, NM.
Cup of Comfort: International Ceramic Exhibition;
Halcyon Art Gallery, Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN.
The Cup: An Interpreted Object; Gallery Local, Goshen, IN.
Starbrick Clay National Cup Show; Starbrick Gallery, Nelsonville, OH.
6th Annual Cup Show: Form and Function; Amelia Center Gallery,
Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, FL.
Artifacts from the Inferno; Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD.
CLAY 2013; Firehouse Art Center, Norman, OK.
Strictly Functional Pottery National; Market House Crafts Center, East Petersburg, PA.
Workhouse Clay National 2013; McGuireWoods Gallery, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
Irish Ceramics Awards; Mill Cove Gallery, Castletownbere, County Cork, Ireland
Small Favors VIII; The Clay Center, Philadelphia, PA.
Juried National II; Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT.
Sixth Annual Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
12th Annual National Juried Cup Show;
Downtown Gallery, Kent State University, Kent, OH.
Vase Forms: Sculptural and Functional Ceramics;
The Arts Alliance of Georgia, Studio 101 Gallery, Woodstock, GA.
Functional/Dysfunctional National Juried Ceramics Competition;
Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, FL.
Drink This: The Workhouse International Ceramic Cup Show;
Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA.
2012
Ceramics Biennial Exhibition; Amherst Street Gallery,
New Hampshire Institute of Art, Manchester, NH.
Pour; Terra Incognito Gallery, Oak Park, IL.
Cup of Comfort: Ceramics International Exhibition;
Halcyon Art Gallery, Swope Museum of Art, Terre Haute, IN.
Shuki: The Intimate Vessels of Sake; Vessels Gallery, Boston, MA.
Containment: Clemson Ceramics National Juried Exhibition;
Rudolph E. Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
Flashpoint: An International Wood Fire Exhibition; Plinth Gallery, Denver, CO.
The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas; George Caleb Bingham Gallery,
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
Fifth Annual Lillstreet International Exhibition: The Perfect Plate;
Lillstreet Art Center; Chicago, IL.
Functional Wood Fire Invitational; Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakerville, NC.
The Contemporary Art of Chawan - An International Invitational;
Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY.
TEA: Ceramics Exhibit; Arts League Gallery, Alexandria, VA.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2012 (Continued)
Ocean in a Cup: Contemporary Sake Vessels from Japan and America;
KOBO Gallery, Seattle, WA.
From the Center to the Edge; TCC Gallery, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma, WA
100 Wood Fired Cups; POTS Gallery, Seattle, WA.
5th Annual Yunomi Invitational; AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
2011
Daily Companions; Main Exhibition Gallery, Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD.
International Cup 2012; Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT.
Cups of Fire; Clay Gallery, Ann Arbor, MI.
8 Fluid Ounces 2012; Glassell Gallery, Shaw Center for the Arts, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA.
The Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts 25th Anniversary Invitational Wood Fire Exhibition; Chris Gustin Gallery, South Dartmouth, MA.
Starbrick Clay National Cup Show; Starbrick Gallery, Nelsonville, OH.
Strictly Functional Pottery National; Market House Craft Center, East Petersburg, PA.
Atmospheric Fired; Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO.
2011 Yunomi Exhibition; AKAR Gallery; Iowa City, IA.
3rd Annual National Juried Cup Exhibition; LUX Center for the Arts; Lincoln, NE.
2010
2nd Annual Wood Fire Classic; The Meyers Gallery; Santa Ana, CA.
Third Annual Cup Show: Form and Function; Amelia G. Tapper Center for the Arts,
Gulf Coast Community College; Panama City, FL.
Second Annual National Cup Show; Barrett Art Center; Poughkeepsie, NY.
DIRECTions; Frankie G. Weems Gallery, Merideth College; Raleigh, NC.
Tea Invitational; Navio Gallery; New Bedford, MA.
Third Lillstreet International Exhibition; Lillstreet Art Center; Chicago, IL.
Invitational Anagama and Wood Fired Show; Weyrich Gallery; Albuquerque, NM.
Kansas City Teabowl National; Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center;
Kansas City, MO.
2nd Annual National Juried Cup Exhibition; LUX Center for the Arts; Lincoln, NE.
Sixth Biennial 'The State of Clay' Exhibition; Parsons Gallery; Lexington, MA.
South Dartmouth, MA.
2009
Clay3 National Juried Exhibition; IBEW Gallery; Warrenville, IL.
Watershed Center for Ceramic Art Benefit Wood Fire Exhibition;
Gustin Ceramics Gallery; South Dartmouth, MA.
2008
NMH Faculty Art Exhibition; Rhodes Art Center Gallery; Northfield Mount Hermon School, Northfield, MA.
Fifth Annual Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition; Park Gables Gallery; Harrisonburg, VA.
2007
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Biennial Faculty Exhibition; Rowe Art Gallery; UNC-C; Charlotte, N.C.
SELECT JURIED AND INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
2006
Crafts National 40; Zoller Gallery; Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA.
Winter Show; Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art; Greensboro, N.C.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Faculty Exhibition; Rowe Art Gallery;
UNC-C; Charlotte, N.C.
2005
Tri-State Sculptors Exhibition; Catherine Smith Gallery, Appalachian State University; Boone, N.C.
Animal Form; PostPicasso; Richmond, VA.
2004
Embodiment: Myths in Amphibians and Reptilians; Moring Art Center; Asheboro, N.C
2003
Timeline in Tradition: North Carolina Potters; Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art; Greensboro, N.C.
Thoughtful Diversions; First Union Gallery; Spirit Square; Charlotte, N.C.
2002
University of North Carolina-Charlotte Art Faculty Exhibition; Rowe Art Galley;
UNC-C; Charlotte, N.C.
North Carolina Clay: Past and Present; Greenville Art Center; Greenville, N.C.; Wilmington Museum of Art; Wilmington, N.C.; Fayetteville Museum of Art; Fayetteville, NC.
2001
North Carolina Clay: Past and Present; North Carolina Pottery Center; Seagrove, N.C.
Varmints, Critters, and Tales: Leeann Blake, Lucien Koonce, and Senora Lynch; Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art; Greensboro, N.C.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte Art Faculty: Past and Present; Rowe Art Gallery; UNC-C; Charlotte, N.C.
East Carolina University Alumni Ceramics Exhibition; Joie Lassiter Gallery;
Charlotte, N.C.
2000
North Carolina Clay Art; Carolina Artists Studio Gallery, Inc.; Morehead City, N.C.
Mixed Media Exhibition; Blue Spiral 1; Asheville, N.C.
Dimensions 2000: Art of the New Millennium; Sawtooth Center for Visual Arts
Winston-Salem, N.C.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
British Sake Association, “Jewels from the Kiln: Sake Vessels as a Cross-Cultural Icon”, Shirley Booth, January 20th, 2020; https: //britishsakeassociation.org/2020/01/20/jewels-from-the-kiln-sake-vessels-as-a-cross-cultural-icon/.
Ceramics Monthly,”Drink Up”; American Ceramic Society,
September 2018, pg. 37.
BIBLIOGRAPHY (continued)
“The Teabowl: East and West”, authored by Dr. Bonnie Kemske;
published by Bloomsbury Academic, 2017, page 91.
Ceramics Monthly, “Exposure”; American Ceramic Society, October 2017, pg. 14.
Neue Keramik/New Ceramics, "Information/Exhibitions/Prizes"; published by Bernd Pfannkuche, September-October 2017, page 6.
Ceramics Monthly, “Bridging American and Japanese Ceramics”; American Ceramic Society, February 2017, pgs. 52-55.
“HET grote KERAMIEK inspiratie en knowhow BOEK”, authored by Mels Boom; published by De kleine K; 2016.
De kleine K, “Ceramic Inspirations”; June 2015, pgs. 11-14, 31-32; www. dekleinek.nl/
American Craft, “Contemporary Craft”; American Craft Council,
December/January 2015, inside back cover.
"Wood-Fired Ceramics: 100 Contemporary Artists", authored by Amedeo Salamoni, with a foreword by Jack Troy; published through Schiffer Publishing; 2013.
Ceramics Monthly, “Exposure”; American Ceramic Society,
November 2013, pg. 18.
AWARDS
2nd Place; International Ceramics Juried Exhibition; The Center for Contemporary
Art, Benmeister, NJ. Juror: Garth Johnson
Best in Show; Shino Splendor; District Clay Gallery, Washington, DC. Juror: Joe Hicks
Honorable Mention, Workhouse Clay International 2017, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA. Juror: Chris Gustin
Syracuse University Shaped Clay Society Award; The Almighty Cup, Gandee Gallery, Fabius, NY. Juror: Jeremy Randall
1st Place, Honorable Mention; Drink This: The Workhouse International Ceramic Cup Show, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA. (2015); Juror: Phil Rogers.
Honorable Mention; The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas, George Caleb Bingham Gallery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. (2012); Juror: Pete Pinnell.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
North Carolina Pottery Center; Seagrove, N.C.
Mint Museum of Art; Charlotte, N.C.
University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA.
Sioux City Art Center; Sioux City, IA.
EXHIBITION CURATION
The Sake Vessel: Contemporary Interpretations;
The Stratford Gallery, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, UK.
Artful Ambience: Contemporary Sake Vessels with Character; Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI.
Shuki: The Intimate Vessels of Sake; Vessels Gallery, Boston, MA.