Artist Statement 

As a ceramic artist, I spend a great deal of time exploring different clay bodies and glazes. I am continually on a quest for something new to add to my work or a new way to see it. I am extremely interested in repurposing objects that have been broken or discarded as trash and giving them a new purpose and life as objects of beauty in art. I scour junk yards, antique shops and the environment around me for things on the road that may be of visual interest in a new way. How can old bed springs be used as an element in art? What can an old rusty hub cap on the side of the road become? How can I incorporate scraps of lace or rotted wooden balusters into my work and create a marriage between the trash and the clay?

I chose my work and titles to reflect on our theme of “Post”. “Migrate” is based on the idea of moving on and leaving things behind. “Hand Me Downs” is wrapped around the thought of what we leave behind, no matter how small and how beauty can be found in everything. My work repurposes objects that may have been discarded but instead are used and reborn as art and objets of beauty. I believe that our exhibition title “post” is very powerful. We have moved beyond our days as students to become strong artist-eductaors. The experience has been different for all of us, yet we find ourselves coming together to complete this leg of the journey. We will always have a “Post” story and opportunities to reflect on as we move forward. 

“Migrate”

Mixed Media: Raku fired clay, Wood, Moss

To migrate is to move from one thing to another. Animals “move from one region or habitat to another according to the seasons”. My journey as an Artist-Teacher is always a migration from my role as an educator to my role as an artist and this thread continues through my life in many aspects. I am a mother, friend, co-worker and an individual migrating through my life as the seasons change. At the end of each school year or experience in my life, I reflect on what worked and what did not, what brought me happiness, what inspired my creativity. I leave behind the old things that did not work and I transform those that did into new things, new roles and new behaviors.

“Hand Me Downs”

B-Mix Clay and Amaco PC Glazes

These pieces are made with love and the great intension of remembering my grandmother and my heritage. Before my grandmother passed from cancer, she said to my mother “Please don’t forget me”. That has always remained with me,  in my head and my heart. Using scraps of lace and fabric from my grandmothers garments, I create whimsical vessels that bring new life to her memory and legacy. Materials that would have been discarded are used to imprint my clay and create works of art in my grandmothers memory.

Heather Monsen, July 2021