Christa Assad I CALIFORNIA
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"Making pots provides a few very important things for me: discipline, including regular physical and mental exercise; a measure of creativity and productivity; and a role in history as artisan. The choice to pursue potting as a profession came a bit of a surprise to me at first, but now seems the ideal solution to the puzzle of life. It satisfies the athlete, the academic, and the connoisseur in me alike. I can be my own boss, make my own inventory, and connect with those who buy and use my work. Along with the rewards, there are many lessons to be learned in patience, cooperation, and loss."

Christa Assad lives and works in San Francisco, where she is a full-time studio artist and co-owner of Verdigris Clay Studio and Gallery. She earned degrees form Indiana University(MFA 2000) and the Pennsylvania State University (BA 1992), and studied ceramics and art history at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Canada, the University of Leeds, England, and with West Virginia University's summer 2001 Ceramics program in China.

Christa has received numerous grants and awards, including a J. William Fulbright Research and Travel Grant in 1993, and artist in residence fellowship at Andersen Ranch arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. An internationally exhibiting artist and member of the association of clay and class artists of California, Christa focuses of creating simple and elegant useful designs.

Education
2000 Master of Fine Arts, Ceramics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2000 Ceramics in China 2000, Professional Development Student, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
1993-94 Post-Bac Study, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA
1992 Bachelor of Arts, Ceramics, Art History Minor, With Distinction, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
1989 The University of Leeds, Study Abroad Program, Leeds, ENGLAND

Selected Grants and Awards
2000 Trax Award for Excellence in Function, California Clay XI, The Artery, Davis, CA
1999 International Enhancement Grant, Office of International Programs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1999 Doctoral Student Grant-in-Aid of Research, University Graduate Program, Indiana Uni., Bloomington, IN
1999 Fraser Merit Award for Studio Ceramics, National Society for Arts and Letters, Bloomington, IN Chapter
1999 Purchase Award, Clayfest XI, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, Indianapolis, IN
1998 Fellowship for Collaborative Graduate-Undergraduate Research, College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Division, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1998 Outstanding Teacher/Scholar Fellowship, College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate Division, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1993 J. William Fulbright Research and Travel Grant, U.S.A. and Canada Reciprocal Exchange

Publications
500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design, Lark Books, a division of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2002, photos pp. 110, 149, 155.
"Emerging Artists 2002", Ceramics Monthly, Vol. 50, No. 5, May 2002, pp. 54-63, photo pg. 58.
American Craft, Gallery section, Vol. 62, No. 1, Feb./Mar 2002, photo pg. 93
"One Bedroom, Four Ways", In Style Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 10, Sept. 2002, pp. 546-552, photo pg. 552.
The Art of Contemporary American Pottery, by Kevin A. Hluch, Krause Publications, 2001, photos pp. 27, 94, 129.
"Ceramics by Indiana Artists", Ceramics Monthly, Up Front, Vol. 47, No. 3, March 1999, photo pg. 24.
"Walter Ostrom: The Advocacy of Pottery", Exhibition Catalog, Authors Ann Gabhart, Wayne Higby and Anne West: Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS, CANADA, May 1996, pp. 5, 40, photos pp. 13, 24.
"Steeped in Clay", Ceramics Monthly, Vol. 44, No. 3, March 1996, pp. 45-47, photo pg. 47.
"Resident Artists at Anderson Ranch", Aspen Daily News, Vol. 17, No. 232, April 6, 1995, photo pg. 9 of Time Out.
"Christa Assad", Ceramics Monthly, Up Front, Vol. 42, No. 5, May 1994, photo pg. 22.

Solo and Two Person Exhibitions
2002 Dynamic Synthesis, Sebastian Ward Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2001 Elemental, The Gallery, Bloomington, IN
2000 Elemental Service, A Piece of Art, Berkeley, CA
1999 Ritual Matters, SOFA Gallery, Bloomington, IN
1994 Form Forum, Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA

Selected Juried and Invitational Exhibitions
2002 Craft Showcase 3, Museum of Craft & Folk Art, San Francisco, CA
2002 Artstream Nomadic Gallery Fall Tour 2002, featuring stops at: The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA; New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY; Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY; UMASS Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA; Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY; University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT; Clay Arts Center, Port Chester, NY; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI; Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester, MA
2002 black &white, a Juice Design exhibition, Juice, San Francisco, CA
2002 For the Table, National Invitational Dinnerware Exhibition, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2002 Six Nomadic Potters, Artstream Gallery, in conjunction with NCECA 2002, Kansas City, MO
2001 Winterfest 2001, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2001
Shared Journeys: Chinese and American Ceramics, sponsored by West Virginia University Ceramics Department, NCECA Conference, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
2001,00,99 Made in Clay, Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
2000 California Clay XI, The Artery, Davis, CA; Trax Award for Excellence in Function
2000 Sixteen Reasons, a Juice Design exhibition, Juice, San Francisco, CA
1999 Clayfest XI, Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, Indianapolis, IN; Purchase Award
1999 National Society for Arts and Letters Visual Arts Exhibition, Bloomington Chapter, John Waldron Arts Center, Bloomington, IN; Fraser Merit Award in Studio Ceramics
1999 Ceramics Monthly International Competition, NCECA, Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, OH
1999 NCECA Juried Regional Student Exhibition, Fort Hayes Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus, OH
1999 Viewpoint: Ceramics '99, Grossmont College - Hyde Gallery, El Cajon, CA
1999 All Shook Up: A Salt and Pepper Invitational, Fifth Element Gallery, Portland, OR
1998 Craft Forms '98, Wayne Art Center, PA
1998 Glazed Expressions, The Gallery at Studio B, Lancaster, OH
1998 The Penn State Clay Tradition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
1998 Anderson Ranch Artists, Evelyn Siegel Gallery, Fort Worth, TX
1997 Artists On Their Own, Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
1997 Lotsa Clay VII: On the Fringe, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
1996 AIP Instructor Showcase, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
1996 Walter Ostrom: The Advocacy of Pottery, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS, CANADA
1995 Container/Containment, National Society for Arts and Letters Visual Arts Exhibition, Pittsburgh Chapter, The Clay Place, Pittsburgh, PA; Second Place Award
1995 Steeped in Clay, Art Space/Lima, Lima, OH
1995 Third Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA; Honorable Mention
1995 Colorado Clay, Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO
1994 Silk Roads from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Traveling Exhibition: Halifax, NS; Regina, Saskatchewan; Edmonton, Alberta; Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA

Galleries
Verdigris Clay Studio and Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Virginia Breier Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Gallery Eight, La Jolla, CA
Exploding Head Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Stewart/Kummer Gallery, Gualala, CA
AKAR, Iowa City, IA
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
The Clay Place, Pittsburgh, PA

Permanent Collections
The Penn State Fulbright Scholar Collection, University Park, PA
Private Collection of Forrest Merrill, Berkeley, CA
Private Collection of Dr. Judith Schwartz, New York, NY
Private Collection of Walter Ostrom, Indian Harbour, NS, CANADA

Organizations
Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California
The Gallery, Bloomington, IN

Teaching and Practical Experience
2002 Dynamic Synthesis, workshop instructor, Sebastian Ward Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2001 Dynamic Synthesis: Wheel-thrown Slab Construction, workshop instructor, Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA
1996-99 Associate Instructor, Ceramics and 3D Design Fundamentals, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1998 Instructor/Research Coordinator, Collaborative Research Project: Mold Making and Slip Casting, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
1997 The Wheel as a Tool, workshop instructor, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green , KY
1995-96 Instructor, Ceramics and 3D Design, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
1994-95 Artist in Residence, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO
1993-94 Visiting Fulbright Scholar, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, NS, CANADA. Presented slide lectures about my work and the Fulbright Foundation to the following institutions:
— Emily Carr College of Art, Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA
— Alberta College of Art, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA
— George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
— Sheridan College of Crafts and Design, Ontario, CANADA
— Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CANADA
— The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
— Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, CANADA
— Harbourfront Center, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

CLICK HERE TO SEE ARTIST'S WORK