Michael has been a studio potter since 1993. He studied pottery, painting, and printmaking at the University of Tennessee from 1983-1986 and holds a BFA. He also studied under Michael Simon at the Penland School of Crafts in 1989. After teaching pottery the Westside YMCA in New York City from 1986-1989 he joined Mark Shapiro in Worthington , MA and built a studio and kiln at Stonepool Pottery. In 1993 Michael began his Okra Pottery Studio. He designed and created wood fired-salt glazed tableware with a botanical theme in Massachusetts until 1998 when he was awarded a Resident Artist position at the Penland School of Crafts. At Penland Michael developed a body of work in translucent porcelain. In addition to the porcelain work Michael developed a body of larger scale stoneware pottery inspired by the traditional stoneware of the Catawba Valley and Seagrove areas of North Carolina. At the end of his tenure as Resident Artist Michael designed a kiln to fire his new body of stoneware. The new kiln is designed to fire exclusively with edgings and remainder wood from local sawmills. The kiln also is large enough to fire his large scale pottery as well his tableware. The kiln is fired six times a year. The new stoneware features MichaelÕs botanical themes as well as traditional glass ÒrunsÓ. Michael lives in Bakersville, North Carolina with his wife/goldsmith Stacey Lane. They have a daughter named Evelyn and a beagle named Ruby.

Resume

"Despite the many tangents that lead me this way and that in the course of making pottery, the ideas, desires and excitement of clay remain very close to those at the very beginning of my career. To be sure, the outcome of experience and effort, trial and error has evolved through the years. But the process still begins with the simple, ecstatic response to a ball of soft clay. The successful pot elicits a similar response in the context of the home. The mountains of North Carolina provide plenty of inspiration with their wildly exuberant flora, geological variety and the pottery history that sprang from these geological circumstances. Strong pottery form and patterns that evoke the complexity of this natural environment continue to guide my interests in this current body of work. By some combination of optimism and risk, my collaboration with the natural properties of clay and wood fire continues to lead me through this potter's life, at times exasperating and at others, exhilarating." from Artist Statement Ferrin Gallery show August 2004

Education

1989 Penland School. Scholarship to attend Michael Simon workshop.
1986 University of Tennessee Knoxville. BFA in Ceramics with prior studies in Civil Engineering

Selected Exhibitions
2003 S.O.F.A., Chicago IL, represented by Ferrin Gallery
"Origins and Influences" with Mark Shapiro, Michael Simon, and Sam Taylor, Earth and Fire Gallery,Vienna, VA
"For Your Service", Kreeger Pottery, Cape Cod, MA
"Southeastern Potters", Bascomb Louise Gallery, Highlands, NC
"Sensuous", Red Star Studio and Gallery, Kansas City, MO
"Studio Potter Invitational", Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA
"New Move, New Kiln, New Work: Michael Kline" Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
"New York Ceramics Fair" New York, NY , represented by Ferrin Gallery
2002 "Studio Pottery Invitational, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA
ÒAlabama Clay Conference17 Invitational ExhibitionÓ Jacksonville State College, Jacksonville, AL
ÒNCECA InvitationalÓ Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
ÒNational Teapot Show VÓ Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmore, NC
2001 ÒSoutheastern ClayÓ Bascom Louise Gallery, Highlands, NC
ÒNew ArtistsÓ Spratt Burrough Gallery, York, SC
ÒSum & Substance Ð Penland Clay Residents, 1963 - PresentÓ Penland Gallery, Penland, NC
ÒPenland Community ClayÓ Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC
ÒRecent Work: Michael KlineÓ Pinch Pottery, Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA
2000 ÒClay, Wood, Fire, SaltÓ Folk Arts Center, Asheville, NC and Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
ÒCups & CupboardsÓ Signature Gallery, Atlanta, GA
ÒArchitectural ClayÓ LaCoste Gallery, Concord, MA
ÒOur Cup Runneth OverÓ Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA
ÒOne Hundred PitchersÓ North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC
1999 ÒHand to HandÓ Southern Highlands Craft Gallery, Asheville, NC & Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, GA
ÒPhiladelphia Museum of Art Craft ShowÓ Philadelphia, PA
ÒBeyond the NorthwestÓ Kobo Gallery, Seattle, WA
ÒCedar Creek Teapot InvitationalÓ Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmore, NC
ÒMade in PenlandÓ Penland Gallery, Penland, NC
ÒStrictly Functional Pottery NationalÓ Market House Gallery
ÒPinch 25th Anniversary ShowÓ Northampton, MA
1998 ÒIntimate Influences: Kline, Shapiro & TaylorÓ Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
ÒSalt FiredÓ Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield, CT
ÒVessels that PourÓ Gallery 1021, Chicago, IL
ÒPenland ResidentsÓ Penland Gallery, Penland, NC
Ò6th Annual Teapot InvitationalÓ Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
1997 ÒMichael Kline: Recent WorkÓ Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA
ÒWood, Salt, SodaÓ Contemporary Artifacts Gallery, Berea, KY
ÒFifth Annual Teapot InvitationalÓ Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
1996 ÒSOFAÓ Represented by Ferrin Gallery, Chicago, IL
ÒUtilitarian Clay IIÓ Arrowmont School, Gatlinburg, TN
ÒAtmosphere and FireÓ Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA
ÒCollectable Contemporary CraftsÓ The Turtle Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
ÒTeapots!Ó Gallery 1021, Chicago, IL

Teaching
2003 Workshop Leader, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
Workshop Leader, Canton Clayworks, Canton, CT
Workshop Leader, Mudflat, Somerville, MA
2001 Workshop Leader, Dowling College, Oakdale, NY
1998 Workshop Leader, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
Workshop Leader, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis, MO
1995-98 Workshop Leader, Mudflat, Somerville, MA
1995 Visiting Artist, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1991-93 Teacher, Horizons: New England Craft Program, Williamsburg, MA
1987-89 Adult Clay Instructor, West Side YMCA, New York