MAY 30 – JULY 2
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Sam Chung, Amanda Dobbratz, Sarah Haven, Peter Jadoonath, Jewelry: April D. Felipe
Sam Chung, Amanda Dobbratz, Sarah Haven, Peter Jadoonath, Jewelry: April D. Felipe
Our June Featured Artists’ works are primarily handbuilt featuring decorative linework, symbols, and story-telling imagery. Sam Chung’s use of the ubiquitous cloud symbol, often depicted in Korean design, reflects his own floating sense of identity. He says, “These cultural references are intended to serve as an anchor to point towards my own ethnic lineage, but also question my perception of belonging within our outside of it.” Amanda Dobbratz is a believer in “more is more,” and the richly-detailed surfaces of her work serve as an elegant testament to that sentiment. Her colors and patterns reference desert landscapes, body ornamentation, and historical textiles. Sarah Haven creates her work in the solitude of her home studio where she retreats from the daily grind and pinches pots to her heart’s content. Peter Jadoonath’s work is centered around functional, narrative-driven pottery with a sculptural presence. He says “My intent is to create pots that are drawings and drawings that are pots”. April D. Felipe is interested in the idea of adornment and the relationship between jewelry and the user. Felipe utilizes jewelry as a means to move through patterns and colors more freely.
About the Artists
Sam Chung
Sam Chung received his BA from St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) and his MFA from Arizona State University (Tempe). Chung has taught at Northern Michigan University (Marquette) and is currently an associate professor of ceramics at Arizona State University. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. Chung’s work is included in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA), Icheon World Ceramics Center (South Korea), the International Ceramic Research Center (Guldagergaard, Denmark), and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts (TX). Most recently, his work draws influence from Korean art. Chung explains that his use of the ubiquitous symbol of the cloud, often depicted in Korean design, reflects his own floating sense of identity. He says, “These cultural references are intended to serve as an anchor to point towards my own ethnic lineage, but also question my perception of belonging within our outside of it.”
Amanda Dobbratz
Amanda Dobbratz makes functional, complex handbuilt forms which marry the whimsical and the pragmatic, often conveying a sense of play and humor. Dobbratz is a believer of “more is more,” and the richly detailed surfaces of her work serve as an elegant testament to that sentiment. Her colors and patterns reference desert landscapes, body ornamentation, and historical textiles. She distills shapes and colors from her sources into a personal taxonomy of symbols. Dobbratz was a 2015 Anonymous Potter Studio Fellow at Northern Clay Center (Minneapolis, MN), and currently serves as the Marketing & Technology Manager at Northern Clay Center.
April D. Felipe
April D. Felipe received her MFA in ceramics from Ohio University (Athens) and her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She lives in Albany, Ohio, where she holds her studio practice and teaches at community arts centers in her region. Felipe is interested in the idea of adornment and the relationship between jewelry and the user. She utilizes jewelry as a means to move through patterns and colors more freely. Jewelry provides an additional multidisciplinary approach outside of her ceramic sculpture practice. Felipe is a co-founder of The Color Network. She has been a resident and Windgate Scholarship recipient through the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts (Helena, MT). She was also a 2017 Ceramics Monthly emerging artist.
Sarah Haven
A theatre major in undergrad, Sarah Haven took a ceramics class for fun and over 20 years later, clay remains a staple of her life. In 2003, she relocated to Washington from Ohio for graduate school and decided to stay, enthralled with the Pacific Northwest. During the day, Haven works at a local nonprofit arts center, and at night she can be found pinching pots in her basement studio.
Peter Jadoonath
Peter Jadoonath is a teaching artist at Northern Clay Center (Minneapolis, MN), and maintains a studio practice in Shafer, Minnesota. Jadoonath received a BFA from Bemidji State University (MN), and has been the recipient of several honors, including a Jerome Ceramic Artist Project Grant, the Red Wing Collectors’ Society Foundation Award, and a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. Jadoonath’s work is centered around functional, narrative-driven pottery with a sculptural presence. He describes it best in his own words: “My intent is to create pots that are drawings, and drawings that are pots”.