Artist: Sanam Emami
Sanam Emami, COLORADO
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Artist Statement:
My pots and tiles are made with a specific intent - a function. Plates, cups and tiles are ubiquitous, recognizable. The vases and their multiple spouts are curious when empty, when filled with flowers their function is revealed. The tile is a background or canvas. The cup provides a counterpoint - the curves and movement of the form interact with the surface pattern and imagery. The parameters of the functional pot simultaneously create boundaries and endless possibilities.
Ideas come from different places; a book, a conversation or a glimpse of something familiar like a favorite historical pot that can seem new, as if seen for the first time. The studio space is where the concepts and inspiration take shape and become tangible and dimensional. The concept of unity with variety is important. For example, combining soft marks and volumes with crisp edges and lines. I am interested in creating contrasting gestures that can coexist within a pot or a tile through mark making, symmetry and repeated patterns.
As a student I was drawn to ceramics for its apparent connections with and veneration of “women’s work”. The deep history of clay seemed to reveal connections between women and the material, taking shape in depictions of domestic rituals and ancient fertility goddesses. This history of ceramics and its connections with slow, methodical work - less visible yet necessary for the survival of societies - has often been marginalized to the more dominant narratives of ceramics in 20th century art: one of heroic virtuosity and singular objects.
Artist Bio:
Sanam Emami is a studio potter living in Fort Collins, CO with her husband Del Harrow and their son William. She received a BA in History from James Madison University in Virginia, and an MFA in Ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Pottery at Colorado State University. She was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Ceramics at Alfred University, resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana, and has lectured at the Office for the Arts at Harvard University; the Kansas City Art Institute; Arizona State University Art Museum-Ceramic Research Center, and NCECA in Louisville, Kentucky. She received a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant for Craft and her work has been in exhibitions at numerous galleries across the country including The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston; The Art-Stream Nomadic Gallery; Harvey Meadows Gallery, Aspen; Schaller Gallery; Hostler Burrows.
EDUCATION
2000-2002 MFA Ceramics, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred NY
1996-1997 Post-Baccalaureate Program, Ceramics, University of Colorado, Boulder CO
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2013-Present Associate Professor: Pottery, Department of Art, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO
2007-2013 Assistant Professor: Pottery, Department of Art, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO
2004-2007 Visiting Assistant Professor: Foundations Program, Drawing and Studio/3D Design
Division of Ceramic Art; Sophomore Wheel, Junior Pottery, Senior Studio
New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred NY
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2024 Zeerkhaki: pottery from the ground, Schaller Gallery, Baroda MI
2022 Sanam Emami, Signature Gallery: Contemporary Craft, Sculpture, Objects, Jewelry, Atlanta GA
2021 Reimagining the Silk Road, Solo Exhibition, Harvey Preston Gallery, Aspen CO
Sofreh, Solo Exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Baroda MI
2017 New Work: Sanam Emami, In Tandem Gallery, National, Bakersville NC
Containers and Conduits / New work by Sanam Emami and Del Harrow, Harvey Meadows Gallery, Aspen CO
2016 Filter: Sanam Emami & Ursula Hargens, National Juried Exhibition at NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Makers, Mentors and Milestones”, Kansas City MO
2014 Sanam Emami: New Work, Solo National Invitational, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville NC
2013 Garnitures and Tableware, Esther and John Clay Fine Arts Gallery, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne WY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Women Working with Clay Exhibition, Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Group Exhibition in conjunction with the Women Working with Clay Symposium, Hollins University, Roanoke VA
Artstream Nomadic Gallery: 2023 Spring Tour, NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, 57th Annual Conference, “Current”, Cincinnati OH
Dirty South Cup Show, River Oaks Square Art Center, Alexandria LA
2022 Clay to Table 2022, Online Exhibition, Artists from the previous year nominate makers for the following year, includes a fundraising event for Crafting the Future
48th Annual Pottery Show and Sale, The Art School at Old Church, Demarest NJ
Above Board Exhibition: Empty / Full, Above Board Ceramics, (Online)
2022 Americano Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City Iowa
Beauty in Hand, Art Spirit Gallery, Coeur d'Alene ID
Holiday Show, Schaller Gallery, Baroda MI
Reflections – Artstream Gallery 20th Anniversary Virtual Exhibition, NCECA Virtual Gallery Expo, (Online)
WELL MADE GOODS / Kitchen + Table, Penland Gallery, Penland NC
2021 15th Annual Yunomi Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City IA
47th Annual Pottery Show and Sale, The Art School at Old Church, Demarest NJ (Online exhibition and panel discussion)
Above Board Exhibition - The Table, Above Board Ceramics, New Haven CT
American Pottery Festival 2021, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Artstream Nomadic Gallery, NCECA Virtual Gallery Expo (Online)
Pattern: Impart, Transmit, Convey, Schaller Gallery, Baroda MI
ramen + rice | the idiosyncratic bowl, Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC
Red Lodge Featured Artist, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge MT
2020 46th Annual Pottery Show and Sale, The Art School at Old Church, Demarest NJ (Online)
Walter Gropius Master Artist’ Exhibition, featuring 6 ceramic artists, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington WV, November 2020
The Plate Show III, Schaller Gallery, Baroda MI
American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN (Online exhibition, artist talk, workshop)
Artstream Nomadic Gallery: 2020 Spring Tour, NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art (Online Exhibition)
Contemporary American Couples in Clay, Eutectic Gallery, Portland OR
2019 2019 Flower City Pottery Invitational, Rochester Center for the Arts, Rochester NY
The Thanksgiving Table: The Gravy Boat, Akar Gallery, Iowa City IA
Featured Artist, Artaxis.org, (Online)
The Lay of the Land: A Story of Pottery and Place, curated by Janet Koplos, a group exhibition of 12 artists who all lived and worked at the Mark Pharis farm and studio in southern Minnesota, exhibition coincided with NCECA, National Conference for the Education of Ceramic Art, Concordia Gallery, Concordia University, St. Paul MN
Artstream Nomadic Gallery: 2019 Spring Tour, NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Claytopia,” Minneapolis MN
Yunomi Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City IA
Blurring the Line: Form, Function & Design, Arvada Center, Arvada CO
2018 Imprint(ed), Carter, Christen, Emami, Three Person Exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Saint Joseph MI
The Image & the Vessel – a Survey of Contemporary Pottery, Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence KS
2018 Cups, Ash Street Project, Portland OR
Garden (feast) of Paradise, National Juried Exhibition at NCECA - National Council for Education Ceramic Art, “Cross Currents: Clay and Culture”, Pittsburgh PA
Garden (feast) of Paradise, Traveling Exhibition (second venue) Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Artstream Nomadic Gallery: 2018 Spring Tour, NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Cross Currents: Clay and Culture,” Pittsburgh PA
2017 Objective Clay Holiday Invitational, Objective Clay/Online Holiday Exhibition, (Online)
WITHIN THE MARGINS | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS, Penland School of Crafts/Penland Gallery, Penland NC
40 for 40 Ceramics Invitational, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln NE
Cups Half Pint Cafe Exhibition, Ash Street Project/Half Pint Cafe, Portland OR
La Mesa, Sante Fe Clay Gallery/NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Future Flux”, Portland, OR
Artstream Nomadic Gallery: 2017 Spring Tour, Art stream Nomadic Gallery/NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Future Flux”, Portland OR
2016 100 Artists 1000 Cups, curated by the Clay Studio (a ceramic gallery in Philadelphia), exhibited at NCECA – National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Makers, Mentors and Milestones”, Kansas City MO
Artstream 2.0, Exploring the Digital Landscape, In Collaboration with NCECA 50th Annual National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, “Makers, Mentors and Milestones”, Kansas City MO
Colorado Clay: Sanam Emami, Alleghany Meadows, Doug Casebeer & Sam Harvey, Trax Gallery, Berkeley CA
8 Fluid Ounces, Curated by Ayumi Horie, Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Gallery, LSU Baton Rouge LA
On 10, Hostler Burrows, New York NY
Crafted, Dow Studio, Deer Isle ME
Perennial Influence, Three Person Exhibition, Schaller Gallery, Saint Joseph MI
Socks & Rocks, an exhibition of work by Ceramics Faculty and Students, College Avenue Galleries, California College of Art, Oakland Campus, Oakland CA
Yunomi Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City IA
Six McKnight Artists, National Juried, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Traveling Exhibition: St. Peters Art Center, St. Peters MN - February 5 - March 6
Bemidji State University, Bemidji MN - March 21 - April 29
The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson WI - May 13 - June 19
2015 Six McKnight Artists, National Juried, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Traveling Exhibition: Winona University, Winona MN - September 21 - October 16
An Architecture of Touch: Del Harrow, Andy Brayman and Sanam Emami, Three Person National Invitational, Haw Contemporary, Kansas City MO
Ceramic Color: The Endless Pursuit, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale CO
Yunomi Invitational, Akar Gallery, Iowa City IA
2015 Cups: Hundreds of Cups, Sante Fe Clay, Sante Fe NM
3rd Annual Steinzeugkrug: Present Day Interpretations, Claymakers, Durham NC
Cup: The Intimate Object XI, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
La Mesa, Sante Fe Clay National at NCECA - National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, Providence RI
2014 Pour, Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred NY
Lineage: The Art of Mentorship, Curated by Gail Kendall, Clay Art Center, Port Chester NY
Matthew Metz, Linda Sikora and Sanam Emami, Three Person Exhibition, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Object, Structure, Subject, Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, CO
Our Cup Runneth Over: Functional & Sculptural Ceramic Cups, The Society of Arts & Crafts, Boston MA
Artist of the Month, Selected Gallery Artist, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Cup: The Intimate Object X, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville FL
Vivid Conversations, Historic Carnegie Building, Fort Collins CO
2013 Clay Prints: Image, Surface and Narrative in Contemporary Ceramics, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne IN
The Feast: Art for the Table, Harvey Meadows Gallery, Aspen CO
Duets, National Group Invitational, Clay Art Center, Port Chester NY
Haystack Faculty Exhibition, National Invitational, Haystack Mountain School of Craft,
Deer Isle ME
Art-Stream Nomadic Gallery, National Group Invitational at NCECA - National Conference on Education of Ceramic Art, Houston TX
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS/WORKSHOPS/PODCASTS:
Forthcoming Women Working with Clay Symposium, Hollins University, Presentations and Demonstrations, Roanoke VA
Large Vessels and Surface Decoration for Functional Pottery, Summer Ceramics Workshop, Alfred University, Alfred NY
2023 Artstream Spring 2023 Tour, Huntington Museum of Art, Workshop with Lisa Orr, Justin Donofrio Huntington WM
2022 Lunch and Learn with Sanam Emami, Virtual Conversation with Jennifer Zwilling, Curator & Director Artistic Programs, Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Sanam Emami on revealing and concealing in surface design, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: A pottery and ceramic art podcast
Stencils and Stories: Pottery for the Table, Two-Week Hands-on Workshop, Penland School of Craft, Penland NC
2021 The Artist's Studio Series - Spring 21, Office for the Arts at Harvard, (Virtual Artist Talk and Conversation with Fabio Fernandez)
2021 Stencils and Stories: pottery for the table, Western New Mexico University, Silver City Clay NM (Virtual Workshop)
Innovation & Imagination: Ceramics and the Silk Road, Colorado State University Women's Association, (Virtual Artist Talk)
The Clay Artist's Book Club, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
(Virtual Workshop co-taught with Forest Lesch-Middleton)
Artist Talk, Sanam Emami, Oakland Community College, Auburn Hills MI(Virtual)
Portable Culture, Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Tel Aviv Israel, (Virtual Artist Talk)
2020 Panel Discussion with Meredith Host and Mike Jabbur, Georgia State University, Department of Art, Atlanta GA (Virtual event)
Virtual Artist Talk & Radio Interview, Silver City Clay Festival, Silver City, NM
History Repeats Itself (Virtual Artist Talk and Workshop with Forrest Lesch-Middleton), American Pottery Festival", Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
Montana University Virtual Visiting Artist Program, Montana University, Department of Art, Ceramics Program, Missoula MT
Walter Gropius Master Artist Ceramic Symposium, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV (virtual symposium – artist talk and recording of artists working in their studios)
Patterning the Table, 46th Annual Pottery Show and Sale, The Art School at Old Church, Demarest NJ (Virtual workshop)
2019 Pottery: Vessels for food, Two-Week Hands-on Workshop, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass CO
2018 Form, Structure, Surface, Two-week Hands-on Workshop, co-taught with Del Harrow,
Ox-bow School of Art, Saugatuck MI
Biennial Ceramics Symposium, Lawrence Arts Center Ceramics Symposium, Artist Talk and Workshop, Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence KS
2017 A Potter's Journey, Audio Podcast https://www.hollandshadow.com/podcast
Make/Time By craftschools.us
Make/Time— conversations about craft, inspiration, and the creative process. Listen to leading makers and thinkers talk about where they came from, what they're making, and where they're going next. Hosted by Stuart Kestenbaum
Cultural Impact: Women in Clay, "Women's Work", Panelist, Future Flux, NCECA's 51st Annual Conference, Portland OR
2016 California College of Art, Visiting Faculty Lecture, CCA, Oakland, CA
Possibilities of form for wheel thrown tableware and centerpieces, Visiting Artist Lecture and Demonstration, Cabrillo College, Santa Cruz, CA
Form, Structure, Surface, Two-week Hands-on Workshop, co-taught with Del Harrow,
Ox-bow School of Art, Saugatuck MI
Everyday Aesthetics, The Craft Object and Everyday Aesthetics, LEAP, Panel Discussion and Presentation, Fort Collins CO
PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING MY WORK
2021 The Anatomy of a Good Pot, by Ryan Coppage, The American Ceramic Society, Westerville OH, 2021
A photograph of one of my cups was printed on the back cover and I was interviewed and submitted additional images for the publication
2020 Floating Volumes, Cfile.org, November 11, my work was highlighted alongside a review written by Garth Clark on the website https://www.hollandshadow.com/
Sanam Emami – Artist Profile, JTW Ceramics, November 2, https://www.hollandshadow.com/2020/11/11/sanam-emami-artist-profile/
2019 What Makes a Potter: Functional Pottery in America Today, Written by Janet Koplos, October 2019 Chapter 7: The Teachers, interview pp 96-101
2018 “In Philly galleries now: Lee Friedlander’s photos, a Clay Studio group show, and more”, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newspaper, Philadelphia PA, July 25, 2018, a review of our exhibition, Garden (Feast) of Paradise at Clay Studio
2017 “Exposure”, Ceramics Monthly, Journal, November 2017, pp. 17, two photographs of my work announcing my solo exhibition at In Tandem Gallery
2018 “100 Artists 1000 Cups”, Exhibition Catalog, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
2016 Ben Carter, Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, Quarto Publishing, Minneapolis, MN, photographs of my work, pp. 102, 127,149
2015 Elizabeth Coleman, editor, Six McKnight Artists, Catalog published by Northern Clay Center, Essay written by Janet Koplos, my work and images published, pp 10-11
Jason Bige Burnett, Graphic Clay, Ceramic Surface & Printed Image Transfer Techniques, Larks Books, A Division of Sterling Publishing, New York, NY, photograph of my work, pp. 27
2013 Linda Kopp, editor, 500 Prints on Clay, Lark Crafts Publishing, photograph of my work, pp. 129, 166
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2021 Richard De Vore and the Teaching Collection, Curated by Sanam Emami and Del Harrow, Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO
2019 You’re Still One of Ours, CSU Alumni Exhibition, Curated by Sanam Emami and Del Harrow, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale CO
2018 Garden (feast) of Paradise, National Council for Education Ceramic Art, Cross Currents: Clay and Culture, organized and curated by Sanam Emami and Anat Shiftan
2014-16 Contemporary Clay, International Exhibition, Curated by Sanam Emami and Del Harrow, Lincoln Center, Fort Collins CO
JUROR
2022 Guest Juror, Resident Artist Program, Clay Studio, Philadelphia PA
Clay to Table 2022 artists were invited to select artists for 2023 Clay to Table exhibition
2021 McKnight Residency/Fellows, McKnight Panel, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
2021 Ruminations 2021 INTERNATIONAL JURIED EXHIBITION, Light Art Space, Silver City NM
2014 Clay National IX: Aisthesis, Annual Invitational and Juried Exhibition, Juried by Sanam Emami and Del Harrow, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale CO
COMMISSION
2018-19 Twelve-person dinner set, Private Collector
RESIDENCIES
2018 Summer Session, 2 Week Residency at Ash Street Project, Portland OR
2014 McKnight Residency, 3 Month Residency, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
(Awarded in conjunction with McKnight Ceramic Artist Fellowship)
GRANTS
2014 Grant Recipient, McKnight Resident Artist, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis MN
COLLECTIONS INCLUDE:
Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred NY
Dinnerware Museum, Ann Arbor MI
David and Louise Rosenfield Ceramic Collection
Robert Pfannebecker Collection
Ron Gallas Cup Library, St. Olaf College
Kansas City Art Institute, Ken Ferguson Teaching Collection, Kansas City MO