California

Artist Statement:

My work is primarily in clay, though anything involving designing, engineering, and constructing holds my interest. Now I’m much more interested in the hands-on. Making utilitarian objects appeals to my practical side, yet the romance of being a potter seduces my dreamier side. Ultimately I think it is a lifestyle choice that brought me to this place in my career. The potter is an unusual figure in today’s social order – a maverick and inventor functioning slightly on the fringe of society.

Design is the key element that guides my thinking and making. First, I want the piece to be visually captivating – to lure the viewer in for further investigation – and second, I want it to function effortlessly and in a way that serves to enhance the daily experience. Possibly, the work can even awaken the viewer/user to emotions and memories that add additional layers of meaning.

This is how pottery is unique: it operates both at a distance, striking a bold profile or emitting a lustrous glow of color, and intimately, right up against the lips. It’s a privilege to gain this kind of access to others’ private space – the domestic, personal landscape. Here, rituals of use develop, arrangements of objects move and change – and in this way the life and place of a pot becomes a collaborative artwork.

Biography:

Christa Assad recently returned to her studio full-time after a one-year special appointment to the Kansas City Art Institute faculty. Reclaiming the San Francisco Bay Area as her home, she now resides in Berkeley, CA, where she is only a one-mile walk from her bayside studio.

Christa brings to her teaching a flavorful blend of life lessons, traditional and contemporary ceramic techniques, and an enthusiasm for learning. Her work is primarily utilitarian, and incorporates industrial design ideas with geometric minimalism.
 
Christa was awarded a J. William Fulbright Research and Travel Grant (1993), and was nominated for the Louis Comfort Tiffany Biennial Award (2005). Her work is in the permanent collections of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Ceramic Research Center at Arizona State University Museum, The Penn State Fulbright Scholar Collection, and Copia, The American Center for Food, Wine& The Arts in Napa, CA.  Publications include Garth Clark’s Shards , Kevin A. Hluch’s The Art of Contemporary Pottery, and Lark Books‘ 500 Teapots and 500 Pitchers.

Christa earned an M.F.A. from Indiana University (2000), a B.A. from The Pennsylvania State University (1992), and studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (1993-94)

Education:

• 2000 Master of Fine Arts, Ceramics, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN

• 2000 Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute of China, Professional Development Student in conjunction with 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:

• 2003 Juror’s Choice Award, Founder’s Award, Merchandise Award, and Director’s Award for Form and Function, 11th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National, Market House Craft Center, East Petersburg, PA

• 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.WilliamFulbright Research and Travel Grant, U.S.A. and Canada Reciprocal Exchange

Collections:

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA
Ceramic Research Center. Arizona State University Museums, AZ
Copia, The American Center for Food, Wine& The Arts, Napa, CA
The Penn State Fulbright Scholar Collection, University Park, PA
Private Collection of Sandy Besser, Santa Fe, NM
Private Collection of Bob Buchanan, Gaithersburg, MD
Private Collection of Dr. Richard Jacobs, Glendora, CA
Private Collection of Bruce Linderman, Northville, MI
Private Collection of Forrest L. Merrill, Berkeley, CA
Private Collection of Walter Ostrom, Indian Harbour, NS, Canada
Private Collection of Dr. Judith Schwartz, New York, NY