The internship is for a period of one year, with the possibility for an invitation to continue for a second year. One internship is available for the 2018/19 year. An on-site interview is required if you are selected as a finalist in the application process. Internship start date is flexible.
A number of years ago I began an internship program at my studio. I saw a need to offer young potters the opportunity to work in a studio that moves between both gallery and production work. The Studio Internship Program offers a residency for two qualified potters to live and work at my studio while assisting me in my pot, sculpture, and tile production studios. My purpose is to offer young clay artists just out of school the opportunity to work and grow in a non-academic environment that teaches the skills necessary to survive as a ceramic artist.
This is an intensive work internship, not a studio residency. It is also not a job. It is an immersion into what it takes to make work on a grand scale, one that incorporates numerous aspects of the ceramic field. My goals are to expose young artists to an environment where production and gallery oriented work is made under real conditions.
The life of the working artist extends beyond the studio and into the community, so it is important for the young artist to become acquainted with the economic, social, and community factors that affect one’s work. Interns are exposed to the choices that I must make as an artist on a daily basis, and are involved with the outcome of those choices. Since by necessity there is a close working relationship between the interns, myself and my family, each intern must become an integral part of my studio, engaged with the daily life of both studio and family. Consequently, strong people skills and a willingness to be part of something larger than oneself, are a must.
In exchange for assisting me in both my tile and sculpture studios twenty hours per week, I offer each intern an apartment for living (shared with the other resident and located above the studio), all utilities, a semi-private studio work-space, and a fully equipped ceramic studio, with wood, gas, and electric kilns for firing. I also offer individual critiques at the request of the intern.
I expect that each intern will continue to be committed to their own studio clay work, to set personal goals, and to develop a body of work while in residence. This is critical to the success of each assistant and for the Internship program. To learn to balance the responsibilities of the internship and the pursuit of one’s own art is core to the success of the residency. This is what one can not learn in school, and is the driving force behind the idea of the program.
The interns whom I have selected over the years have all worked incredibly hard while in residency, and have shown great commitment in their desire to learn. All have left knowing a lot more than when they came. That being said, this is not a residency for everyone, as I demand a lot from those chosen which can be difficult at times. But this is part of what this residency is about. It’s a reality check on the work ethic of a studio artist and the commitment needed for success.