ARTIST STATEMENT

INTERSECTION: RECONNECTING THROUGH CLAY

Bob DeArmond, Karen Keenan, and Ray Shelerud

Minnesota clay artists Karen Keenan, Bob DeArmond, and Ray Shelerud share a friendship and commitment to creating distinctive work for everyday use. Their exhibition is an exploration of individual approaches to functional ware.

With similarities in age, approach to creating pottery, and life experiences with pottery-making interrupted by careers, each of these artists found a fascination with clay while attending college in the 1970s. Therefore, this trio shares a common cultural ceramics aesthetic. The very first piece of pottery Shelerud purchased was from DeArmond. Shelerud said, “I knew of his talent and how he was deeply involved with the Duluth art scene for many years”. Keenan and DeArmond met when Karen moved to Duluth. They shared a passion for clay and the arts and continued to cross paths through the following years.

Karen, Bob, and Ray pursued careers in teaching, arts administration, construction, and planning. In retirement, they reconnected with each other and their passion for clay while working in the vibrant community at the Duluth Art Institute’s Clay Studio. While each artists’ work is unique, they are all motivated by the quest to grow in their craft. Their art careers are focused on making functional ware because they value the role art can play in people’s practical life. Handmade pottery adds human expression into the objects people use, especially in kitchen ware. It provides aesthetic nourishment.

The artists are sharing this exhibition to the art community to present works of pleasing proportions, exceptional design, and welcoming surfaces; and they hope visitors will walk away with a desire to expand their use of handmade, functional pottery in their everyday lives. On another level, they hope that the exhibition will motivate visitors to explore something in their lives that they once found rewarding, engaging, and meaningful. It is never too late to make your creativity a reality!