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Artist Statement
Potter/Folklorist
Kelly
Averill Savino 
Rooted in Tradition
with Kelly Averill Savino
Exhibit: May 26th - June 27th
Hours: Wed -
Sun 10am-5pm
-Open to the public and
by appointment
Hands-on
Workshop: Sat., June 12 9am-5pm
Sun., June 13 9am-5pm
Reservations required. $80.00 person
(materials
and equipment included)
Contact the studio to reserve
a space
Artist’s
Statement
As a folklorist, I
documented cultural traditions that move across time and distance,
evolving to fit new lives and needs, even while they keep alive the
seeds of their origin.
As a potter and artist,
I am conscious of the same phenomenon. Whether it’s a
response to ancient Asian ceramics, or admiration for the work of a
contemporary ceramic artist, the work I make is changed by my own
ideas, the way I fire and the clay I use. Historically inspired work
“remade” by my hands will evolve into something more personal.
Cultured and fermented
foods complete the metaphor, with recipes and methods passing across
time and distance, evolving by region and generation.
Ancient vessels that
held these foods are artifacts of fermentation before refrigeration
and preservatives.
Amphorae for fish sauce and wines, kimchee pots and soy
bottles have been used for millennia. Salt glazed crocks and jugs
for ales, buttermilk, or cheese have spanned centuries.
Human culture is like
the sourdough bread starter I have nourished and fed for years. Though my wet lump of
starter originated in a faraway place, the local wild yeasts in my
Ohio kitchen, my methods of baking, and the grain I grind to feed it
have turned it into something uniquely my own.
My artwork, functional and rooted in
tradition, is as sustaining to me as bread, cheese and wine. My hope
is that it will find a useful place in the lives of others, as
well.
Workshop:
My strengths as a potter are in the purposeful design
and aesthetic of functional work, whether wheel thrown and altered
or hand built, and the (gentle but thorough) critique and assessment
of member work, through basic criteria and a “rubric” of self
imposed questions.
Other themes that seem always to surface in my sessions
with potters are: 1.)
body friendly ways of preparing, centering, throwing and building
with clay to protect our joints and spines, 2.) attention to rims, feet,
handles and attachment decisions that often interfere with good
design, 3). Studio safety, and logical ways to streamline workspace
to save time and money.
I
like to break up a workshop by moving between throwing and
handbuilding demos, hands-on activities, and
interaction-critique. I
also have a power point presentation of my own work and influences,
and hope for a chance to offer feedback on member work.
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