Curator of Ceramics
ASU ART MUSEUM ANNOUNCES
NEW CURATOR OF CERAMICS
The ASU Art Museum and ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center have hired artist, writer, curator and educator Garth Johnson as curator of ceramics.
Johnson joins the museum from The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, where he served as curator of artistic programs, overseeing exhibitions, artist residency programs and community engagement. Among his recent curatorial projects for The Clay Studio are “The Clay Studio: Forty Years” (2014), a special exhibition chronicling the history of The Clay Studio, “Matthew Metz, Linda Sikora and Sanam Emami” (2014), an exhibition of pottery by three contemporary masters, and “Pottery by Design,” part of a trio of exhibitions specifically crafted for DesignPhiladelphia 2014. Before joining The Clay Studio, Johnson served as an associate professor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, Calif. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his Master of Fine Arts from Alfred University in New York in 2000.
He is a self-described “craft activist” whose research explores craft’s influence and relevance in the 21st century. His weblog, “Extreme Craft,” is a “Compendium of Art Masquerading as Craft, Craft Masquerading as Art, and Craft Extending its Middle Finder.” His first book, 1000 ideas for Creative Reuse: Remake, Restyle, Recycle, Renew, was published by Quarry in November 2009. He has also contributed several books, including Handmade Nation, Craftivity, Craft Corps and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s upcoming book Nation Building. His writing and work will be featured in a new book by Paul Scotts, Horizon: Transferware and Contemporary Ceramics, to be published by Arnoldsche this winter.
Johnson is currently a director-at-large on the board of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. He is leading a task force for a publication that will anthologize contributions to the NCECA Journal for the organization’s 50th anniversary in 2016.
Johnson will be in attendance at a special event at the ASU Art Museum Brickyard on Oct. 7, 2014, which coincides with the closing reception for the Brickyard’s current exhibition, “These Are Some of My Favorite Things.” The public reception from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. is free; members of the public and museum patrons are invited to attend and meet Johnson in person before the official start of his curatorship in December 2014.
PHOTO COURTESY ASU ART MUSEUM/GARTH JOHNSON
