Artist: Bill Wilkey
Bill Wilkey, INDIANA
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Bill Wilkey is a current artist in residence at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. He received his MFA from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and BFA from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Wilkey has also had the opportunity to learn with the craft school experience, which has taken him to places like Penland School of Crafts in Western North Carolina and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, on the coast of Maine where he was able to assist other makers. Wilkey has actively exhibited nationally. This includes three consecutive Nationally Juried Student Exhibitions in conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference (NCECA) in Seattle, Houston, and Milwaukee. He has recently been featured in Ceramics Monthly as a 2014 Emerging Artist, as well as the cover article for November/December issue of Pottery Making Illustrated. He has also received the Lincoln Fellowship and a long-term residency from The Archie Bray Foundation.
STATEMENT
Crafting an object that can potentially exist beyond my own intention allows me to be a part of someone’s daily ritual or individual escape. The intimacy of a cup or bowl becomes something the user can abide by and confide in. In turn, the discipline of making these objects of integrity becomes a safe haven of my very own. Observations from specific past experiences are formative to the process. For example, while investing the time to refine the planes of every pot, I recall taking care to counter-sink each finishing nail into a bookshelf built with my father. The uninterrupted contour of my forms are linked to the memory of standing on top of a dome in Florence and realizing how long it has stood the test of time and will continue to do so well past my lifetime. Handling a thoughtfully made mug on a daily basis reminds me of using a quality built tool. Both cultivate trust between the user and the maker. Pots return from the kiln with the confidence and sincerity of a wind worn landscape. The chance reactions produced in an atmospheric kiln help to reestablish the delicate balance between the order inherent in creating and the intrinsic chaos of firing. The varying proportion of the two helps distinguish one pot from another. These differences facilitate an enriched experience and sustain a cherished relationship between the person and the pot.
EDUCATION
2011-2014 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, Missouri
Master of Fine Arts; Studio Art, Ceramics
2007-2011 East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee
Bachelor of Fine Arts; Studio Art, Ceramics
2006-2007 Northeast State Community College, Blountville, Tennessee
Studied Art & Design, and Art History
2004-2006 Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee
Studied Art & Design at the Appalachian Center for Craft
AWARDS & HONORS
2014 John Ground Purchase Award, Strictly Functional, Lancaster, PA
Lincoln Fellowship, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
3rd Place, NCECA Graduate Student Award, 2014 NJSE, Milwaukee, WI
Aardvark Clay Purchase Award, 2014 NJSE, Milwaukee, WI
Studio Potter Merit Award, 2014 NJSE, Milwaukee, WI
2014 Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly
2014-2012 Full Teaching Assistantship, UMC, Columbia, MO
2013 Technical Assistant Grant Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
2012 Technical Assistant Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC
Honorable Mention, The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas. Columbia, MO
2011-12 Full Research Assistantship, UMC, Columbia, MO
2011 Full Scholarship, International Studies Course, ETSU, Spannocchia, Italy
Best In Show, Student Honors Show, Awarded by: TACA, ETSU, Johnson City, TN
2010 Work-Study Scholarship. Penland School of Crafts. Penland, NC
2008 Lynn Whitehead Ceramics Scholarship, ETSU, Johnson City, TN
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2014 Instructor of Record. Beginning Ceramics, UMC
2013 Instructor of Record. Beginning Ceramics, UMC
Instructor of Record. 3-D Design, UMC
2012 Instructor of Record. Beginning Ceramics, UMC
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015 NCECA Presenter, The Process Room, Rough & Refined. Providence, RI.
Ceramics Instructor & Kiln Tech, Archie Bray Community Pottery, Helena, MT.
Clay Production Assistant, Archie Bray Clay Business, Helena, MT.
2014 Visiting Artist, Helena High School, Helena, MT [two day]
2014-2015 Artist in Residence, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT
Visiting Artist, Access Arts Center, Columbia, MO [one day]
2013 Visiting Artist, Columbia College, Columbia, MO [one day]
Studio Assistant. Haystack School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME. [two week]
2012 Studio Assistant. Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC. [two week]
2011 Studio Assistant. Tenuta di Spannocchia, Siena, Italy. [three week]
2011-2012 Research Assistant. University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO.
2012-2014 Instructor. The Craft Studio, Columbia, MO.
2011-2014 Studio Technician. The Craft Studio, Columbia, MO.
SOL EXHIBITIONS
2015 Work from the West, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
2014 Contrast: Containing Clarity, George Caleb Bingham Gallery. Columbia, MO
2013 Crafted, The Craft Studio. Columbia, MO
2012 Hello Missouri, Goodbye Tennessee, The Craft Studio. Columbia, MO
2011 Interaction, Slocumb Gallery. Johnson City, TN
Engage, Johnson City Area Arts Council. Johnson City, TN
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2015 41st Annual Pottery Show, The Art School at Old Church, Demarest, NJ [invitational]
Ode to Bowls, Trackside Art Gallery, Spokane, WA. [invitational]
Male Order, Trax Gallery, Berkley, CA [invitational]
The Resident Artist Exhibition, The Archie Bray Foundation, Warehouse Gallery, Helena, MT
Top Emerging Artists, 18 Hands Gallery, Houston, TX [invitational]
Bray Days, Exit Gallery, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Functional Ceramics 2015, Wayne Center for the Arts, Wooster, OH [invitational]
2014 NCECA: National Student Juried Exhibition, Frederick Layton Gallery, Milwaukee, WI [juried]
Strictly Functional Pottery National 2014, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA [juried]
Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Exhibition XI, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA [juried]
The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas, George Caleb Bingham Gallery Columbia, MO [juried]
Glazed by Fire: Atmospheric Invitational, Taos Clay, El Prado, NM [invitational]
Midwest Students and Teachers, Lill Street Gallery, NCECA expo, Milwaukee, WI [invitational]
2013 NCECA: National Student Juried Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts. Houston, TX [juried]
Artifacts from the Inferno, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD [juried]
MU Graduate Ceramics: Doing Something New, Hardwick Gallery, Columbia, MO [invitational]
Centering Clay: Missouri Regional Ceramics, Jorgenson Gallery, Moberly, MO [invitational]
River2River: Regional Ceramics Juried Exhibition, Iowa Clay Conference. Legion Arts & The Ceramics Center. Cedar Rapids, IA [juried]
Mug Shots: A National Juried Cup Show, LUX Center For The Arts, Lincoln, NE [juried]
2012 NCECA: National Student Juried Exhibition, Jacob Lawrence Gallery, Seattle, WA [juried]
The Clay Cup: Icon, Vessel, Canvas, George Caleb Bingham Gallery Columbia, MO [juried]
Coffee, Tea, or?, Terra Incognito Studios, Chicago, IL [juried]
Food, Glorious Food, Art St. Louis Gallery, St. Louis, MO [juried]
2010 Functional Relationships, Eugena Summer Gallery, Columbus, MS [juried]
COMMISSIONS/PUBLIC ART
2012 George Caleb Bingham Gallery: 30-Piece Exhibition Reception Set
PUBLICATIONS
2015 Harnetty, Jennifer, “Altered Forms & Textured Surfaces by Bill Wilkey, “ Ceramic Arts Daily Instructional DVD Volume: 52. Produced by the American Ceramic Society
2014 Goring, Holly, “Countertop Companion, by Bill Wilkey,” Pottery Making Illustrated, Volume: 17, Issue 6, Feature Article and Cover Shot (p. 3, 22-26)
Wilder, Amy, “Bill Wilkey,” The Missourian, May 18th, 2014
Hall, Sherman, “2014 Emerging Artist,” Ceramics Monthly, Volume: 62, Issue: 5, (p. 7, 61, and 82.)
2013 500 Teapots: Volume 2, Lark Books, page 159 (photo)
2012 Langellier, Robert, “Art That Serves: Bill Wilkey Puts His Own Spin On Pottery,” Vox Magazine, September 20, 2012
Merino, Tony, “2012 NCECA Student Juried Exhibition,” Ceramics Monthly, Volume: 60, Issue: 7 (Image #6, pages 44-48.)