Artist: Pete Scherzer
Pete Scherzer, HAWAII
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I was once able to handle a Sultanabad bowl from the thirteenth century, similar to what I had previously seen in books and behind glass. The piece I handled was broken, so I could see the cross section. I was surprised to see the clay body looked like a mixture of sand and gravel. It was covered with layers of slip, underglaze and glaze. People had created something beautiful out of a clay I would not have considered usable. I am inefficient compared to a machine, but capable of many other things, such as experimentation, creativity, and eccentricity. I have endless enthusiasm for historical ceramics, a love of Victorian architectural ornament, and a fascination with ceramic materials and processes. Trying to make sense of the jumble of ideas and influences in my head, and apply them to objects as commonplace as mugs is what keeps me motivated in my studio.
EDUCATION
1999 New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics
1995 Cleveland Institute of Art Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics
RESIDENSIES
1999 to 2001 Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts
1996 to 1997 Peters Valley Craft Center
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2014 to present Lecturer, Ceramics Department University of Hawaii at Manoa
2012 Visiting Artist, Ceramics Department Murray State University
2007 Visiting Artist, Beginning Wheel Throwing University of Minnesota
2007 Guest Instructor, Special Topics Class in conjunction with exhibition Northern Clay Center
2002 Visiting Artist, Ceramics Department Kent State University
2001 to 2003 Instructor of Ceramics, Continuing Education: Introduction to Ceramics
Cleveland Institute of Art
2001 Associate Professor, Summer School New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
2000 Instructor of Ceramics, Advanced Throwing Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts
2000 Visiting Artist, Ceramics Department University of Montana, Missoula
1999 Instructor of Ceramics, Introduction to Pottery
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1998 Teaching Assistant, Raw Materials and Glaze Calculation
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1998 Teaching Assistant, Junior Pottery New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1997 Teaching Assistant, Sophomore Wheel Throwing New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1996 to 1997 Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Ceramics Princeton University
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2004 to 2012 Facilities and Studio Program Manager Northern Clay Center
2001 to 2003 Technical Assistant, Ceramics Department Cleveland Institute of Art
2000 Workshop Assistant, Glaze Calculation Workshop Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts
1999 Summer School Assistant, Glaze Calculation Summer Session New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1996 to 1997 Studio Assistant to Bennett Bean Blairstown, NJ
1996 Workshop Assistant, Summer Workshops in Ceramics Peters Valley Craft Center
1993 to 1995 Studio Assistant to Angelica Pozo Cleveland, OH
SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
2016
A La Carte: From the Studio to the Table, The Dinnerware Museum Ann Arbor, MI
Functional Ceramics, Artisan Gallery Paoli, WI
The Clay Studio National, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, PA
Soft. Velvet. Plush. Schaller Gallery St. Joseph, MI
Cup: The Intimate Object XII, Charlie Cummings Gallery Chapel Hill, NC
La Mesa, NCECA Presented by Santa Fe Clay
2015
Cups: Hundreds of Cups!, Santa Fe Clay Santa Fe, NM
American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
2014
The ABC of Dinnerware, Santa Fe Clay Santa Fe, NM
Paper / Plate, Lawrence Arts Center Lawrence, KS
Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Cernamics, Muskingum County Community Foundation, Zanesville, OH
Cup; The Intimate Object X, Charlie Cummings Gallery Gainesville, FL
2013
Exquisite Pots II: Red Handed, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
Grasp, Schaller Gallery Saint Joseph, MI
2011
Cups & Coffee, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, PA
Minnesota Nice, Lillstreet Art Center Chicago, IL
Contemporary Teapots Ancient Ancestors, Pewabic Pottery Detroit, MI
Pete Scherzer: Solo Exhibition, Schaller Gallery Saint Joseph, MI
Jerome Foundation Exhibition, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
2010, 2011
St Paul Art Crawl, Northern Warehouse Artist's Cooperative St Paul, MN
Yunomi Invitational, Akar Iowa City, IA
2010
20th Anniversary, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
The 2010 Invitational Ceramics Exhibition, Baldwin Wallace College Berea, OH
Gifted, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, PA
Ornamental, Red Star Studios Kansas City, MO
2008
Ceramics Program 1978-2008, Convivium 33 Gallery Cleveland, OH
2007
Eat With Your Eyes, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
Plates and Platters Salon Style, The Clay Studio Philadelphia, PA
2006, 2007
La Mesa, NCECA Presented by Santa Fe Clay
2005, 2006, 2007
American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN
2005
The Feast, Harvey/Meadows Gallery Aspen, CO
2004
Service: An Unconventional Approach, Chester Springs Studio Chester Springs, PA
Plausible Domestic Objects, Ferrin Gallery Lenox, MA
2003
William Brouillard, Robert Brunch, Peter Scherzer, Three Person Show River Gallery, Rocky River, OH
Counter Art, Functional and Decorative Ceramics for the Kitchen Artinplace, La Jolla, CA
2002
Michael Connelly & Pete Scherzer, Two Person Show Fifth Element Gallery, Portland, OR
Continuing Education Faculty Exhibition, Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH
2001
The Archie Bray Foundation: A Pottery In the Brickyard Celebrating 50 Years, SOFA Chicago
A View of Contemporary Ceramics, Chester Springs Studio Days 2001 Chester Springs, PA
Farewell Exhibition, Archie Bray Foundation Helena, MT
Ewers, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
National Juried Cup Show, Kent State University, Kent, OH
New Works, Odyssey Gallery, Asheville, NC
2000 Clay on the Cusp, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
Impressions in Clay, Chester Springs Studio Days 2000 Chester Springs, PA
Archie Bray Foundation Annual Resident Artist Exhibition Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
3rd Annual Elmhurst Art Museum Competition, Elmhurst Art Museum
Elmhurst, IL (Award)
Porcelain 2000, Esmay Fine Art, Rochester, NY
Chef John Folse Utilitarian Ceramics National, Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA (Award)
1999
Habit to Ritual: Pots for Living, Chester Springs 16th Annual Studio Days
Chester Springs, PA (Award)
Incubation, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI
Cleveland Institute of Art Ceramic Alumni Exhibition, Avante Gallery Cleveland, OH
Porcelain ’99, Esmay Fine Art, Rochester, NY
PUBLICATIONS
Cindi Strauss and Garth Clark, Shifting Paradigms in Contemporary Ceramics: The Garth Clark and Mark Delvecchio Collection. Yale University Press, 2012.
Diana Daniels and Martha Drexler Lynn, The Vase and Beyond: The Sidney Swidler Collection of the Contemporary Vessel. Crocker Art Museum, 2010.
Anderson Turner, "Subtle Elegance: The Vessels of Pete Scherzer", Ceramics Monthly, September 2003
COLLECTIONS
Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT
Northern Clay Center, Teaching Collection, Minneapolis, MN
Robert Pfannebecker Collection, Lancaster, PA
Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY
The Dinnerware Museum, Ann Arbor, MI
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2010 Jerome Foundation Grant, Minneapolis MN
1999 Anderson Ranch Workshop Scholarship, Alfred University
1989 and 1990 Charles M. Mosgow Award, Cleveland Institute of Art