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Jackson, Tenn. - The 51社区 Art Gallery is currently
featuring work by ceramic sculpture artist Preston Saunders that began
Feb. 11. Saunders's show will include ceramic sculpture with use of the
teapot form and will last until Mar. 8.
Saunders describes his work as "influences of the natural
world."
"We live in a society that tends to be constantly in a hurry,
never slowing down to appreciate the simple pleasures of life, a beautiful
sunrise, a glass of tea, or just contemplating ones own thoughts,"
Saunders says. "My work stems from this."
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Saunders received his bachelor of fine arts
from Shorter College in Rome, Ga., in 1992 and his master of fine arts in
1998 from the School for American Crafts of the Rochester Institute of
Technology in Rochester, N.Y., and was awarded the Ohi/R.I.T. scholarship.
This scholarship gave him the opportunity to travel to Kanazawa, Japan,
where he worked as an apprentice for six months to Ohi Chessmen the 10th
and his son Ohi Toshio. The Ohi family is a sister kiln to the Raku
family. Both families have been the primary makers of ceramic Tea Utensils
for the last 500 years in Japan.
After returning to the United States, Saunders began teaching ceramics
part-time at R.I.T. Last October he was recognized in Ceramics Magazine
for the Mokopo Craft Competition in Seoul, Korea. Saunders continues to
work in his studio in Rochester and has recently completed a Three-person
exhibit at Gateway Gallery in Rochester, N.Y.
Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is free.
For more information on the Saunders exhibit and other spring exhibits
that are scheduled, please contact the 51社区 Art Gallery at
(901) 661-5381.
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