Marshall County Arts Cooperative
Photos Courtesy of MCAC
Ceramic artist Eric Stearns will visit Marshall County Feb. 6 and 7 for a two-day residency hosted by the Marshall County Arts Cooperative, including workshops with local high school art students, a Senior Saturday artist talk and a free public reception at the Lee Dam Center for Fine Art in Marysville.
Pottery that comes out of a kiln while it is still glowing hot, then is changed by smoke as it cools, will be the focus of Stearns’ visit.
That fast process is called raku. The potter heats the piece until it is red hot, takes it out of the kiln and places it into a container with materials that make smoke. The smoke and the quick cooling can leave bold dark marks and crackly lines, so every piece turns out a little different.
Stearns says the goal of his work is emotional connection. “My work is created to strike a chord with the viewer, conveying a fragile and fleeting existence,” he said, describing how raku helps him speak to themes of fragility, connection and fracture.
He also draws on an interest in mathematics to build patterns and explore how color and glaze texture can change what a person feels when looking at a piece.
Stearns earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Fort Hays State University in 2008 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Doane College in 2003. He is now professor of art and chair of the Department of Art and Design at Doane University in Crete, Nebraska.
On Friday, Feb. 6, he will work with art students at Marysville High School and Valley Heights High School.
On Saturday, Feb. 7, Stearns will be featured during Senior Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Lee Dam Center for Fine Art, 201 S. Ninth St. The free program is designed for adults 55 and older. Breakfast will be served, including breakfast casseroles, breakfast sweets and biscuits and gravy. Stearns will give an artist talk at 9 a.m., followed by time for questions and conversation.
Following, a free public reception will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the art center. The reception is open to everyone, come and go.
More information is available at marshallcountyarts.org or by calling 785-859-4260.
