MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

"My goal is to establish a form and surface visual that expresses an edge of uncertainty and vulnerability with the power to initiate a dialogue with the story discovered within — a story that invites pause and ultimately engages our next move."

Eroding hillsides, a swirling ripple on water's surface, the rhythmic pattern of ocean flora and their associated shadow and reflection inspires endless relationship intrigue, revealing a story that challenges my expression. Utilizing elements that demand physical involvement in building form and surface, I hand-build my sculptural forms to preserve this symbolic gesture of energy, coiling each form using stoneware, earthenware, or porcelain. I frequently paddle the form's surface to engage with its inner resonance which is reminiscent of tidal rhythm and flow and allows the clay to “speak” to me as the form evolves. Oxide stains (usually copper and iron), slips, or color-tinted underglaze are layered on the surface of low-fired forms in preparation for etching techniques that will establish a surface visual that maps a spirited dance within. 

I engage many firing methods appropriate for the applied surface and the clay used in each work, with a preference for atmospheric firing. How the surface elements attract and cast flame plays an integral role in the evolution of the story that ultimately engages the completion and beginning of my next work.

MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

ARTIST BIO
 
Born in the seaport town of Newport, Oregon, Melanie Ferguson's interest in art was richly influenced by her ocean surroundings and nourished by assisting, studying, and working with coastal artists and native elders. She experimented with many artistic forms of expression, subsequently focusing on the properties of hand blown sheet glass and the theory of  painting with light, evolving a narrative style applied to architectural and commercial glass commissions. This venture in glass prompted a move to Washington State's Puget Sound where she studied Visual Communication at Northwest College of Art. Following a three-year placement as designer and account manager for a leading Puget Sound advertising agency, Melanie established herself as a freelance agent specializing in branding identity and product design, serving corporate, municipal, and non-profit clients from 1990 - 2005. A longtime desire to live in the Southern United States initiated a move to the state of Georgia where she began full-time study of Contemporary Ceramics at Roswell Art Center West in 2007, exploring the sculptural quality of the hand-built form and the narrative grace of surface with a special focus on wood, soda, and atmospheric firing. Today, her works are exhibited nationally and internationally as she continues her artistic exploration of sculptural form and surface from her Loch Highland studio near Roswell, Georgia.

MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

ARTIST CV
EDUCATION
2008-2013 Art Center West, Roswell, GA - Atmospheric Firing
2007-2011 Art Center West, Roswell, GA - Hand-building: Contemporary Ceramics
1984-1987 Northwest College of Art, Poulsbo, WA - Visual Communication

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
STORYTELLERS: Path to the Known; Solo Exhibition March 22 - June 3, 2017; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
SURFING THE LOTUS THREADS: Solo Exhibition October 12 - November 9, 2017; Tansey Contemporary, Denver, CO
INSIDE CHANDLER'S COVE, Solo Exhibition April 10 - June 26, 2014; Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL

JURIED  |  INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (Select)
INTERSECT CHICAGO: The Future of SOFA A virtual exhibition: Glass, Ceramic, Fiber Art, Contemporary Art, Outsider Art, Public Art/Sculpture
November 5-12, 2020; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY

SACRAL LANDSCAPES: A Group Exhibition  July 2020; Curated by Randall Morris, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
METRO MONTAGE XX  July 11 - September 6, 2020; Group Exhibition, Curated by Madeline Beck, 
Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA
ROUGH STUFF: A Celebration of Wild Surface April 25 - May 25, 2019; Group Exhibition, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
CONTEMPORARY SHOWCASE: Howard/Mandville Gallery February 3 - 28, 2018; Group Exhibition, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA
THIS IS WHAT CLAY CAN DO: A Meditation June 13 - July 29, 2017; Group Exhibition, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
MAKING IT IN CRAFTS III: National Invitational Exhibition May 12 - August 27, 2017. Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette, IN
MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

JURIED  |  INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
CONTEMPORARY SHOWCASE: Howard/Mandville Gallery March 11 - April 2, 2017; Group Exhibition, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA

FICTITIOUS FIBER - Group Invitational Exhibition October 7 - November 11, 2016. Curated by Jane Sauer, Tansey Contemporary Santa Fe, NM
SUMMER SPOTLIGHT - Cavin-Morris Gallery September 8 - October 8, 2016. Featured Artist, Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
12th ANNUAL WARSAW CERAMICS FAIR, Ceramics On The Web Invitational June 11, 2016. Polish Ceramic Association, Warsaw, Poland
MAVERICK: The NEW at Cavin-Morris Gallery February 18 - March 26, 2016. Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
WINTER SHOWCASE: New Works by Gallery Artists, Haward/Mandville Gallery February 18 - March 26, 2016. Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA
DE LA NATURALEZA, Juried Exhibition
January 9 - March 6, 2016. Juror: Sherrie Hawk, Curator: Eric Rausch
Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens with Central Ohio Clay Arts (COCA), Columbus, OH 
POTTERY NORTHWEST UN-WEDGED 2015, Juried Exhibition November 7 - 28, 2015. Juror: Richard Notkin, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA 
WORKING WOMEN: 36 Contemporary Women Artists, Invitational Exhibition September 17 - November 3, 2015; Marian Graves Mugar Gallery at Colby-Sawyer College, New London, NH 
RHIZOME! New Growth at Cavin-Morris Gallery September 10 - October 10, 2015; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY 
ENFLAMED! New Ceramics at Cavin-Morris Gallery June 15 - August 14, 2015; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY 
Pop Up Exhibition: Villa Stadtpark, Bochum Germany May 17, 2015; Represented by Kunat Fine Arts Gallery, Kierspe Germany
IN DREAMS BEGIN RESPONSIBILITIES: 30 Years at Cavin-Morris Gallery February 19 - March 14, 2015; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, Chelsea District, NYC 
METRO CURATES New York City January 22 - 25, 2015; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY 
ELEMENTALS: Women Sculpting Animism" Group Exhibition November 1 - December 13, 2014; Cavin-Morris Gallery, Chelsea District, NYC
MAKING IT IN CRAFTS II, National Invitational Exhibition September 26 - December 28, 2014; Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette, IN
MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

JURIED  |  INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (continued)
DIRECTOR'S CHOICE: Clay, Not The Usual Suspects, Invitational Exhibition September 25 - November 7, 2014; The Gallery at Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH
METRO MONTAGE XIV, Juried Invitational Exhibition July 19 - September 14, 2014; Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA 
PRAISESONG FOR THE NUMINOUS, Group Exhibition March 27 - April 26, 2014; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
THE METRO SHOW: New York City January 23 - 26, 2014; Represented by Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
RESTLESS II - A MIX, Group Invitational Exhibition May 16 - August 16, 2013; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
AMBASSADOR J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Artists for Peace and Common Understanding between the Peoples of the Middle East and the United States, Juried Exhibition April 4th – April 20th, 2013; John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
THE ART OF HEALING: A Visual Arts Benefit, Juried Invitation Exhibition October 2012; Southeast Alabama Medical Center Foundation / Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL
B12 BIENNIAL EXHIBITION, Juried Invitational Exhibition September 2012; Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL
INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL GROUP EXHIBITION: Painting-Sculpture-Ceramic March 2013; Sponsored by Usak Governorship, Usak Municipality, and Usak University, Usak Turkey
PRESS  |  REVIEWS  |  PUBLICATIONS
ROUGH STUFF: A Celebration of Wild Surface Spring 2019; Exhibition Catalog; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
DICK BLICK ART MATERIALS 2018 / 2019 Cover Art; Art Supplies Sales Catalog
MELANIE FERGUSON - STORYTELLERS: Path to the Known Published May 07, 2018, Solo Exhibition Catalog; Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York, NY
MAKING IT IN CRAFTS III: Art Museum of Greater Lafayette 2017; Print Exhibition Catalog; Art Museum of Greater Lafayette Indiana
EARTH SKIN: New Ceramics at Cavin-Morris Gallery 2016; Issuu Online Exhibition Catalog
FICTITIOUS FIBER 2016; Print Exhibition Catalog; Tansey Contemporary Santa Fe, NM
MELANIE FERGUSON | CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS
Roswell, GA | mferguson@mac.com | www.melaniefergusonceramics.com

PRESS  |  REVIEWS  |  PUBLICATIONS (continued)
MAVERICK: The New at Cavin-Morris Gallery 2016; Issuu Online Exhibition Catalog; Cavin-Morris Gallery, NY

UNWEDGED No. 5 2015; Print Exhibition Catalog; Pottery Northwest
WORKING WOMEN: 36 Contemporary Women Artists
2015; Exhibition Catalog; Marion Graves Mugar Art Gallery, Colby-Sawyer College
ENFLAMED: New Ceramics at Cavin-Morris Gallery
August 2015; Issuu Online Exhibition Catalog
THE ARTIST OMNIVORE, Polymer Arts Magazine Summer 2015 Edition; Featured Artist Interview, Author: Donna Greenberg
INSPIRATIONAL Magazine  Feature Artist, Premier Issue: Autumn/Fall 2014. Editor/Author: John Hopper

AMBASSADOR J. CHRISTOPHER STEVENS Memorial Exhibition Catalog Publication date: 2015. John Natsoulas Gallery
2014 POTTERS COUNCIL CALENDAR Cover Artist. October 2014 Featured Artist; Potters Council
2014 POTTERS COUNCIL CALENDAR – A Sculpture Collection June 2014 Featured Artist; Potters Council
2013 RESTLESS II! - A MIX
2013; Issuu Online Exhibition Catalog, Cavin-Morris Gallery 
2013 POTTERS COUNCIL CALENDAR – A Sculpture Collection November 2013 Featured Artist; Potters Council
INTERNATIONAL GROUP SHOW: International Mixed Exhibition: Painting-Sculpture-Ceramic 2013; Print Exhibition Book, Published by Usak University Press (Paperback) Kentle Bulusma-III Uluslararasi Karma Sergi Resim-Heykel-Sermik