Saturday, December 31, 2011

Residency at The Clay Studio Nov.-Dec. 2011, Philadelphia, PA



Paolo Porelli: announcement for my work talk at The Clay Studio

Whoever happens to visit The Clay Studio in Philadelphia immediately understands that they are in the midst of an organisation in which ceramic knowledge and experience is concentrated.and how it is possible to invest in its creation, promotion and sales. For an Italian, it is a completely new and extraordinary experience to come into contact with a structure such as this. Ceramics in the States means either pottery, functional ceramics, which the artists personalize according to their sensibility and vision, or sculpture/installation, the most valued form of artistic research in the global world of contemporary art. 

Paolo Porelli, work in progress at The Clay Studio
Paolo Porelli, 'Glove Lady' 2011, glazed stoneware, 61x20.5cm
The two months that I spent as a guest artist in residence at The Clay Studio were unforgettable on both a personal and professional level. And even better in the splendid historic downtown of Philadelphia, where there are still examples of buildings of the 18th cent. on the architectural model of London of the same period. It was a great pleasure to get to know Jeff Guido, Kimberly Shelton, Naomi Cleary and the many talented artists in residence there, Hiroe Hanazono, Peter Morgan, Linda Lopez, Rebecca Chappell, Matthew Ziemke, Giselle Hicks and many others. At the end of my term, I organized a Italian dinner for everyone as a small token of my appreciation.

I will do a separate post for the sculpture which I produced there.