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Erin Smith

Erin Smith

Statement


I explore the translations that occur through process and creation, my practice is focussed on the murky spaces that are a product of these translations. Using both traditional building techniques and technology I explore how an object transforms in both its physicality and meaning through process and reinterpretation. These processes include the transitions that occur between what the eye sees and the hand creates and transformations that present themselves through digitization. Technologies such as scanning and 3D printing allow me to focus on the moments where the physical is translated to digital and vice versa. A 3D scan may fail to capture accurately or a printer may generate support, these discrepancies of our current capabilities become generative of new form. This is where I find my work, navigating the edges of destruction and construction, ideas that morph through translation. I embrace and utilize these digital shortcomings as a marking of time within culture and my own art practice. 

Bio


Erin Smith (b.1980) was raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 2003 she received her BFA in Product Design from Parsons School of Design and an MFA in ceramics from NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2021. Erin’s experiences in the field of product design, interior design, event coordination, and as a small business owner all feed into her current ceramic practice.

Exhibitions include Walker Art Center and Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN, Concordia University, St. Paul, MN, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN, Cooler Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, and the Center for Contemporary Crafts, Houston, TX. 

CV


Education
  • 2021 - MFA, Ceramics, NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
  • 2004 - Semester Product Design, Kunsthochschule Berlin­-Weissensee, Berlin, Germany
  • 2003 - BFA, Product Design, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
  • 2019-2021 NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
  • Teaching Assistant
  • 2014-2019 E.SMiTHworkshop, Mpls, MN
  • Owner of online store and wholesaler, focussing on ceramics and jewelry
  • 2011-2015 - SHIP&SHAPE, Mpls, MN
  • Co-owner, curator, and contributor to the online store. Organized events featuring local artists
  • 2004-2010 Sisbro Design, Mpls, MN
  • Sister/brother collaborative interior and product design
  • 2005-2011 Target Corporation, Mpls, MN
  • Decorative home, women’s accessories, and pet product design
  • 2004 Martini Meyer: Büro für Gestaltung Intern, Berlin, Germany
  • Research and design for the interior of various art exhibitions and events
  • 2002 Global Partners Intern, New York, NY
  • Product design of household decor and office supplies
AWARDS / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / COMMISSIONS
  • 2018 - Next Step Fund, Metro Regional Arts Council, McKnight Foundation Grant, Mpls, MN
  • 2018 - American Craft Council Show, juried show, San Francisco, CA
  • 2017 - American Craft Council Emerging Artist Award, San Francisco, CA
  • 2017 - American Craft Council Show, juried show, San Francisco, CA
  • 2012-2017 Jewelry Artist Mart, Juried show, Walker Art Center, Mpls, MN
  • 2010 - Honeycomb Salon, Interior Design (Sisbro) Mpls, MN
  • 2009 - Sleep on it: 24 Hours Recovery, Walker Art Center, teen arts council event (Sisbro) Mpls, MN
  • 2008 - Walker on the Green, Walker Art Center, mini-golf hole commission (Sisbro) Mpls, MN
  • 2008 - Juxtaposition Arts, Jerome Foundation, gate commission (Sisbro) Mpls, MN
  • 2008 - Voltage Fashion Amplified, juried fashion show designer, Mpls, MN
  • 2007 - Shortlist, Ceramics for Breakfast, designboom.com competition (Sisbo)
  • 2005 - Honorable Mention, Kitchen is the Heart of the Home, designboom.com competition (Sisbro)
  • 2003 - Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellowship, Berlin, Germany
EXHIBITIONS
  • 2022 - Group Exhibition, Earth Oracles, Maytens, Toronto, ON
  • 2022 - Group Exhibition, Above Board, Virtual Exhibition, www.aboveboardceramics.com
  • 2022 - Group Exhibition, TBD, Hair & Nails Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, Conflux: Alfred Ceramics MFA 2021, Sculpture Space, New York, NY
  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, The Human Scale, Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN
  • 2021 - Thesis Exhibition, Iterative Iterative, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred, NY
  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, Juried Student Exhibition, NCECA, Cincinnati, OH
  • 2021 - Group Exhibition, All Grad Show, Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, All Grad Show, Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
  • 2020 - Group Exhibition, RIGHT NOW, Hair & Nails Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
  • 2019 - Two-Person Exhibition, Tubes, Ipso Gallery, Sioux Falls, SD
RESIDENCIES
  • 2022 - Arcosanti Workshop, Yavapai County, AZ
  • 2021 - Sculpture Space, Long Island City, NY
PRINT MEDIA
  • Rebecca Deczynski, “Shaping Community,” Domino, Spring 2019. 36.
  • Anna Kocharian, “Domino Guide to Outdoor Living,” Domino, Summer 2018. 75.
  • Laine Bergeson, “Beads with beauty baked in,” Star Tribune Magazine, Spring 2018. 15.
  • Destanie Martin-Johnson, “Bent Into Shape,” American Craft Council, no.06, December/January 2018. 24.
  • “Shopkeepers’ Picks,” Anthology, no.10, Winter 2013. 8.
  • “Accessoires,” Brigitte, nr.2, December/January 2013. 54.
COLLECTIONS
  • The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
  • Private collections, Minneapolis, MN
  • Private collection, Sioux Falls, SD
  • Private collection, New Orleans, LA
  • Marian Ilitch, Detroit, MI
  • John Thomson, New York, NY/ Minneapolis, MN

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