Linda Sormin
Linda Sormin
Linda Sormin, Furl 2019
Linda Sormin, Ancestor 2020-22, 11” x 25” x 17.5”
Linda Sormin, Self Portrait 2021-22, 13” x 17” x 8”
Statement
Artist Linda Sormin explores fragility, tension, migration, survival and change through sculpture and site-responsive installations. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, most recently at MASS MoCA (North Adams, MA), Messums (London, UK), United Contemporary (Toronto, ON), and Patricia Sweetow Gallery (San Fransisco, CA). She was a participant at the European Ceramic Workcentre in the Netherlands this year, creating new work for 3 exhibitions: “Ceramics in the Expanded Field: Sculpture, Performance and the Possibilities of Clay”, currently open to the public at MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA, “No Boundaries” an exhibition of Canadian artists at Messums, London, UK, and an upcoming two-person exhibition at Peach Corner Gallery in Copenhagen, Denmark opening in September 2022.
Bio
Sormin lives and works in New York City, and is Associate Professor of Studio Art at New York University. She has taught ceramics at Emily Carr University, Rhode Island School of Design, Sheridan College and Alfred University. Born in Bangkok, Sormin moved to Canada with her family at the age of five. She has a BA in English Literature and worked in community development for four years in Thailand and Laos. She studied ceramics at Andrews University (BA, English Literature, 1993), Sheridan College (Ceramics Diploma, 2001) and Alfred University (MFA, Ceramic Art, 2003).
CV
Education
- 2003 - MFA, Ceramic Art, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
- 2001 - Diploma, Ceramics, Sheridan College, Oakville, ON
- 1993 - Bachelor of Arts, English Literature, Andrews University, Berrien Spring, MI
Selected Exhibitions
- 2022 - Linda Sormin, Messums, Wiltshire, UK
- 77th Scripps Annual, Scripps College, Claremont, CA (catalog)
- Earth Oracles, Maytens Projects, Toronto, ON
- Ceramics Synthesized, Blumenfield Projects, Santa Monica, CA
- Karen Harsbo and Linda Sormin, Peach Corner Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark (catalog)
- Women Working with Clay, Hollins University, Roanoke, VA
- 2021 - No Boundaries | Canadian Ceramics, Messums, London, UK
- Stream (INSTALLATION) in Ceramics in the Expanded Field, Sculpture, Performance, and the Possibilities of Clay, Mass MOCA, North Adams, MA
- Inter/Ruptures, United Contemporary, Toronto, ON
- 2020 - Linda Sorrmin and Gail Wight, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- Nature/Nurture, Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA
- 2019 - Ceramic Momentum, Copenhagen Ceramics group exhibition, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, Middelfart, Denmark, (catalog)
- Nordic Craft and Design, Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, UK
- Tony Marsh, Linda Sormin, Nancy Selvin, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- 2018 - Fierce Passengers, Carleton University Art Gallery, Ottawa, CA (INSTALLATION)
Residencies
- 2021 - European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC), Netherlands
- 2014 - Antena Projects and Sarang Building, Artist in Residence, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (June/July)
- Watershed Summer Session: Ayumi Horie with Tip Toland, Beth Cavener Stichter, Linda Sormin and Michealene Walsh, Watershed Centre for the Ceramic Arts, Maine (August)
- 2012 - AIDAshed Residency, Givat Haviva, Israel
- 2011 - DIVA Residency, Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and gl Holtegaard, Denmark
- Edge Artist in Residence for Bray 60th Anniversary, Archie Bray Foundation, MT
- 2010 - The Berlin Residency, Pankow, Berlin
- AIR (Artist in Residence) Vallauris, Vallauris, France
- 2006 - Medalta International Artist in Residence Program, Medicine Hat, AB
- 2004 - Intranation Residency, Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, AB
Grants & Awards
- 2021 - Canada Council — Explore and Create Grant
- 2018 - Canada Council for the Arts — Travel Grant
- 2017 - Alfred University School of Art and Design Professional Development Grant Bernstein Fund
- 2016 - Canada Council for the Arts – Visual Arts Research/Creation Grant
- Alfred University School of Art and Design Professional Development Grant Bernstein Fund
- 2014/15 - Canada Council for the Arts – Visual Arts Research/Creation Grant
- Canada Council for the Arts – Travel Grant (Yogyakarta, Indonesia)
- Sheridan College Faculty Professional Development Grant, Oakville, ON/li>
- 2012 - Canada Council for the Arts– Visual Arts Research/Creation Grant
Visiting Lecturer
- 2022 - Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London, UK
- 2021 - Academy of Fine Art, Helsinki, Finland
- 2019 - HDK – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2018 - Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY
- 2017 - Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
- Alfred University, Bergren Forum, Alfred, NY
- 2016 - Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
- Hartford School of Art, 2016 Auerbach Lecture, Hartford, CT
- 2015 - University of Manitoba, 1000 Miles Apart Conference, Winnipeg, MB
- Brantford Potters’ Guild, Brantford, ON
Presentations & Panels
- 2022 - “Women Working with Clay Symposium”, (presentation, demonstration & panel) Hollins University, Roanoke, VA
- 2021 - Anderson Ranch, Snowmass, CO
- University of Helsinki, Finland, Zoom Lecture
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Zoom Lecture
- 2020 - Linda Sormin and Gail Wight, In Conversation with art critic Kenneth Baker, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco Royal College of Art, London, UK, Zoom Lecture
- 2019 - Linda Sormin Visiting Artist Lecture at California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA HDK – University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Workshops
- 2018 - “Shaping the View”, Co-taught with architect Dawn G. Franklin, Ox-bow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI
- 2016 - Summer Ceramic Workshop, Sunbury Shores, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada
- 2014-2015 - Fusion Mentorship: Crit Pit, Ontario Society of Artists Suite at Ashbridges Bay House, Toronto, ON
- 2011 - Open Door Workshop, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME
- 2008 - Survival Strategies, Louisiana Artworks, New Orleans, LA
- 2004 - Courting Risk, 1000 Miles Apart, University of Regina, SK
Juries
- 2020 - ISC Outstanding Educator Award (International Sculpture Center)
- 2015 - McKnight Artist Fellowships & Residencies, Minneapolis, MN
- 2008-15 - ArtAxis (online artist network), http://www.artaxis.org/artist.htm
- 2008 - “In Your Face”, Brown University/RISD Art Exhibition, Hillel Gallery, Providence, RI
- 2006 - “Tea Party 2004”, Port Moody Arts Centre, Port Moody, BC
- BC Arts Council Scholarships/Awards, Victoria, BC
Interviews
- 2021 - Stream, MASS MoCA Interview (online video)
- 2020 - Linda Sormin & Gail Wight, interview with Kenneth Baker, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco
- 2018 - CUAG: Linda Sormin Fierce Passengers - Winter 2018 (online video)
- 2013 - Royal Bank of Canada People’s Choice Awards, Gardiner Museum (online video)
- Exploring Chaos and Fragility: An Interview with Linda Sormin. Interviewer: Tracy Teagarden, Shop Talk, Volume 6. Publisher: Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
- 2012 - Sheridan Voices, Sheridan Institute, Oakville, ON (online video)
Writing
- 2016 - Sormin, Linda. “Are you land or water? Love notes to Buddhas.” Contemporary Clay and Museum Culture. Eds. Christie Brown, Julian Stair and Clare Twomey. Surrey: Routledge.
- Sormin, Linda. “In Conversation with Bruce Cochrane.” article in Studio Magazine, Spring/Summer (Vol. 11 No 1), pp 28-32.
- 2012 - Sormin, Linda. “Are you land or water: love notes to buddhas.”, in Contemporary Essays series, Ceramics in the Expanded Field (online journal, University of Westminster), September 2012.
- 2011 - Sormin, Linda. “Boundary-work”, Interpreting Ceramics, Issue 12 (online UK journal), transcribed from CAA ’09: http://www.uwic.ac.uk/icrc/issue012/articles/07.htm
- 2009 - Sormin, Linda. “forage/salvage”, a video conversation piece with poet Rita Wong. See: foragesalvage-2009 on YouTube in 3 parts. Part One: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJD2RFcsffw
Bibliography
- 2021 - Greenhalgh, Paul. Ceramic, Art and Civilisation, Bloomsbury Visual Arts, London, 2021, pp. 746-48 Huberdeau, Jennifer
- Ceramics in the Expanded Field Artists Explore Intersection of history, culture, identity through clay. Berkshire Eagle, Oct. 15, 2021 Cross, Susan.
- ‘Ceramics in the Expanded Field’, Group exhibition catalog, MASS MoCA, 2021 McDonald, Frances. ‘Discarded Influences’, Ceramic Review Issue 307, Jan-Feb 2021, pp. 50-52
- 2020 - Taylor, Louisa Ceramics Masterclass, Thames & Hudson, pp. 264-65
- Sequoia Miller Chief Curator Interviews Linda Sormin, Instagram LIVE
- Conversation with Clare Twomey, hosted by BKLN CLAY on Zoom
- 2019 - Maake Magazine, curated by Shannon Goff & Roxanne Jackson, Issue 8 Clay Edition
- Glenn Adamson, CERAMIC MOMENTUM – Staging the Object, Catalog, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art
- Greenspan, Gali. “Fierce Passenger,” interview with Linda Sormin in 1280° C Magazine for Material Culture, Issue #39, 2019, Israel, translated, interview and magazine in Hebrew, pp. 18-20
Teaching History
- 2019 - – present Associate Professor, New York University, New York, NY
- 2016-2019 - Professor, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
- 2012-16 - Professor, Head of Ceramics, Sheridan College, Craft + Design Program, Oakville, ON
- 2010-11 - Associate Professor, Head of Ceramics, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
- 2006-09 - Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
- 2005-06 - Assistant Professor, Head of Visual Arts, Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, Vancouver, BC
- 2003-05 - Assistant Professor, Head of Ceramics, Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, Vancouver, BC
Public Collections
- Arizona State University Museum, Tempe, AZ
- CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, Middelfart, Denmark
- Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
- Gardiner Museum, (Gift of Raphael Yu) Toronto, Canada
- Victoria & Albert Museum, London
- Schein-Joseph Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, New York
- Dorothy and George Saxe Collection, Gift to the Renwick Gallery | Smithsonian Museum of Art
- World Ceramic Exposition, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
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