“The Unimagined Place” by Brian Chen & Gabby Gawreluk
Yellow Litter Scoop by Gabby Gawreluk
Thank you, Sponsor!
Both “The Unimagined Place” by Brian Chen and Gabby Gawreluk and “Use is Beauty” by Justin Squier are generously sponsored by Angela Bruno as well as the Carbondale Clay Center, which has been an important part of the Roaring Fork Valley and the field of ceramics since the Center's inception in 1997.
Learn more at carbondaleclay.org
Enjoy the artist talk recorded at the opening reception on First Friday, July 7. Brian and Gabby’s section begins around the 7 minute mark.
Carbondale Arts presented a 2-person exhibition featuring ceramic artists Brian Chen and Gabby Gawreluk who both completed their 2-year residencies at the Carbondale Clay Center in the fall of 2023. The show ran July 7 through August 10, 2023. The opening reception took place on First Friday, July 7, from 5-7pm at The Launchpad, with an artist talk at 5:30pm.
A solo show “Use Is Beauty” featuring mixed media artist Justin Squier opened the same night in the first gallery space.
From Brian Chen:
My work uses shapes influenced by anatomy and science-fiction/fantasy where two vessels are related by form, function, and aesthetic. Parts of one functioning whole. Without one or the other, the object would be rendered useless. However, each individual part carries its own weight in design and aesthetic. I want to capture that moment of awe when looking at something designed by nature over millions of years.
From Gabby Gawreluk:
My work is presented to the viewer in a simple and organized fashion. The messy process and physical rigor of clay of clay satisfies my inner child, body and mind. The things that I make create a space that is a glimpse inside my own world - a world that is an accumulation of my memories and how those memories and curiosities connect back to this world.
The Carbondale Clay Center Ceramic Artist Residency Program is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established ceramic artists.
Brian Chen, Carbondale Clay Center resident 2021-2023
My work is a combination of childhood aspiration, personal escapism, and existentialism. I use the idea of form following function, in the context of biology, architecture, and design, as a guideline to create. I enjoy making forms that pull the viewer's eye with a sense of familiarity, awe, and curiosity. The goal of my studio practice is to tap into a child-like wonder about something that could have been or might become.
Clay has been incredibly therapeutic for me. It has given me space without the pressure and lessons without the shame. I have met communities and people I would have never had the pleasure of meeting. It is technical enough to keep me interested, frustrated, and humbled. Pursuing a career in clay has allowed me to trust myself in all aspects of life. It can be community oriented and solitary at the same time, in the best way. Clay has given me something to do with a group of good people in a rather arbitrary world. An escape that seems to become more and more real the more I create.
Learn more about Brian and his work at brianchenpottery.com or on Instagram @brianchenpottery
Gabby Gawreluk, Carbondale Clay Center resident 2021-2023
Originally from Minnesota, Gabby received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In 2018, she completed one year expanding her art practice as a special student at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. From 2019-2020, she attended Colorado State University as a Post-Baccalaureate student. Gabby constructs functional and sculptural ceramics that are constructed from wheel thrown parts and slabs of clay. Her work is featured in juried and invitational exhibitions in galleries around the nation.
During the spring of 2020, she was selected to be a summer resident at The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. Before moving to back to Colorado, she was an Anonymous Artist Fellow at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis. Minnesota. Gabby now resides in Carbondale, Colorado where she is an Artist in Residence at Carbondale Clay Center.
Learn more about Gabby and her work at gabbygawreluk.com or on Instagram @g_luckceramics