First Place!

11 October 2014

Kristen Kieffer Grande Jar, Zanesville Prize First Place II

Grande Covered Jar (Allium pattern), Wheel-thrown and altered porcelain with slip-sponge, underglaze, and slip-trail deco, cone 7 oxidation. 16″ h x 8″ w x 8″ d

I’m THRILLED to share that I received First Place in the first Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics for this Grande Jar! There were over 1400 submissions competing for the $30K total in prize money with only 97 works chosen for the exhibition held at Seiler’s Gallery in Zanesville, OH. Big huge thank yous to jurors Brad Schwieger, Sherman Hall, and Angelica Pozo, and the Muskingum County Community Foundation for this great honor. I am Over The Moon!

Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics, 2014 exhibition

Worcester Living Highlight

26 November 2013

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Worcester Living cover, Winter issue 2013

Worcester Living title page with Kristen Kieffer

Pictured: Left, Worcester Living cover, Winter 2013 issue.
Right, me on the article title page throwing in my studio, p. 51.

I’m delighted to share a local feature about me, my work and studio in the article “12 Crafters to know in Central Mass” for the new issue of Worcester Living magazine.

Author Julia Quinn Szcesuil wanted to highlight artists who live, work, and sell in Worcester County, but have also developed a following and sales nationally through online shops and social media. She did a great job summarizing my thoughts as a maker (which you can read by clicking the image left), and photographer Tom Rettig did a great job of getting me to smile.

Central MA-ers can always find my work in Worcester at the Worcester Center for Crafts where I also teach adult community pottery classes, as well as visit my my biannual home studio sales here in Templeton, usually in early May and early November. (To receive updates about new work, studio sales, and more, sign up for my not-too-frequent enewsletter, connect with me on Facebook, and/or subscribe to my blog in the upper right of my website.)

And everyone can shop my online Etsy store, which is open and chock-full for the holidays with a few new pots to come in early December!

Sherwin-Williams “Colorful Personalities” Q & A

7 November 2013

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Since I think about color kind of constantly for both my pots and our home, it was such a delight to receive an email from a lovely freelance writer who not only works with Sherwin-Williams online publications about paint and color for design professionals, but also owns a couple of my pots! Beth Rutledge contacted me in August for a STIR^®feature called Colorful Personalities, a “Q & A with people who regularly use color in their vocation.” I appreciate the interest in connecting interior designers with makers through color, and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, which you can read right here.

STIR “STIR^® is the resource that explores the connection between color and cutting-edge design. It examines the many facets of color to help you bring a fresh perspective to your work. STIR^® is a print magazine, email newsletter and interactive tablet app for design professionals.”

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STIR: Who do you design for?
KK: I design for customers and collectors who appreciate how an elegant and well-crafted handmade object can enhance daily life.

Echoing Mentor John Glick

12 September 2013

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I’m thrilled to share the link to a video interview with studio potter John Glick reflecting on nearly fifty years of being a full-time artist and mentor, plus a fantastic segment on his glazing (a truly wonderful treat).

Anyone who has taken a workshop with me knows how important and influential my one-year residency (1996-97) with John was and continues to be in my own life as a studio potter. I credit John with teaching me everything from properly packing pots and caring for my back by standing to throw, to my use of particular decoration techniques and—most importantly—that play is a crucial part of studio practice.

Pictured stills from the Cultural Connection: John Glick video interview, produced by the City of Farmington Hills Video Division. Watch the video here.

It’s a humbling delight to hear John refer to my year in his studio (04:15 – 07:45), and think back with fondness about that time of exploration, which helped pave the way to my being a full-time artist now. He uses the word “echo,” which is perfect as his support, energy, and influence have indeed reverberated through my mind and work (and back!) for the last sixteen years. He played a big part in my sense of discovery and exploration, and I’m thankful.

Thank you, John & Susie!

Big Honors! CM & NCECA

5 August 2012

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I’m thrilled to share that my work was chosen for Ceramics Monthly‘s September 2012 cover! CM is the most popular clay magazine in the biz with a total market reach of over 140,000. It is a huge honor that is in conjunction with a thoughtful, four-page article titled “Kristen Kieffer: The Impact of Daily Elegance” written by Kansas State University graduate student Lauren Karle. Big, huge thank yous to Lauren for contacting me, the lovely writing, and hard work through the process. Thank you, Lauren and CM!

The second big honor announcement is that I will be one of four demonstrators at NCECA‘s (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference for 2013 in Houston, TX, March 20 – 23! What a thrill to be asked to demonstrate at the largest annual gathering of clay folk in the world, where upwards of 4,000 makers, teachers, and collectors meet to see great work, listen to provocative lectures and panels, and watch awesome demos. If you’re heading to Houston, come see me on stage Thursday morn, 9-noon and Friday afternoon, 1-4, and give me a cheer of support! Thank you, NCECA!

Museum Purchase

24 June 2012

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Flower vessel (Corset series), Lilac pattern

I’m so thrilled to share that this large (18″ h) piece of mine, which was juried into the 19th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition by Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio (who also awarded it a Merit Award), has been purchased by the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in TX for their permanent collection! Very much a delightful, triple honor. This is the third museum to purchase my work for its collection. The other two are the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei, Taiwan and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Fort Wayne, IN.