Leanne McClurg

Leanne McClurg – guest artist

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Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Leanne received a B.F.A. at the University of Minnesota in 1997. In 2002 she received her M.F.A. at Louisiana State University. Leanne has exhibited all over the U.S. as well as being an artist-in-residence at the Archie Bray Foundation (MT), Watershed, (ME), and Taller de Terreno (Baja California Sur, MX) Her highlighted awards include NCECA Emerging Artist 2007 and First Place, Strictly Functional 2017. She is currently Full Professor at Governors State University in the south Chicagoland suburbs. 

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I begin with my body and my perception; it is the genesis for all that I make. My artworks are vehicles for communication to convey a certain truth about my experiences as human so that the user and I can find connection with each other through a functional vessel. My pots are made from an autobiographical stance about longing and survival. I use imagery and designs as a way to express contrasting emotions about resilience and grief, appetite and fulfillment. 

 

I captured my existence in the moment that is embraced in a ceramic cup. My life was gliding in and out of focus, messy in parts where the grisly fat and meat met crisp bone. The ceramic form captures my mind wandering from desire to thoughtfulness to longing and fear and back again. I draw inspiration from how my full body interacts with other objects, other bodies. When someone uses a cup I’ve created I want them to bring awareness to the experiences of their body. I want the user to feel cared for and seen and to be mindful of what it is to be both resilient and fragile like that of the cup in their hand. 

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leannemcclurg.com

Homewood, IL