Monday, November 16
7.00 – 8.00 PM EST

Working the Surface is a live Artist Demo where Shanna will create layers of color, imagery and texture onto a clay surface. Shanna will demonstrate how to create a thermofax screen from start to finish with both an original drawing and copyright free image. Underglaze applications, sgraffito etching, and layering slips will all contribute to a rich, narrative surface. Shanna will talk about developing a lexicon of images to narrate an impression of a story, how text may add depth and finally, the importance of symbolism and play in the overall composition.

Shanna was born in northeast NJ. Living close to the city and the woods shaped her love for both urban spaces and the natural environment. ​After earning her BFA from James Madison University, she accepted a residency at the Cub Creek Foundation, worked at Greenwich House Pottery, and received her MFA from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville in 2008. After graduate school she was an Artist In Residence at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY, followed by another year at Clay Art Center as the Community Arts Fellow. She was also a summer resident at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, and later accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Art/Ceramics at Montana State University in Billings. Shanna now teaches ceramics and makes work in her studio at the Governor’s Academy, in Byfield, MA where she lives with her two young boys and dog Jersey.