Bobby Free & Andrew Gilliatt: Point of View

On View:	June 10–August 27, 2017
Opening Reception:	Saturday, June 10, 6–9PM
Artist Lecture:	Saturday, June 10, 6:30PM

Point of View features the work of artists and friends Bobby Free and Andrew Gilliatt. The two met five years ago while their artist residencies overlapped at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana. They quickly discovered that they shared an admiration for Asian and North American historic ceramics. They each look to the past for inspiration and echo certain elements through their contemporary designs.

This exhibition highlights their mutual influences and points of view utilizing graphic patterns. Free’s designs are abstract, while Gilliatt’s have recognizable shapes and elements. Decals and glazes decorate Gilliatt’s work, as opposed to Free’s use of subtractive, sgraffito methods. Gilliatt’s pots are full of color, while a majority of Free’s works are black and white. Even though their forms are similar, Gilliatt slip casts his vessels while Free throws his on the wheel. Point of View illustrates how contemporary artists are influenced by the same historical ceramics while remaining unique in their vision.

Bobby Free earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Utah State University. He has been an Artist in Residence with Sihyeong Wu in South Korea; Clay Studio of Missoula, Montana; Sonoma Community Center, California; and Red Lodge Clay Center, Montana. His work has been included in Ink & Clay @ California State Polytechnic University; the Annual Akar Yunomi Exhibition, Iowa; the Strictly Functional Pottery National, Pennsylvania; and in other exhibitions across the country.

Andrew Gilliatt earned his Master of Fine Art degree from Louisiana State University. He is an instructor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He has been an Artist in Residence at the Archie Bray Foundation, Montana; the Red Lodge Clay Center, Montana; and at Red Star Studios, Missouri.