SCAFFOLDING: Breathing Life Into Clay: Creating Altered Ceramic Vessels | Instructor Exhibiting Visiting Artist: Dasha KaliszÂ
Saturday, March 1, time TBD. Link to registration coming soon!
One-Day Workshop Description:
Dasha Kalisz will lead a workshop alongside the group exhibition Scaffolding and her work Transformation, focusing on her process of creating altered ceramic lung vessels. Participants will have the chance to explore the technique of altering ceramic forms by shaping them on the potter’s wheel and transforming them into dynamic vessels and sculptures. The workshop will also delve into the symbolism, metaphor, and cultural significance of clay, materials, and the lung as a symbol of life, breath, and the exchange of energies. This hands-on experience offers a unique blend of technical skill-building and conceptual exploration in the realm of ceramics.
SCAFFOLDING: Group Exhibition | Dasha Kalisz’s work will be featured in Gallery 3 on the 3rd floor at AVA
Dasha Kalisz | Transmutation (series of 9), Ceramic and Found objects, $2500.00
“The creation of Transmutation came from a profound loss and the grieving process that followed. Grieving can be a physical experience one feels and holds in the body. The physicality of making with clay invites one to mold their thought dreams into its amorphous material. The clay body meets the human body, allowing the physical release of emotions into the cool, dense, pliable earth through pushing, pulling, burnishing, and kneading. Transferring energy into the clay led to an investigation of functional and dysfunctional bodies with biomorphic lung vessels. Biomorphic shapes are recognizable and unrecognizable, just like the body. Our bodies– our scaffolding– are familiar and reliable until illness, trauma, or a disease impedes the system, making it strange and unpredictable.” –Dasha Kalisz
The iterations of sculptures in Transmutation’s grid, reveal the secrets of the liminal spaces between human biology and mechanical mechanisms. The found objects like toilet bowl floats, tubing, and masks imitate antique and modern medical equipment. The clay surfaces imitate skin diseases like smallpox, shingles, and psoriasis revealing vulnerability, decay, and transformation. The assemblage of found objects into makeshift medical equipment suggests improvised assistance. Each piece narrates resilience and adaptation, merging organic and inorganic elements to explore the interplay between human innovation and the fragile human form. The artistic process serves as a meditation on healing. Inviting viewers to reflect on their experiences with change and adversity, fosters empathy and understanding in shared humanity.
In her Vermont studio, nestled in a valley between the Taconic and the Green Mountains, Kalisz finds inspiration in the natural beauty surrounding her. The seasonal transformations and rural agricultural surroundings frequently influence her artwork, showcasing textures, vibrant colors, and organic forms that mimic the environment. Kalisz has always derived joy from assisting and creating for others. Whether mixing cocktails as a bartender, baking treats for retirees, making pottery for everyday use, or designing art lessons to inspire students’ curiosity, Kalisz feels a profound connection in helping others celebrate and discover joy in everyday experiences.
Kalisz obtained her MFA from the Maine College of Art and Design, she holds a BA in ceramics and art history from Burlington College. Her extensive travels across the United States, Oaxaca, Mexico, and Europe allowed her to explore various ceramic cultures, culminating in a residency at La Meridiana International School for Ceramics. Additionally, Kalisz is a member of the Brandon Artist Guild, a Vermont Cooperative Gallery, and she teaches at the Middlebury Studio School and in public education.
