Using the red earthenware native
to Nova Scotia, Joan Bruneau creates wheel thrown
and constructed pottery decorated with slip, underglazes
and food safe glazes. Her pots combine luscious surfaces
with distinct shapes inspired by historical pottery,
botanical and architectural shapes, as well as, a
love of forming pliable clay. The robust yet elegant
forms, together with their sumptuous, sophisticated
ornamentation, are sure to enhance and inspire the
presentation of food and flowers. A feast for the
eyes and a delight to use, Joan’s
tableware is as functional as it is decorative.
Joan Bruneau’s work is widely known for its
exceptional virtuosity and innovation and is respected
as a fine example of contemporary craft. Her work appears
consistently in publications, high profile exhibitions
and is included in prestigious public and private collections.
She teaches workshops and exhibits throughout Canada,
the U.S. and abroad.
BIO & CURRENT INFORMATION:
 Joan
Bruneau has been a full time studio potter in Lunenburg,
Nova Scotia and Regular Part-Time Faculty in the Ceramics
Department at NSCAD University since 1995. She earned
her BFA from NSCAD in 1988, and MFA from the University
of Minnesota in 1993.
Joan was Assistant Professor at ECIAD in Vancouver
from 1998-2002 and has taught in the Distance Diploma
Ceramics Programs at Red Deer College, the Australia
National University and Glasgow School of Art. Joan
regularly teaches workshops, and gives presentations
though out Canada and the US.
Her work is exhibited throughout North America
and is in public collections including the AGNS, Canada,
Sykes Gallery, USA and Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute,
China.
Joan was the 2009 recipient of the Established Artist
Recognition Award from the Nova Scotia Arts and Culture
Partnership and the 2005 recipient of the Winifred
Shantz Award which funded her residency at La Meridiana
Ceramics Residency in Italy in 2005.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My intent as a studio potter is to inspire interaction
with my pots through their sensual forms and colourful
surfaces. These pots function as decorative objects
which are activated through use. Containment, delivery
or presentation of food or flowers completes their
aesthetic potential. Preparing and presenting
an inspired meal or arranging flowers in a specific
vase, affirms our connection to identity, while elevating
domestic rituals from banal to beautiful.
The confluence of function, symbolism, technique and
composition drive the evolution of new forms, patterns
and glazes. My pottery forms and surfaces take cues
from various cultures and periods in ceramics history,
natural phenomena and ornament. Shape and surface compositions
may evoke a season, landscape, architectural detail,
or flower. The variables of form and surface possibilities
offer the potential to layer meanings and influences.
Using the red earthenware native to Nova Scotia, my
wheel thrown and constructed pottery is decorated with
slip, sgraffito, under glazes and polychrome food safe
glazes. The forms are wheel thrown and reconstructed
using “Cut and Paste” technique characterized
by gestural throwing lines, dynamic volumes and structural
seams. The surfaces are treated with brushed white
slip, sgraffito, under glazes and polychrome food-safe
glazes. A residency at La Meridiana International Ceramics
Center in Tuscany in 2005 provided the opportunity
to research and explore maiolica decoration which has
influenced the evolution of the sgraffito decoration
on slipware.
Joan Bruneau Resume - Download [pdf]
[word]
Education
1990-1993 Master
of Fine Arts University
of Minnesota
1984-1988 Bachelor
of Fine Arts Nova
Scotia College of Art and Design
1987 Semester
Exchange Emily
Carr College of Art and Design
Professional Experience
2005 Residency La
Meridiana International Ceramics Center, Italy
2003 Invited
Resident Artist Medalta
Ceramics Int. Residency, Alta.. Ca.
1995 – present Studio Potter Nova
Terra Cotta Pottery, Lunenburg, NS. Ca.
1992 Summer
Assistantship Peter’s
Valley Craft Center, New Jersey, USA.
1989-1990 Residency Banff
Centre for the Arts Alta., Ca.
Teaching Experience
2009 Distance
Education Program Glasgow School of Art, Scotland
2006/07 Distance
Education Program
Red
Deer College, Alberta, Ca. and Australia National University,
Canberra, Australia
1998 - 2002 Assistant
Ceramics Professor
Emily
Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver. Ca.
1995 – present Regular
Part-Time Faculty
NSCAD
University, Halifax, NS. Ca.
1994 Sabbatical
Replacement Maine
College of Art and Design, Portland, Me.USA.
1993 Sabbatical
Replacement NSCAD
University, Halifax, NS.
Workshops and Lectures
2010 Fusion
Conference, Ottawa Ontario
2010 5th
Triennial Canadian Clay Symposium, Shadboldt Center,
Vancouver
2009 Oregon
Potters Association, Eugene Oregon, USA
2009 Peters
Valley, New Jersey, USA
2006 Series.
Red Deer College, Alberta, Ca.
2006 Prince
George Potters Guild, B.C., Ca.
2006 Dundas
Potters Guild , Hamilton, Ont. Ca.
2005 La
Meridiana International Ceramics Center. Certaldo,
Italy
2005 The
Clay Art Center , Port Chester, NY., USA
S.U.N.Y.
New Paltz, NY. USA
2004 Langara College
, Vancouver, Ca.
2003 Greenwich
House Pottery , NY.,NY.,USA.
Gibbs
Art Museum, Charlestown, SC., USA.
2001 Ottawa
Potter’s Guild, Ottawa, Ont., Ca.
2000 Thousand
Miles Apart Conference , University of Regina, Sask.,
Ca.
Alberta
College of Art and Design, Calgary, Alta., Ca
Caribou
Potter’s Guild, Williams Lake, BC. Ca.
1998 Yixing
International Conference, Jingdezhen Ceramics Inst. China
Frazer
Valley Potter’s Guild , Abbotsford, BC., Ca.
Kingston
Potter’s Guild , Kingston, Ont., Ca.
Sheridan
College , Oakville, Ont., Ca.
Harbourfront
Craft Studio , Toronto, Ont. Ca.
1997 Emily
Carr College of Art and Design , Vancouver, BC. Ca.
1994 Thousand
Miles Apart, University of Manitoba, Winnepeg,
Ca.
Awards
2009 Established
Artist Recognition Award Nova Scotia
Arts & Culture Partnership
2004 Winnifred
Shantz Award Canadian
Clay and Glass Gallery
1998 Travel
Grant Nova
Scotia Arts Council
1998 Travel
Grant Canada
Council for the Arts
Collections
2008 Acquisition Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS. Ca.
2001 Commission
President’s
Alumni Place Setting NSCAD University. Halifax, NS.
Ca
2000 Purchase
Sykes
Gallery Millersville University Millersville,
Pa. USA.
1998 Donation
Jingdezhen
Ceramics Institute. Jingdezhen, China
1996 Purchase
Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS. Ca
Bibliography
2008 500
Platters, Plates & Chargers
Lark
Books
2007 An
Exuberant Toast
Jonathon
Bancroft-Snell
2005 Studio
Ceramics in Canada
Gail
Crawford
04/2003 Ceramics Monthly “The
Legacy of Walter Ostrom”
Phylis
Clark
01/2002 Ceramics Monthly “A
Selection of Smashing Glazes”
S.
Peterson
2001 Smashing
Glazes
Susan
Peterson
The
Art of Contemporary American Pottery Kevin
Hluch
Functional
Pottery ( Revised Edition) Robin
Hopper
The
Ceramics Spectrum Robin
Hopper
1996 Soda
Glazing Ruth
Anne Tudball
Solo Exhibitions
2005 Epicurean
Garden The
Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY. USA
2003 Recent
Work Harbinger
Gallery, Waterloo, Ont.Ca.
1993 Thesis
Exhibition Cathryn
Nash Gallery, University of Minnesota, Mn. USA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2009 Teapots;
Functional, Formal, Narrative Foster
Gallery, University Wisconsin . USA
2009 Teapots…No
Drips Allowed! Jonathon
Bancroft-Snell Gallery, London, Ont.
2008 The
Importance of Being Banff Harbourfront
Center , Toronto, Ont.Ca.
2008 East
Coast Ceramists Burlington
Arts Center. Burlington, Ont. Ca.
2008 Speaking
Low – Surfaces in Earthenware The
Clay Studio, Phila. Pa. USA
2007 On
The Table: 100 years of Functional Ceramics in Canada
Gardiner
Museum, Toronto. Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia. Ca.
2007 Cups
Coming Together Clay
Art Center, Port Chester, NY. USA
2006 Repeats
and the Occasional Pot Jonathon
Gallery, London , Ont. Ca.
2006 Contemporary
Canadian Ceramics Esplanade
Gallery , Medicine Hat,,Alberta, Ca
2005 Visceral
Vessels South
West School of Craft, San Antonio, Texas
2005 A Natural
Touch NCECA
Baltimore, USA
2004 Crowning
Achievements Government
House, Halifax, NS. Canada
2004 Canadian
Ceramics Exhibition Red
Star Studios, Kansas City .USA
2004 Power of
Pottery Invitational Exhibition Curated by Kevin
Hluch
Dunedin
Art Center, Dunedin, Florida USA
2003 Cups: Artists
Invite Artists Pewabic
Pottery, Detroit, MI. USA
2002 For the
Table National (USA) Invitational Dinnerware Exhibition
Santa
Fe Clay, Santa Fe , NM. USA
2001 A Matter
of Clay: National Invitational Jonathan
Bancroft – Snell Gallery, London, Ont. CA
2000 Looking
Forward: Exhibition Curated by Paul Greenhalgh Ontario
Crafts Council
Focus
On Function: National ( USA) Competition
Cathryn
Nash Gallery, Minneapolis Mn. USA.
Utilitarian
Clay III Symposium: Celebrate the Object Invitational
Exhibition
Arrowmont
Center for Crafts, Tn. USA
Fruition:
Joan Bruneau, Lisa Naples and Sandy Pierentozi
Sykes
Gallery, Millersville University, Millersville, Pa.,
USA
1999 Redware:
Tradition and Beyond: Invitational The
Clay Studio, Phila. Pa. USA
Curio Curated
by Pat McCauly Harbourfront
Arts Center, Toronto, Ont..Ca.
1998 Yixing
International Conference Yixing,
Jingdezhen, Beijing, China
Put
a Lid On It Invitational Appalachian
Center For Craft, Tn. USA.
1997 Specialithe:
Teapot Invitational Galerie
McClure, Montreal, Qc. Ca.
1996 Ceramics:
A Medium Based Practice Curated by Artur Handy
Dalhousie
Art Gallery, Halifax, NS.Ca.
The
Advocacy of Pottery: Walter Ostrom Potter/Teacher
Art
Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, NS. Ca.
1995 NCECA
Northern Stars: Women Potters from Minnesota and Canada Invitational
Cathryn
Murphy Gallery, St. Paul, Mn.USA.
Containment:
The Space Within Invitational
Canadian
Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ont., Ca.
1993 Thrown
and Altered Invitational
Provenance
Gallery, Calgary, Alta.,Ca.
Outstanding
Graduates National ( USA) Competition
The
Farrel Collection, Washington, DC.USA. |
