February 2024
Open Vessels
Hayle Lovstedt, Michael Medeiros, & Akemi Rice
February 2 - February 23
Opening Reception on Arts Night Out
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Hayle Lovstedt is a ceramic artist from Los Angeles, CA, and an MFA candidate at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to coming to UMass, Hayle spent five years teaching high school English and Art. While Hayle tends to focus on functional objects, this body of work is an exploration into the way form and scale can impact our relationship to an object. These objects were created with openings or voids to invite the viewer into the form. Hayle purposefully avoided using traditional ceramic glazes in this body of work so as not to “candy coat” the materials being used, thus removing a barrier between the viewer and the clay; the clay is instead finished with an application of oxides or mason stains.
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Michael Medeiros works at the intersection of words and artistic imagery, with a deep questioning of the ways in which people perceive and conceptualize the world around them. He is a Studio Arts MFA candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he previously earned an MFA in Creative Writing. Primarily a poet and ceramist, he also connects photography, printmaking, fiction and narrative non-fiction in a multidisciplinary personal practice and community public art collaborations. Mindfulness and the exploration of the ways in which each of us uniquely experiences the world are essential aspects of his artmaking and teaching.
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Artist Statement:
I am drawn to the intricate beauty and detailed design aspect of the Nantucket style baskets, which are made with much more thinly cut reeds than other styles of baskets. While this makes the weaving process very time-consuming, the thin reeds create an elegant effect. I find the time spent weaving to be relaxing, almost like a meditation of sorts. The different kinds of hard-woods such as cherry, walnut or oak, (for the base and lids) along with different molds used allows for a broad set of possibilities for natural combinations of wood colors and designs. I am drawn to the traditional aspect of Nantucket baskets. Friendship baskets can be made and handed down from generation to generation as family heirlooms. The natural wood color of the basket reeds changes over time, adding to the beauty.
While most of my work is in the style of Nantucket baskets, I also create traditional baskets, and more recently, colored paper based baskets, which are on display as well.
Bio:
I was born and raised in Iwate Prefecture, Japan and came to Massachusetts in the late nineties. After raising two children in the Boston area while teaching basketry, I relocated to Hadley in 2021. I first became interested in Nantucket baskets when I took a course at a studio while living in the Boston area about 15 years ago, which led to me becoming an instructor. I’ve been teaching ever since, and am currently offering classes and workshops out of my studio at the Brassworks in Haydenville, while also making new creations.