JIM LAWTON

OCTOBER 12 - December 1, 2019

RECEPTION: Saturday, NOVEMBER 2, 4-6 pm

Featuring a wide variety of functional and architectural ceramics by Jim Lawton, this exhibition showcases Lawton's versatility and technical mastery demonstrated through a multitude of building methods, surface treatments and firing techniques. The juxtaposition of Lawton's newest work— including slip-cast porcelain vessels made this summer in Jingdezhen, China— alongside his signature thrown-and-altered pouring vessels, and boldly colored crenelated bricks, demonstrates the full breadth of this visionary artist's recent explorations.

Lawton has been an influential Professor of Ceramics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for over 20 years and has played a major role in the development of many great ceramic artists making today, acting as a mentor to nearly half of the 25 local artists represented in the shop at Arch, including gallery owner Charlie Barmonde and gallery director & curator Shauna Cahill.

Prior to moving to the south coast of Massachusetts, Lawton was a tenured professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1992-98, and held additional appointments such as visiting professorships at Alfred University, Louisiana State University, and University of Michigan. Lawton leads workshops, attends artist residencies and presents lectures across the country and abroad, most recently at Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue in China.

Lawton has received numerous awards, including two National Endowment Visual Arts Fellowships, the South Carolina Artist Fellowship Grant, and academic research grants from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. His work has been featured in countless publications over the years and you can find his pots in a multitude of significant ceramics reference books. He is on the Board of Trustees of the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, an artist residency located in Newcastle, Maine and has served previously on the Board of Studio Potter Magazine.  

Lawton’s work is in the collections of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; L.A. County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; the Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY; and the Icheon World Ceramic Center, South Korea, among others; and in numerous private collections.