CHRISTOPHER STALEY,
DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF CERAMIC ARTS,
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY PARK
"Art and Life: Where They Intersect," Room 140, Science Building
Free to the Public
Penn State’s 2012-13 Laureate Christopher Staley, distinguished professor of ceramic arts at Penn State University, will present a lecture titled, "Art and Life: Where They Intersect," at noon on Friday, Sept. 28, at Penn State New Kensington, in room 140 of the Science Building. Staley’s lecture will focus on how wisdom is revealed at the intersection of art and life.
During his presentation, Staley will address how living in a time of unprecedented change has affected how we relate to objects, and each other and our sense of place. He also will explore questions such as how our sense of time been affected, how does art provide a unique perspective on how we live, and what is the difference between representation and presentation? Prior to his public presentation, Staley will lecture at 10 a.m. in the art class of Bud Gibbons, professor of visual arts at the campus.
The Penn State laureate is a full-time University faculty member in the humanities or fine arts who is assigned half-time for one academic year to bring an enhanced level of social, cultural, artistic and human perspective and awareness to a broad array of audiences. The laureate will be a highly visible representative of Penn State who will appear regularly at events University-wide and throughout the Commonwealth at community and statewide events.
Named a Penn State Distinguished Professor in 2008, Staley joined the University faculty in 1990, teaching ceramics in the School of Visual Arts. Under his leadership, the Ceramics Graduate Program has been ranked No. 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. He received Penn State’s Graduate Faculty Teaching Award in 2007.
His ceramic pieces are included in the International Museum of Ceramic Art, Fuping, China; the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; and the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C., among others. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, based in Geneva, Switzerland, and serves as chair of the board of directors at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, an international craft school in Deer Isle, Maine. In February 2012, he gave a talk at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.
Staley has had numerous one-person exhibitions across the United States, many of which were at the highly regarded Garth Clark Gallery in New York City, in addition to participating in many group shows. He has served as artist-in-residence at the Ceramic Art Museum, Fuping, China; the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands; and the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana.
He has received grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowments for the Arts, among other organizations. He is frequently invited to give lectures and workshops throughout the country and has served as a juror for many art exhibitions. His writings and his ceramic work are featured in numerous publications, ranging from ceramics periodicals to books on the art of form. Staley received his master of fine arts degree from Alfred University and bachelor of fine arts degree from Wittenberg University.
For more information, call 724-334-6050 or clc36@psu.edu via email.
For a video of Staley’s work, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WffFZB7blFE online.