“The Good Dishes”The objects I make are utilitarian in form and meant for everyday interactions. With reference to urban scenery in the unknown corners of inner cities and the back alleys between buildings, I take what is seen as destructive and disrespectful, transform it by carving, calligraphy, and scraffito then bring it out of the cold, wet corridors into a completely different environment. These images are juxtaposed onto sophisticated forms influenced by those of the Song and Sung Dynasty. I seek to create a completely unique take on the typical experience for the user in social situations. The objects I make provoke the intimacy of conversation, through the visual interest of urban imagery, and meandering pattern. The utility of these objects creates a dialogue between the user and the vessel in a way that industrially made objects do not. I transform my vessels from everyday objects into more sculptural, intimate, and rare functional vessel with the idea that it will give the user a more memorable and personal experience. The underlying images and content in my work suggests the idea of community and conversation, but also point to another layer to be contemplated while experiencing these vessels. Using scraffito on pristine high fire porcelain, the objects are stamped with an irreversible mark. This leaves information that cannot be destroyed, only layered over, creating a correspondence between the conservative and urban cultures. This idea is similar to the idea of graffiti, taking a once simply functional wall, and turning it into something with visual interest, displaying the personal mark of the artists. Graffiti functions as a sort of silent communication over time, as one person leaves their mark of experience on top of another. When I work I consider everything: form, functionality and ergonomics, as well as the surface itself. I transform my vessels from an everyday to more personal objects, leaving my mark in an identifiable way. In making this work I aim to leave each viewer with a completely different outlook on what pottery can be--not only functional useful objects but communication through art as well.Brian Sarama graduated in the spring of 2009 from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics. During his educational career he was awarded several fellowships, including the Viktor Schreckengost Award for Excellence in Ceramics (2007, 2008), the Cowan Pottery Award (2006, 2007), and the Jane Iglauer Scholarship for Excellence in Craft (2008), among others. In 2009 he was awarded First Place in Functional Ceramics in the NICHE Magazine Student Awards, and is currently nominated for Emerging Artist of 2010 for NCECA. His work has been featured in numerous exhibits from 2007 on throughout the Cleveland area and nearby cities at galleries such as the Heights Arts Gallery, the River Gallery, the Borelli Gallery (Pittsburgh), and MOCA. Brian's art has been featured in such publications as Cleveland Scene Magazine, NICHE Magazine, and the Sandusky Register. Brian's previous work includes an internship with Judith Salomon. Currently Brian holds an internship with Angelica Pozo: Earthen Angel Ceramics, and will begin work as the Acting Departmental Assistant in Ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the spring of 2010.In his art, Brian uses layering and juxtaposition to provoke the ideas of conversation and community. His work references urban graffiti, a kind of conversation in and of itself, with one artist's mark layered over another's, and the whole covering the original building or wall. Brian brings this, which is typically seen as vandalism or destruction of property, into a sophisticated art form, placing it over images of the Sung and Song dynasties. By merging these influences in his ceramics, Brian pulls both the destructive and the sophisticated together into an utilitarian form meant to be used, experienced, and communicated with in everyday life.
Education
2009
Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramics
Professional Experience
2010
Technical Assistant, Ceramics, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
2009
Departmental Assistant, Ceramics, The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
Grants/Scholarships/Awards
2009
Niche Magazine Student Awards, First Place, Functional Ceramics
2008
Jane Iglauer Fallon Scholarship for Excellence in Craft, Cleveland, OH
Viktor Schreckengost Award for Excellence in Ceramics, Cleveland, OH
2007
Cowan Pottery Award, Cleveland, OH
Viktor Schreckengost Award for Excellence in Ceramics, Cleveland, OH
2006
Cleveland Institute of Art Transfer Scholarship, Cleveland, OH
Cowan Pottery Award, Cleveland, OH
2000
Ohio Governors Award, Columbus, OH
Scholastics Silver Key Award, Cleveland, OH
1999
Scholastics Silver Key Award, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition Record
2009
Form and Function, Mindy Solomon Gallery, St. Petersburg, Florida
Urban Perspective, Sandusky Cultural Center, Sandusky, Ohio
Latest Addition, Arts Collinwood, Cleveland, Ohio
Art Helping Animals, MOCA, Cleveland, Ohio
“The Good Dishes” BFA Thesis Show, CIA, Cleveland, Ohio
2008
Holiday Store, Heights Arts Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Bill’s Kids, Heights Arts Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Art Ceramics Program, Convivium 33 Gallery, 1978-2008, Cleveland, Ohio
NCECA CIA Art Show, Borelli Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2007
Bowls and Platters, River Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Caffeine and Spirits, River Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio
Visiting Artist Lectures
2009
Wheel throwing demo, North Ridgeville High School, North Ridgeville OH
Internships
2009
Angelica Pozo: Earthen Angel Ceramics, 1193 Holmden Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44109
2008
Judith Salomon Studio, 2190 Professor St. Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Publications
2010
2010 edition of 52 weeks 52 works, the annual Academy Graphic Communication desk calendar
2009
Sandusky Register, 9.12.2009, p. A1 – A11
NICHE Magazine Spring, p. 72
2004
Cleveland Scene Magazine
