Suzanne Lussier

 

 

University of Montana- M.F.A, Ceramics

American University- M.A., Teaching

Oregon College of Art and Craft- Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Ceramics

Gonzaga University- B.A., Applied Art

Biography

Suzanne Lussier was born and raised in California.  As a teenager her family moved out of state, and she spent twenty years living all over the country following a path of education, apprenticeships, teaching positions and artist in residency programs.  Throughout her adventures, there was always a desire to return to the mountains, ocean, flora and fauna that five generations of her family have called home. Before moving back to California in 2016, Suzanne began a teaching career as a Teach for America corps member in 2002.  She developed an art program at a charter school in Washington DC while earning a Master of Arts in Teaching. With a great interest in global perspectives Suzanne moved to Chile for two years where she taught and was immersed in the diverse cultures of South America.  In 2006 Suzanne returned to the United States and spent five years studying ceramics at the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the University of Montana, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts.  Suzanne served on the Board of Directors for the National Council on Education in Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and has shown her work both nationally and abroad, including the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT and Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI.  Suzanne’s work has been featured in Ceramics Art and Perception as well as other publications.  She has been an artist in resident at Red Lodge Clay Center; the Medalta Studio in Alberta, Canada; Mendocino Art Center and Suzanne was a visiting artist through a Chilean government grant in Cohaique, Chile.  

Statement

My art is presented as a link in creating a relationship between the story I have bestowed and the audience. The sculptures are allegorical vignettes of unspoken sentiments that lead the viewer to specific emotions through familiar imagery. While interacting with my art the viewer can reorient the narrative, relating it to their own story through their perceptions and personal experiences.

Clay is my primary material. I build sculptures with components that have been thrown on the wheel, pressed into molds and fabricated through other hand building techniques. I create intuitively, producing honest results that showcase process, irregularities, and intentional flaws. Through this the surface lends itself to support the narrative, alluding to the patina of life. The language of the story is similar to the one that is told by an old leather wallet with burnished planes and cracked edges, or the lip of a marble step that has been worn down to a soft curve from years of use.

 

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