Amber Aguirre
"Throughout history artists have functioned as social commentators. I see this as a sacred calling in my work."
| ARTISTS STATEMENT"Throughout history artists have functioned as social commentators. I see this as a sacred calling in my work. My inspiration comes from watching humans and attempting to bring my view to people's attention. My view of the world is biased by my own personal experiences, as are most people, but I hope to plug into experiences that many people have and can relate to. I am looking for that connection of humanity and that often means seeing the flaws that are within all of us or that we create in the world. I often show the negative experiences, not as a comment on the bad in humanity so much as to humor, mock, and cajole us to accept our imperfections and fix the faults that we may see within us. I see it as my way of contributing to 'Ttikkun O'Lam' (a Jewish call to make the world a better place). I attempt to make visual statements that are strong enough to elicit emotions in the viewer that make them stop, think, and perhaps even take action. My visual language uses narrative sculpture, often figurative, combined with various surface treatments. I often use naked raku because I feel the harsh cracked look conveys a painful feeling. I enjoy contrast and will often combine naked raku with glossy glazed colors in moderation that accentuate the monochromatic nature of the naked raku." - Amber Aguirre ARTISTʻS BIOAmber received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Southern California, and then continued her education with a Masters Degree in Art Education at San Francisco State University. At that time she also received her California teaching credential and went on to teach art in the public school system. Amber taught ceramics, jewelry and drawing for many years. Eventually Amber felt the desire to go back to school and she obtained another Masters Degree, this one in Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University.
When Amber’s daughter left for college, she moved with her husband to Hawaii where she was determined to allow her creativity to flourish. She gave up teaching and began to work on her own art in earnest. Soon, her work was being featured in many Big Island galleries and she also began to enter her work in national shows. She has won awards and exhibited in many states and continues to pursue her career from her home studio in paradise. Amber is inspired by the various textures she sees while living in Hawaii. She enjoys the feel of the harsh rough lava contrasted with the glossy green leaves of the rainforest, and these are often reflected in the textures in her work. Low fire raku is her method off choice because it connects her to the living earth and particularly the island. She often ventures to Kilauea to view the molten lava flowing from the earth. Taking her raku gloves with her, she will make an offering to the Hawaiian goddess Pele of the volcano, and then “play” in the molten lava with kitchen whisks, metal kitty-litter scoops and whatever else she thinks of. Molten earth makes her happy, whether it’s clay coming out of a kiln at 1850 degrees or lava pouring from the earth. EDUCATION1996 San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, Master of.Library and Information Science. & Teaching Credential in Library Info. Science 1987 San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, Teaching Credential in Fine Arts
1981 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramics RELATED EXPERIENCEPrivate Lessons and Workshops, 2003-present (ongoing) Kollage Art and Ceramic School, Sept. 1993-Feb. 1994, Art Teacher: Kindergarten through 3rd Grades Woodside High School, Sept. 1988-June 1991 Art Teacher, Full Time, Tenured San Mateo High School, January 1988-June 1988 Art Teacher, Part Time
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PUBLISHED SOURCES
HEY! Modern Art & Pop Culture bilingual art review, No. 30, 2017, pgs. 104-109
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar -Sculpture, 2017 (photo for month of February)
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar -Sculpture, 2014 (photo for month of April)
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar -Sculpture, 2013 (photo for month of June)
Naked Raku and Related Bare Clay Techniques, 2012, American Ceramic Society, (chapter on Naked Fauxku) p. 84-95
Amber Aguirre, 2012, John Natsoulas Press
Pottery Making Illustrated , Jan/Feb 2012, (article on Naked Fauxku) p.40-42
Humor in Craft , 2012, Brigitte Martin, Schiffer Publishing, p. 22 & 205
30 Ceramic Artists, 2012, John Natsoulas Press
Clay Times, Vol. 17, issue 90, Spring 2011, p. 34
30 Ceramic Artist , 2011, John Natsoulas Press, p.16-17
Best of America: Sculptors vol 2 , 2010, Kennedy Publishing Co., p. 1-2
30 Ceramic Artists, 2010, John Natsoulas Press, p. 14-17
Niche Magazine, Winter 2010, p. 46
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar -Sculpture, 2010, (photo for the month of April)
Clay Times , Vol. 15, issue 84 Nov/Dec 2009, p. 42
30 Ceramic Artists, 2009, John Natsoulas Press, p. 16-17
Mastering Raku , Steven Branfman, 2009, Lark Publishing Company, p. 156
American Style Magazine, April, 2009 p. 145
Hawaiian Style Magazine, Vol. 6, #1, 2009, p.35
COLLECTIONSHawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Honolulu, HI Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI Benyamini Contemporary Ceramics Center, Tel Aviv, Israel |
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2017
Off Center, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA, Apr. 14-May 27
Off Center Teapots, Alpha Fired Arts, Sacramento, CA, Apr. 17-May 26
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA, Apr. 28-30
Naked and Refined, Clay Arts Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, May 4-28
Delineating Queer, East Hawaii Cultural Center, Hilo, HI, May 5-27
Plates, Platters and Nothing Else Matters, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences, Long Beach Township, NJ, June 30-July 19
7th Annual Workhouse Clay International, Lorton, VA, Aug. 12-Oct. 8
Hawaii Island 2nd Annual Contemporary Crafts Show, Waloa Center, Hilo, HI, Sept. 8-28
What Goes Bump in the Night, Clay Arts Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 5-Nov. 12
Matchbox Plus XIII, Cedar Street Galleries, Honolulu, HI, Nov. 17-Dec.30
2016
By Hand, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA, Jan. 15-Feb. 27
Sensei and Sensibilities, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI Jan. 15-Apr. 4
Equality, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio Feb. 7-Mar.26
Off the Table, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph, MO Feb. 26-Mar. 25
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
Workhouse Clay International 2016, Workhouse Art Center, Lorton, VA. Aug. 13-Oct. 16
Earth Elements, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI. Aug. 19-Oct.18
Idiosyncratic Fields, East Hawaii Cultural Center, Hilo, HI Sept. 10-30
Plates and Totems, Blue Line Arts, Roseville, CA. Oct. 7- Nov. 19
50th Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition, Honolulu Academy of Arts School Gallery, Honolulu, HI. Oct. 25th-Nov. 1
Matchbox Plus XII, Cedar Street Galleries, Honolulu, HI, Nov.18-Dec. 30
Art Changes Things, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI, Dec.10-Mar.15
Ceramics of Hawaii, Honolulu Museum of Art School Linekona Gallery, Dec. 17-Jan. 8
2015
Energizing the Issues with Clay, Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC, Jan. 24-April 19
BARK!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA Feb. 6-Mar. 1
Technonatura, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI, Mar.6-April 30
Hot Tea! Del Mano Gallery. Pasadena, CA Mar7-Apr,4
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA Apr. 27-May 23
Contempo #ArtShop, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI June 18-28
2x4x8, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI, July 24-Oct. 16
Go Figure, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR, Aug. 7-Sept. 26
Fleeced (Solo Show), John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA Nov. 4-Dec. 5
Matchbox Plus XI, Cedar Street Galleries, Honolulu, HI Nov. 20-Jan 3, 2016
SOFA Expo, (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), Navy Pier, with John Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Nov. 5-8
2014
Hunger (on-line) at www.crafthaus.com, Jan 15-Feb 15
Hot Tea! Del Mano Gallery, Pasadena, CA Feb 1-Mar. 8
Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. Feb. 6-Mar.1
Sensei & Sensibilities, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI, Feb. 15-May 23
Big Fish, Small Pot, 6th International Small Teapot Competition and Show, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA. Apr. 12-June 1
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA, Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA, Apr.16-May 24
America’s Clayfest II, Blueline Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA, Apr.18-May 31
Small Favors, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA, May 2-June 1
National Association of Women Artists, New York, NY, June 3-31
HIVE (Solo show), Wright Gallery Hawaii, Kailua-Kona, HI, July 19-Aug 19
Tennessee Art League, Energizing the Issues with Clay, Tennessee Art League Gallery, Nashville, TN, Aug 1-29
Fire: Ceramics on the Big Island, Donkey Mill Art Center, Holualoa, HI, Sept. 5-Oct. 31
Halloween Show, Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA, Sept. 24-Nov. 1
46th Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition, Honolulu Academy of Arts School Gallery, Honolulu, HI Oct. 10-Nov. 1
SOFA Expo, (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), Navy Pier, with Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Oct. 31-Nov. 3
Matchbox Plus X, Cedar Street Galleries, Honolulu, HI, Nov.21-Jan 4
2013
Teapots! 7th annual exhibition, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery. Pittsburgh, PA., Apr. 5-June 10
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts),Natsoulas Gallery , Davis, CA. Apr. 26-28
Maquette Show (on-line) with John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA Mar. 6- Apr. 27
Dynamic Narratives, NCECA concurrent show at Winter Street Studios, Houston, TX , Mar. 18-24
Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. Feb. 6-Mar.2
Cycles of Life, Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, Holualoa, HI. Feb.12-April 6
Tanks, Transmission Gallery, Oakland, CA. Aug. 2-Sept. 14
Artists of Hawaii, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI. Sept. 19-Nov. 24
46th Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI. Oct.10-Nov. 2
Ceramics Annual of America, Civic Center, San Francisco, CA. Oct. 18-20
SOFA Expo, (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), Navy Pier, with John Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Oct. 31-Nov. 3
Hawaii's Modern Masters, Coach Store, Honolulu, HI Nov. 3- Dec. 4
Matchbox Plus IX, Cedar St. Galleries, Honolulu HI Nov. 22, 2013-Jan. 5, 2014 2012
Solo Exhibition: Out of the Mouths of Babes, Roscoe Ceramic Gallery, Oakland, CA. Jan 6-27
Occupy Art, Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, Holualoa, HI. Jan. 10-Feb. 11
Solo Exhibition: 2011 Year of the Rabbit: 364 Rabbit Heads, Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. Feb. 1-25
Bark!, Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. Feb. 1-25
NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA. Mar. 28-31
On the Edge (Concurrent show with NCECA), Patricia Cameron Gallery, Seattle, WA. Mar. 26-Apr. 27
Watershed's Kiln God Show, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD. May 19-30
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. Apr. 27-June 2
Fantasy & Figuration, Blue Line Gallery, Roseville, CA June 8th-July 14th
What is a Rabbit? Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA. July 4-Aug. 4
Santorini Biennale of Arts, Pyrgos Old Venetian Castle, Santorini, Greece, Aug.1-Sept.30
45th Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI. Aug. 30-Sept. 20
The Contemporary Figure: Past Presence, Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA. Sept. 6- Nov.24
Ceramics Annual of America, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA. Sept. 14-16
SOFA Expo (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), with Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Nov.2-4
Un-Wedged, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA., Nov.3-30
2011
Bark! Natsoulas Gallery. Davis, CA Feb. 2-26
East meets West: Invitational Teapot Exhibition, Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, Holualoa, HI. Feb. 24-Apr. 16
Hot Tea!, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. April 2nd-20th
30 Ceramic Sculptors, Natsoulas Gallery, CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), Davis, CA. April 20-May 28
22nd International Juried Exhibition, Viridian Artists Gallery, New York, NY. June 28-July 16
Animal Craft Exhibition, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY. June 26-July 26
Workhouse Clay National, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA. Aug. 3-28
CAA (Ceramics Annual of America), Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA. Oct. 7-9
SOFA Expo (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), with Del Mano Gallery and John Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Nov.4-6
The QRt Show, Twin Oaks Gallery, San Marcos, CA. Dec 8-Jan 8
2010
Mastering Raku, Jared Branfman Memorial Gallery, Gorse Mill Studios, Needham, MA Feb. 1-Mar. 19
NICHE Buyers’ Market of American Craft, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. Feb. 12-15
Hot Tea!, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. April 24-May 29
30 Ceramic Sculptors, CCACA (California Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts),Natsoulas Gallery , Davis, CA. May 30-June 2
Flora and Fauna, Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. July 31-August 8
SOFA West Expo (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), with Del Mano Gallery, Santa Fe, NM. July 8-11
CAA (Ceramics Annual of America), Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA. Sept. 10-Sept. 12
43rd Hawaii Craftsmen Annual Statewide Juried Exhibition , Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI. Oct. 9-Oct.31
Rare Affairs (Two person show), The Basement Gallery, Boise, ID. Oct. 23- Nov. 27
SOFA Expo, (Sculptural Objects & Functional Art), Navy Pier, with John Natsoulas Gallery, Chicago, IL. Nov.5-7
AWARDS AND HONORS
2017
Hawaii Island 2nd Annual Contemporary Crafts Show, HI Honorable Mention
2016
Ceramics of Hawaii, Award of Recognition and Purchase Award. 41st Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, HI. Award of Excellence, Juried by Cindi Strauss
41st Hawaii Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, Purchase Award by the Honolulu Museum of Art
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar, Photo for the month of February
2015
Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC: Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund: Scholarship for a fully funded residency
2013
Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, HI. Curator’s Choice Award for “Artists of Hawaii 2013” exhibition, Juried by Jay Jensen
NCECA/Benyamini Center for Contemporary Ceramics, Tel Aviv, Israel, Awarded a funded one month residency
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar, Photo for the month of June
NICHE Buyers’ Market of American Craft , Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. – Winner, Hand built Ceramics Category
2012
NICHE Buyers’ Market of American Craft , Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. - Finalist
2011
NICHE Buyers’ Market of American Craft , Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA. - Finalist
International Ceramics Studio , Keskemet, Hungary, One month residency
2010
Potters Council Sculpture Calendar, Photo for the month of April
Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME. Kiln God Award fully funded residency
NICHE Buyers Market of American Craft, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, PA.-Finalist
Puffin Foundation, Ltd. Teaneck, NJ. Grant funded for Cultural Victimizations in War
2008
41st HawaiI Craftsmen Statewide Juried Annual Exhibition, HI. The O'Neill Award of Excellence, Juried by Jan Peters
2005
Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, Keauhoe, HI. 1st place, , 2nd place and People's Choice Award
2004
Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, Keauhoe, HI. 1st place, ,2nd place and People's Choice Award
Ink and Clay 30 Exhibition, Pomona, CA. Presidents Purchase Award
2003
Gevalia Kona Coffee Art Exhibit, Keauhoe, HI. 1st place,2nd place and People's Choice Award
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