Artist: Kirsty Kash

Kirsty Kash is a ceramic artist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her love for clay was ignited when she took a beginner pottery class with a friend in 2012. She continued in-person classes and honed her craft further through additional workshops, books and formal art education.

Recognized as an emerging ceramic artist in Canada, Kirsty's work has been featured in invitational and juried exhibitions across North America, published in magazines and she has shared her knowledge through a webinar with the Ceramic Arts network.

Kirsty enjoys playing the piano, tending to her plants and spending time with her incredible partner, children and fur babies. She is passionate about raising her sons with emotional intelligence and an understanding of the ongoing struggles for equality.

Her aspiration is to utilize her art to bring awareness to issues such as sexism and misogyny, and inspire others to think critically about their own behaviors and the societal norms that marginalize women.

 

Artist Statement:

My pots are the message I wish I could deliver to my younger self.

From birth, females are callously objectified and much of our value is determined by our appearance. We are socialized to make ourselves smaller to ensure that other people are comfortable. In early motherhood I began to realize that I had spent so much time morphing myself into what I thought the world wanted me to be that I had absolutely no idea who I actually was or what I wanted. Through my art I aim to spark meaningful conversations about how we raise our children and interact with women. 
My pots take up space. The floral pattern I carve deeply into the pure, porcelain surface interrupts stereotypical clichés of how the world prefers women to be. The vibrant colours are a rebellious message, bolstering women and other marginalized groups in their fight to be seen for who they authentically are.

 

PROFILE 

Ceramic artist focusing on feminist, functional ceramic art in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  

PROFESSIONAL & TEACHING EXPERIENCE 

Present Owner, Kirsty Kash Ceramics.  

2023 Demonstrator, “Thrown, Carved & Ombré Inlaid” live webinar  workshop with Ceramic Arts Network. On Clayflicks. 

2022 Instructor, “Let’s Talk About Mugs” workshop, Viva Clayworks, Edmonton,  AB I led a full-day workshop on handles and surface decoration. 

2018-2021 Instructor & technician, Viva Clayworks, Edmonton, AB I co-instructed children’s hand building and wheel-throwing classes with Elli  Grassmuck and instructed teen and adult wheel-throwing and hand building  classes. 

EDUCATION 

2021-2023 Part-Time Student, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB 

2013-2021 Weekly Student, Viva Clayworks, Edmonton, AB with KJ Macalister - with some  extended breaks 

2012-2013 Weekly Student, City Arts Centre, Edmonton, AB 

Beginner wheel-throwing sessions with Dan Miller 

EXHIBITIONS 

2024 Material Mugs IX, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN (upcoming) Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA (upcoming) 

Impostor’s Cup Show, juried by Callahan 

A Fair Amount of Colour Popup, NCECA 2024 in Richmond, VA 

Last Call IX, juried by Andrew Clark, Companion Gallery

Kristina  Batiste, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA 

2023 AX National Emerging Ceramic Artist Exhibition, Arts & Culture Centre of Sussex in  New Brunswick, Canada 

I was selected as one of 20 emerging Ceramic Artists in Canada 

Americano Show, invited by Clay Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA 

Impostor’s Cup Show, Juried by Renee LoPresti, online 

March of Mugs, exhibition curated by Alexis Templeton, Alexis Templeton Shop,  St. John’s, NL 

A Fair Amount of Colour Popup, NCECA 2023 in Cincinnati, OH 

Useful Spaces, Juried by Naomi Clement, New Orleans Clay Centre, New Orleans,  LA 

Winter Warmers Cup Show, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA 

2022 Ceramics Congress Maker’s Market 

Chroma, group show curated by Juan Barosso, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA Impostor’s Cup Show, Juried by Katie Marks & Juan Barosso, Gallery Mostaza, KS 

Mug Madness Show & Tournament, curated by Brandon Peña & Didem Mert,  Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA 

PUBLICATIONS 

2023 Author, Quick Tip Article: “Organization at the Wheel” Ceramics Monthly, October  2023 issue 

Author, Feature Article: “Carved & Inlaid: Creating Vibrant, Tactile Surfaces by  Kirsty Kash” 3-pages, Pottery making Illustrated, May/June 2023 issue 

2022 Guest, Podcast: “Creating Carved Floral Designs with Gradients of Underglaze”,  episode #94, Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres