Artist: Ursula Hargens
Ursula Hargens, MINNESOTA
Bio:
Ursula Hargens is a ceramic artist and educator based in Minneapolis. She received an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, an MA in Art Education from Columbia University, and studied ceramics at Nova Scotia College of Art & Design. She is a long-time educator, co-founding the Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education and being awarded a Teaching Artist Fellowship by the Center for Craft in 2023. She is a three-time McKnight Artist Fellow and has received additional grants from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board. She was also named 2020 Ceramic Artist of the Year by Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated.
Statement:
My recent tableware explores the fundamental building blocks of decoration–dots and lines. I enjoy the challenge of grouping and playing with this limited palette. As I work, I try to channel the quiet of early morning or evoke the spirit of a favorite historical pot. I love the way a few well-placed decorative marks or dots of color can completely transform the gesture of a piece.
I throw using red earthenware clay and brush surfaces with a creamy white slip. Forms are relaxed and functional. I hope my pots will be welcomed into homes and slide into daily use, forming a collaboration between maker and user.
EDUCATION
MFA, Ceramics, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Post-Baccalaureate Study, Ceramics, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, Halifax, NS, Canada
MA, Art & Art Education, Columbia University, Teachers College, New York, NY
BA, Russian Language & Literature, Columbia University, Columbia College, New York, NY
SELECTED SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016 Vestiges, The Ceramic Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
2015 A Gathering of Flowers: Botanicals in the Age of Climate Change, UMN Arboretum, Chaska, MN
2013 Flora, The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
2012 Wallflower (Invasive Species), Christiansen Center Art Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2004 Decorative Form, Lohin Geduld Gallery, New York, NY
1999 Teapots: Masters Exhibition, Macy Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY
TWO & THREE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
Response: Climate + Clay, American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN
2016 McKnight Fellowship Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN (catalog)
Filter: Sanam Emami & Ursula Hargens, Gallery@1708, Kansas City, MO
2013 McKnight Fellowship Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN (catalog)
2012 Ursula Hargens: New Work, Hudson Hospital Specialty Clinic Gallery, Hudson, WI
2010 McKnight Fellowship Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN (catalog)
2007 Jerome Artists Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2003 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred, NY
2000 Two Perspectives on Function, Anna Leonowens Gallery, NSCAD, Halifax, NS, Canada
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS/TOURS (through 2014)
2024 White & Imagery, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2023 Above Board, Online Exhibition in conjunction with NCECA Conference
Functional Ceramic 2023, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH (catalog)
Kindred, Raymond Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Open Studio, Invited guest of Ernest Miller, Minneapolis, MN
Women Working with Clay, Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Roanoke, VA
Yunomi Invitational, Raymond Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2022 Thoughtfully Considered, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
Clay Artists Collect, Concordia College, St. Paul, MN
St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour, Invited guest of Jeff Oestreich, Taylors Falls, MN
Mixed Media: the Faculty Show, Gordon Parks Gallery, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN
2021 Above Board, Online Exhibition in conjunction with NCECA Conference
Breakfast, International Museum of Dinnerware Design, Ann Arbor, MI
Pattern, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour, Invited guest of Jeff Oestreich, Taylors Falls, MN
2020 Art of the Pot, online tour, Austin, TX
Chromatherapy, Red Lodge Gallery, Red Lodge, MT
Good Earth: The Pots & Passion of Walter Ostrom, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canada
Strong, Resilient, Feminine, Schaller Gallery, Baroda, MI
2019 Ideal Made Real: MN NICE, Vine Arts Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Secret Lives of Books, Wangensteen Library, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Women who Teach, St. Catherine’s University, St. Paul, MN
2018 Cannon River Tour, Glynnis Lessing Studio, Northfield, MN
Code: Craft, Dowstudio Gallery, Deer Isle, ME
Observations, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
Mixed Media: Faculty Exhibition, Gordon Parks Gallery, Metropolitan State, St. Paul, MN
2017 a la carte, International Museum of Dinnerware Design, Ann Arbor, MI
McKnight Ceramic Exhibition (traveling), Watkins Gallery, Winona State University, Winona, MN
McKnight Ceramic Exhibition (traveling), Talley Gallery, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Redux: Transformation 6x6, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2016 100 Cups, The Clay Studio @ NCECA, Kansas City, MO
Ceramics as Deception, Urban Arts Space, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Painterly, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
Past Presenters: Utilitarian Clay, Arrowmont School for Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
2015 Ahead of the Curve: Creative Thinkers/Unconventional Makers, Dow Studio, Deer Isle, ME
Flower & Foliage, Schaller Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
Greenscapes: Of/In/From the Garden, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2015 Instructor Exhibition, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
Locals We Love, Gallery Expo, Northern Clay Center, NCECA Conference, Providence, RI
2014 2014 Instructors Exhibition, Peters Valley, Layton, NJ
A Sustainable Table, The Jewish Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Clay National IX: Aisthesis, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
From Away, Dow Studio, Deer Isle, ME
Holiday Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
La Mesa, NCECA Conference, Milwaukee, WI
Locals We Love, Gallery Expo, Northern Clay Center, NCECA Conference, Milwaukee, WI
Red River Reciprocity: Contemporary Ceramics in Minnesota and North Dakota, Plains Art
Museum, Fargo, ND
COMMISSIONS/PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS
2023 Wallflower, Anoka Ramsey Community College, Anoka, MN
2020 Four Biomes, College of Biological Sciences Conservatory, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
2019 Variations on the Caswell Carpet, Mankato Surgical Center, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Mankato, MN
2017 Botanical Tiles, Eisenberg Building, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, MN
2016 Wallflower (Invasive Species), Mary Brigh East Building, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, MN
Platter Diptych, Mayo Family Clinic Kasson, Kasson, MN
2015 Platter Triptych, Domitilla Building, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, MN
AWARDS/GRANTS
2023 Teaching Artist Cohort, Center for Craft, Creativity & Design, Asheville, NC
2021 Creative Support for Individuals, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2020 2020 Ceramic Artist of the Year, awarded by Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Ceramic Arts Network, Westerville, OH
2018 Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2015 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2014 Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2012 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
2009 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Artist Initiative Grant, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2008 Finalist, Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship, Saint Paul, MN
2006 Jerome Ceramic Artist Project Grant, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Kiln God Award, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME
2005 Red Wing Collectors Society Award, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The American Ceramic Society’s Collection, Westerville, OH
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Goldstein Museum of Design, Crane Collection, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
Kansas City Art Institute, Teaching Collection, Kansas City, MO
International Museum of Dinnerware Design, Ann Arbor, MI
Mayo Clinic, Permanent Collection, Rochester, MN
Metropolitan State University, Permanent Collection, St. Paul, MN
Northern Clay Center, Teaching Collection, Minneapolis, MN
Ohio State University, The Baggs Collection, Columbus, OH
The Rosenfield Collection, Dallas, TX
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX
Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Gloryhole Collection, Alfred, NY
Schleich Red Wing Pottery Museum, Red Wing, MN
Wangensteen Historical Library, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN