Juliane Shibata

Artist Statement

My installations investigate the contrast between the transience of nature and the relative stability of fired ceramics, in beauty that can be both ephemeral and enduring. Working at the intersection of the natural and the constructed, I integrate real flowers with ceramic materials. These pieces, which thus incorporate actual, lived time and elements of decay, allude to memento mori and seek to create an awareness of the fleeting nature of our existence in contrast to the persistence of fired clay.

I employ and embrace repeating patterns in my functional and sculptural work. I think about these patterns in two ways: as ornamental, operating cross-culturally and throughout history, adding decorative beauty to our surroundings; and as time-based – seasons, daily routines, evanescent moments – which may be experienced more than they’re seen. Both are part of our everyday landscape.

Bio

Juliane is a ceramic artist from Northfield, Minnesota. She received her MFA from Bowling Green State University and has taught at Carleton and Hope colleges as well as The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Juliane’s work has been included in the 2019 “Blanc de Chine” International Ceramic Art Award exhibition in Beijing, China. She was the recipient of the Tile Heritage Prix Primo award at the 23rd Annual San Angelo National Ceramic Competition and received first place in the 62nd Arrowhead Regional Biennial.

Shibata was awarded a 2021 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists and Artist Initiative grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board in 2014, 2018, and 2020. In 2016, she was a co-curator of Michi – Distinctive Paths, Shared Affinity: An Exhibition of Japanese American Ceramic Artists, which traveled across the U.S. Her work belongs to the permanent collection of Northern Arizona University’s Art Museum and the Brown-Forman Collection.