2015, Cone six porcelain, underglaze image transfer, glaze, and leather carrying case,15” x 10” x 9”
2015, Cone six porcelain, under glaze image transfer, glaze, silverware, dinner menu, food, table, tablecloth, and chairs, 60” x 34” x 30” On February 17th, 2015, the group shared an inaugural meal together on their sharing set of dishes, meeting and breaking bread for the first time to mark the start of the project. The meal was prepared with all locally sourced food that was grown and produced in central Ohio. To view the project, visit: partakecolumbus.wordpress.com.
2015, Cone six porcelain, under glaze image transfer, glaze, silverware, dinner menu, food, table, tablecloth, and chairs. 60” x 34” x 30” On February 17th, 2015, the group shared an inaugural meal together on their sharing set of dishes, meeting and breaking bread for the first time to mark the start of the project. The meal was prepared with all locally sourced food that was grown and produced in central Ohio. To view the project, visit: partakecolumbus.wordpress.com.
2015, Cone six porcelain, under glaze image transfer, glaze, silverware, dinner menu, food, table, tablecloth, and chairs, 60” x 34” x 30” On February 17th, 2015, the group shared an inaugural meal together on their sharing set of dishes, meeting and breaking bread for the first time to mark the start of the project. The meal was prepared with all locally sourced food that was grown and produced in central Ohio. To view the project, visit: partakecolumbus.wordpress.com.
2015, Virtual space PartakeColumbus.wordpress.com is a group blog that the participants posted an image and reflection of their shared meals throughout the project.
2015, Cone six porcelain, underglaze image transfer, and glaze, 15” x 10” x 1”
2015, Cone six porcelain, underglaze image transfer, and glaze, 15” x 9” x 1”
2015, Cone six porcelain, under glaze image transfer, glaze, leather carry case, reclaimed barn wood from Columbus used to build the table, introductory text in vinyl lettering, digital monitor linked to the active blog partakecolumbus.wordpress.com, and portrait photographs, 19’ x 17’ Partake Columbus is a project in shared eating. Spanning 33 days, the course of my master’s thesis exhibition, it brought together seven individuals from different neighborhoods throughout the city of Columbus, Ohio. Each individual was given a sharing set of dishes, a nestled set of ceramic dishes designed for two people. The participants committed to eating, drinking, and sharing a meal with someone each day for the duration of the exhibition. Partake Columbus uses ceramic dishes to bring awareness to the connections that take place at the table, within the community, and in the city of Columbus, Ohio. The food, sharing sets, and daily experiences are documented on a group blog chronicling each individual’s journey. Ultimately, Partake Columbus is a reflection on our relationship to the food we eat and the people we share it with. To view the project, visit: partakecolumbus.wordpress.com.
2015, Cone six porcelain, underglaze image transfer, glaze, and leather carrying case. 15” x 10” x 9”
2015, Cone six porcelain, under glaze image transfer, glaze, leather carry case, reclaimed barn wood from Columbus used to build the table, introductory text in vinyl lettering, digital monitor linked to the active blog partakecolumbus.wordpress.com, and portrait photographs, 19’ x 17’ Partake Columbus is a project in shared eating. Spanning 33 days, the course of my master’s thesis exhibition, it brought together seven individuals from different neighborhoods throughout the city of Columbus, Ohio. Each individual was given a sharing set of dishes, a nestled set of ceramic dishes designed for two people. The participants committed to eating, drinking, and sharing a meal with someone each day for the duration of the exhibition. Partake Columbus uses ceramic dishes to bring awareness to the connections that take place at the table, within the community, and in the city of Columbus, Ohio. The food, sharing sets, and daily experiences are documented on a group blog chronicling each individual’s journey. Ultimately, Partake Columbus is a reflection on our relationship to the food we eat and the people we share it with. To view the project, visit: partakecolumbus.wordpress.com.
Artist Statement
I began my work as a vessel maker and now define myself as an experience maker with vessel in hand. I see myself as a facilitator working in the space between people and the food they consume.
I make functional objects intended for use in everyday life. I design the vessel to exist as a transmitter and later an artifact. I orchestrate the parameters surrounding their use through civic projects focused on several aspects of growing, cooking, eating, and sharing food.
My work focuses on the moment of human interaction, the touch, and the intimate connection. I am interested in the interrelationship that forms between people, through the vessel in the presence of food consumed.
Bio
Jeni Hansen Gard grew up in a small bed and breakfast in Grand Haven, Michigan. She received her MFA from The Ohio State University in 2015, her MA in Art Education from the University of Florida in 2012, and her BA in Art Education from Hope College in 2007. Jeni was the recipient of the 2015 MJ Wood- DO GOOD Residency at Red Lodge Clay Center and recently completed a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation. She is pursuing her research interest in ethnobotany (the human plant relationship) and exploring the ceramic vessel as a form of social art practice. Jeni is navigating life’s adventures with her husband and fellow ceramicist Forrest Sincoff Gard.