Sara Allen Prigodich

Artist Statement

My ceramic sculptures are physical representations of our psychological incongruities: the doubts, questions, and shifts in perspectives through which we view the memories of our lives. The act of reflecting upon our experiences can often become an investigation, a system of discovering and constructing underlying emotional structures. I find that a memory’s ability to mutate—to restructure reality or to erode the truth—is a potent source of inquiry for my work.

The sculptures appear soft and pliable, yet they are hardened and permanent objects in space. This perceived softness relates to the flesh of the body in order to connect with our innate humanness and the malleable perception of our memories. The use of materials such as wood and concrete creates a physical and psychological intimacy around a space that is associated with home, structure and shelter. The making process involves a conscious act of piecemeal construction; building as needed to conceal or support the centralized ceramic form. Their fixed state serves as a means to document a single instance of a recalled event, to create a calcified moment of the past. Through various ambivalent postures, props, and subtle comparisons, the forms evoke a curiosity, a desire to empathize with their conflicting state.

-- Sara Allen Prigodich

Bio

Sara received her BFA in Ceramics from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and her MFA in ceramics from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her professional experience includes positions such as studio assistant, ceramics department technician, resident artist as well as instructor. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally in both juried and invitational exhibitions and has work in both private and public collections. Currently, Sara spends her time working in her studio and teaching in the Annapolis, MD area.