Artist Statement
My work is grounded in the material history and language of ceramic processes. Using form and material to communicate the relationships between, expectations of, and roles placed upon both objects and ourselves. We describe the vessel in anthropomorphized physical terms; mouth, lips, feet, bellies, shoulders, as well as psychological terms; generous, refined, tight, and so on. Anthropomorphizing objects extends to the act of placing them- on tables to deliver meals, then returned to cabinets.
While I am enticed by the specific functions of the forms that have emerged throughout history, the objects that remain essential and familiar to our lives are the objects I find the most compelling; jar, bowl, pitcher, cup, vase. These objects have remained the subject of my fascination because I am captivated by how they can be entirely taken for granted- their role is assumed and unquestionable- to serve. This subtlety is what gives these pots enduring power.
The arrangements of forms and surfaces often references specific myths, narratives, and metaphors.
Bio
Charlotte Middleton is a ceramic artist from southern Maine. Middleton holds a BFA in Sculpture and Education from Wheaton College, Massachusetts, and an MFA from the University of Nebraska. She apprenticed with Ellen Shankin, in Floyd Virginia for two years- where she experienced the most valuable education in what it takes to be a potter. She has garnered numerous fellowships and awards, including a Muffy White Dwyer Art Day Prize for Best in Show, a Hixson-Lied School of Art Creative and Activity Grant, and most recently the Vreeland Scholarship Award for Meritorious and Creative Work. She has held residencies at prestigious craft institutions including Watershed, Haystack and the University of Georgia's Cortona campus in Italy. Her writing and work have been featured in prominent publications such as Pottery Making Illustrated and Ceramics Monthly.
