Artist Registry
Sylvia Hyman
Contact information
Artist statement
A Statement About My Current Work—2008
After many years of working with clay in more or less traditional ways, I ventured in a new direction about fifteen years ago when my imagination turned to a form of sculpture known as “trompe l’oeil” (to fool the eye). Because the porcelain clay I was using resembled paper when fired to a high temperature, I was inspired to make some things that looked like paper objects such as diplomas, envelopes and letters. My work gradually expanded on this idea as I developed methods and techniques to make books, magazines, documents, biblical scrolls, old maps, sheet music, and crossword puzzles using porcelain clay. To complete the deception, I use stoneware clay to make containers, boxes, and bases that look like wood, corrugated cardboard, marble, or leather.
Things that convey information and stir the mind generally guide my selection of objects. Using the technique of screen-printing on wet clay, I like to think that my work perpetuates the ancient method of making marks on clay to convey messages, exchange ideas, relate thoughts and to record the events of human history through signs, symbols and the written word.
I try to capture not only the appearance of things but also their essential nature, giving equal weight to meaning and to visual impact.
Resume / bio
Education
- George Peabody College, Nashville TN, MA Art Education, 1963
- Buffalo State College, Buffalo NY, BS Art Education, 1938
- Albright Art School, Buffalo NY, Fine Art, 1937
Solo exhibitions
- Hanhyanglim Gallery, Heyri Art Valley, S. Korea, 2007
- Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN., 2007
- Morris Museum of Art, Augusta GA. Challenging Reality”. 2006-07
- Nashville Public Library Art Gallery, Nashville TN, 2006
- Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro TN, 2004
- Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, Nashville TN, 2004
- O.K Harris Works of Art, New York NY, 2003
- Cumberland Gallery, Nashville TN, 1989, 1997, 2001, 2003
- Thirty-year Retrospective, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN, 1995
- Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville TN, 1983
Group exhibitions
- Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY (Trompe l’oeil)
- John Natsoulas Center for Art, Davis, California (Trompe l’oeil)
- Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD, “Particles and Passion”
- Burchfield-Penney Museum, Buffalo, NY
- SOFA New York and SOFA, Chicago, Finer Things Gallery
- Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (four group shows)
- George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA, “The Art of Baseball”
- Susan Peterson & Friends: Grande Dames of Ceramics, Andora Gallery, Carefree AZ, 2004
- Tennessee Association of Craft Artists Biennial Exhibitions, Nashville TN, 1968-2004
- 21st Century Ceramics Invitational, Canzani Center Gallery, Columbus OH, 2003
- SOFA NY and SOFA Chicago, Finer Things Gallery, 2002, 2003, 2004
- IAC Member's Exhibition, Fine Arts Academy, Athens, Greece, 2002
- Women Beyond Borders, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville TN, 2002
- Tennessee Art, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville TN, 2002
- Real Illusions, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville TN, 2002
- Illusions of Reality, Gallery Materia, Scottsdale AZ, 2002 – invitational
- Choson Royal Kiln Museum, Icheon, Korea, 2001
- Keramion Museum, Frechen, Germany, 2000
- Canadian Clay & Glass Museum, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 1998
- International Invitational, Saga Prefecture Museum, Saga, Japan, 1996
- Six Craft Artists, Perimeter Gallery, Chicago IL, 1992
- 10 Tennessee Potters, Smithsonian Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington DC
Museum collections
- Ariana Museum Ceramics Collection, Geneva, Switzerland
- Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario Canada
- Carrol Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City TN
- Evansville, Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville IN
- Keramion Museum, Frechen, Germany
- Mimar Sinan University Art Collection, Istanbul, Turkey
- Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague, Czech Republic
- Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans LA
- Saga Prefecture Museum, Saga, Japan
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington DC
- Tennessee Arts Commission Collection, Nashville TN
- Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN – Best of Tennessee Art Purchase Award
- Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN – Contemporary Art and Bicentennial Collections
- Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN – International Ceramics Collection
- Tennessee State Museum, Nashville TN – Art Purchase Collection
- World Ceramic Expo Foundation, World Ceramic Center, Icheon, Korea
Public art collections and commissions
- Fisk University Cultural Arts Collection, Nashville TN
- Metro Airport Authority, Nashville TN
- NationsBank (now Bank of America), Nashville TN
- Northern Telecom, Baltimore Office, Baltimore MD
- Price Waterhouse, Dallas TX
- Vanderbilt University, Institute for Public Policy and Freedom Forum Center, Nashville TN
- Vanderbilt University, Peabody Education Library, Nashville TN
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Eskind Biomedical Library Conference Room, Nashville TN
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Page-Campbell Heart Institute, Nashville TN
- Vanderbilt University School of Religion, Jack Sasson Conference Room, Nashville TN
Awards and achievements
- First Prize, Temple Art Festival, Nashville, Tn., 2008
- Lipscomb University, Avalon Award for Creative Excellence, 2004
- Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship Grant, 2004
- Israel-Tennessee Artist Exchange Fellowship 1998-2000
- Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts, State of Tennessee, 1994
- National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, Achievement in Crafts,1993
Professional affiliations
- The International Academy of Ceramics, Ariana Museum, Geneva, Switzerland, elected member 1984, Honorary Member Emeritus, 2003, Governing Council 1990-1998
- Tennessee Association of Craft Artists (TACA) – founder and honorary life member
Bibliography
- Janet Mansfield. Ceramics in the Environment: an International Review. 2006.
- Guangzhen Zhou. The Masters of International Ceramic Art & Their Works.. 2006.
- Bai Ming. World Famous Ceramic Artists’ Studios of America, Volume 2. 2005.
- Robin Hopper. Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface. kp Books. 2004.
- Vince Pitelka. “Is That Really Clay?” Ceramics: Art and Perception, #56. 2004.
(Information last updated: 1 July 2008)
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