Steve Lee on the role museums play in shaping culture

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist Steve Lee. At first glance his porcelain ceramics appear to be traditional Asian vessels but a closer glance reveals pop culture icons and contemporary subject matter. He says of the work, "The pieces I create appropriate elements of form, decoration, color, image and material that are distinct to a particular culture or history. The viewer is left to construct the context and narrative of the object or image based on his or her own perspective and experience. I strive to create work that has the ability to transgress boundaries of all types—geographic, cultural, contextual and visual." His most recent body of work, "Deconstructed", questions the relevance of an object that fails at its original function. For this series he harnesses the fickle nature of porcelain to create vessels that partially collapse as they are fired in the kiln.

In the interview we talk about living in China, the role museums play in shaping culture, and his relationship with the Archie Bray Foundation, where he has been the resident director since 2006. For more information on Steve please visit www.stevenyounglee.com. For more information on the Archie Bray Foundation or the residency programs they offer please visit www.archiebray.org.