327: Isaac Scott on black representation in public spaces and photographing protests
Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Isaac Scott. His ceramic vessels and sculpture draw from hip hop, pop culture, and politics, and are inspired by historical cultures that communicated their values through symbolic leadership figures, such as pharaohs and Gods. He uses silk screens, stencils, and painting to create images of political figures, musicians, artists, and self-portraits that create modern myths. In our interview we talk about the power of monuments, black representation in public spaces, and his recent photographs of Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia, PA. During the course of a peaceful protest against police brutality, Isaac and other protesters were beaten, tear gassed, and shot with rubber bullets. To see Isaac’s images from the protests, follow @thisisphotography2020 on IG. You can see images of his ceramic work at @this_is_ceramics.
Isaac is currently working on a large scale ceramic monument that uses his sister as the model to reimagine the Lady Wisconsin statue that adorns the capital in Isaac’s hometown of Madison, WI. The other images show his functional work in process. He is currently in graduate school at the Tyler School of Art, which has closed their studios due to COVID-19.
On today’s Amaco Community Corkboard we have the Ceramic Arts Reading Group. The group seeks mud artists of all stripes, from the glaze riffraff to the iron rabble, to form a ceramic arts reading group for women and non-cis gender men. This monthly reading group will be dedicated to creative, lively, and intellectually rigorous art theory discussions. The group chooses texts and material that are directly relevant and meaningful to the personal art practices of the members. They encourage you to join them to share and unravel ideas! Plant the metaphorical seed and hatch the allegorical egg! For more information on the reading group, you can contact beanjellyceramics or yucky_nat on Instagram, or write to them at ceramicartsreadinggroup@gmail.com (that's ceramic arts, with an 's').
Ceramic Materials Workshop is a proud sponsor of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler. Ceramic Materials Workshop is a place online to learn about how materials really work. They’ve been teaching about glazes at the most prestigious ceramic universities for years, and now offer online classes that are open to everyone around the world. Class sessions begin every January, April, July and October 1st, or you can try their new self-guided online workshop the Middle Glazes: The Story of Mid Temperature Glazes available now. Use the coupon code REDCLAY, all one word, for 25% off the Middle Glazes for a limited time. Find out more and sign up at www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com.