2020 Senior Exhibition Artists 2020 Senior Exhibition Artists: Joe Welch

Biography

Joe Welch is a ceramic artist focusing on sculpture and experimentation of ceramic material and fire. He earned an Associate in Fine Art from the Community College of Rhode Island. Prior to entering the fine art community, he was a chef for restaurants and individual clients in Ohio, Florida, and Rhode Island, set designer for local theaters, and part-time carpenter for theatre productions. He also works part-time at the New Bedford Art Museum as a ceramics instructor. In his work, Joe explores some of the more divisive components of human interactions in order to initiate a dialog on how to build closer connections to each other in the future.

Statement

I show the range of human emotions and social interactions that dissolve communication between people. As an allegory to dysfunction in communication, I employ experimental clay bodies and building techniques that are designed to fail at some point in making. The deceit, anger, hubris that we show to each other are emulated in my clay and glaze. Only when we see a breakdown in communication is when we can initiate a dialog to build closer connections to each other. The juxtaposition of structure and chaos are a metaphor for the internal and external forces that decide how we interact between people. Current pieces of art – much like Inter and intrapersonal relationships – are built, broken, rebuilt, or even pieced together from failed previous works.

As we have social constructs that guide our daily interactions, I have guidelines in my work that I use to seek parallels in human behavior:

• That structure and predictability of ritual are mired with chaos that can - and will - evolve from constant vigilance.
• That the only way to come to terms with catastrophic end is to create a way in which that failure is purposefully graceful and wholly intentional.
• That through embracing entropy as a constant, a central concept is revealed.
• That failure is not only welcomed but required to move forward.
• That in iteration there is growth.

Contant

Email: joe@tworabbitstudio.com
Website: www.tworabbitstudio.com
Instagram: @tworabbitstudio

Slideshow

1. Alienation, 20 20, thixotropic clay and glaze, 12x14x18”
2. Alienation (alternate view), 20 20, thixotropic clay and glaze, 12x14x18”
3. Alienation (alternate view), 20 20, thixotropic clay and glaze, 12x14x18”
4. Jealousy Through Gossip, 2020, thixotropic clay and glaze but I heard there was something else, 10x14”
5. Jealousy Through Gossip (detail), 2020, thixotropic clay and glaze but I heard there was something else, 10x14”
6. See You Soon, 2019-2020, thixotropic clay, 8x24”
7. See You Soon (detail), 2019-2020, thixotropic clay, 8x24”
8. Seething, 2020, thixotropic clay, glaze, hate, 7x7x15”
9. Seething (detail), 2020, thixotropic clay, glaze, hate, 7x7x15”
10. Spirit of Lies, 2020, thixotropic clay and glaze, about 45 lbs.
11. Spirit of Lies (alternate view), 2020, thixotropic clay and glaze, about 45 lbs.
12. Spirit of Lies (detail), 2020, thixotropic clay and glaze, about 45 lbs.