Noted ceramic artist Matt Wedel to speak at CMCA

The Center for Maine Contemporary Art and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts are collaborating to present an artist talk by noted ceramic artist Matt Wedel at CMCA, 21 Winter Street, Rockland, Maine, on Thursday, August 10, at 5:30pm. The talk is free-of-charge and open to the public. Wedel is currently the guest artist-in-residence at the Watershed Center in Newcastle, Maine.

Matt Wedel (b. 1984) is a ceramic artist living and working in rural southeastern Ohio. His surroundings provide him with the flexibility to create without restriction and to work in a scale that dwarfs his own body. Enveloped by natural surroundings, his home and studio sit amid sprawling acres of unspoiled land. For Wedel, living and working in the landscape, and depicting the landscape have become one and the same. Like tending plants in the earth, Wedel cultivates his own forms, rooted in his imagination and brought to life from clay.

Matt Wedel was born and raised in Colorado, and first began working with clay at the age of two. Under the guidance of his father, a functional ceramicist, Wedel developed an early passion for making sculpture. He earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, in 2005, and a MFA from California State University, Long Beach in 2007, where he studied with Tony Marsh. Wedel went on to teach at the University, and has since taught at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, and University of Colorado, Boulder. In early 2012, Wedel moved with his family to Albany, Ohio, where he built his own studio and an oversized kiln.

Upcoming artist talks at CMCA include: Linden Frederick, Night Stories, August 29, 5:30pm; John Walker and William Corbett, Looking Out to Sea talk and book signing, September 10, 3pm; Linden Frederick in conversation with author Tess Gerritsen, September 17, 3pm; Michael Mansfield, William Wegman and Early Video Art, September 24, 3pm; Linden Frederick in conversation with Richard Russo, October 22, 3pm.

CMCA is a contemporary arts institution presenting year-round exhibitions, engaging events, and educational programs for all ages. Location: 21 Winter Street, Rockland, Maine. Hours: June through October, Monday – Saturday, 10am to 5pm, Sunday, 12 to 5pm; November through May, Wednesday – Saturday, 10am to 5pm; Sunday, 12 to 5 pm; closed Federal holidays. Admission $8; Seniors (65+) and students with ID $6; children under 18 free; CMCA members free. For additional information on events and exhibitions at CMCA, please call 207.701.5005 or  visit cmcanow.org