Chip Clawson

1945 Born Butler, Pennsylvania

EDUCATION

1963–1967 BS Secondary Education Earth & Space Science, Edinboro State College, Edinboro, Pennsylvania 

1971–1972 Special Student in Ceramics, Edinboro State College, Edinboro, Pennsylvania

RESIDENCIES

2011 Visiting Artist, Laramie Community College, Cheyanne, Wyoming

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1971-1974 Studio Potter, Edinboro, Pennsylvania

1975-1977 Ceramics Studio Technician, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

1977-2004 Clay Business Manager, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, Montana

2001 "Bray Odyssey Arch," Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, Montana

2002 "Jaffe Garden Arch" Commission, Portland, Oregon

2003-2005 "All Women Are Role Models" public art project, Montana Women's Prison, Billings, Montana

2004-2005 Owner’s Representative, David, and Ann Shaner Resident Artist Center, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, Montana

2005 "Women of the Montana Women Prison" The Bill McIntosh Gallery, Billings, Montana

2006“Southern Lights”, public art, low-income apartment complex, Billings, Montana

—"All of the Above, None of the Above" public art, Helena, Montana

—"Emergence" Ceramic sculpture, The Ester and John Clay Fine Arts Gallery, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyoming

2009-2014 Facilities Manager, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, Montana

2016—Owner’s Representative, Education Building, Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, Montana

BIOGRAPHY

Chip Clawson is known for architectural ceramics, sculpture, and pottery. He focuses on large-scale architectural works for which he relies on his home studio and yard to develop prototypes. Works are often mixed media: clay, concrete, and other material. He draws inspiration from the natural, man-made and site-specific worlds related to his creations. Large-scale projects may be benches or walls that are sculptural forms or sets of monumental arches with unique column structures. Clawson encourages audience’s engagement with each sculptural environments he creates.  Since retiring from Archie Bray, his own small yard has become a living installation of twisting poured concrete columns with random layers of small earthenware press molded sea shells like “fossils” forms.

In addition to his personal creations, Clawson is largely responsible for the development and sustainability of the Clay Business at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, located in Helena, Montana. A skilled ceramics technician, Clawson devoted 27 years to developing an advanced retail pottery supply business for the Foundation, designing and building machines at the Foundation to manufacture clay on-site, developing reliable clay bodies and managing both staff and inventory. Due in a large part to Clawson’s efforts, the Archie Bray Foundation Clay Business has developed into a leader in Pacific North West Ceramics Retail, while providing significant financial support to the Foundation.