Shawn Ireland

1967 Born Lancaster, Pennsylvania

EDUCATION

1990 BFA Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pennsylvania

APPRENTICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES

1993-1995 CORE Student Fellowship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina

1996-1999 Resident Artist, Penland School of Crafts

2006-2008 Visiting Artist, University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program, Cortona, Italy

2015 Resident Artist Coordinator, Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

2012-2013 Studio Coordinator, University of Georgia Studies Abroad, Cortona, Italy

BIOGRAPHY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Shawn Ireland works with a variety of hand processed local clays that are a blend of ingredients from North Carolina and Georgia. Each piece is thrown using a kick wheel. His glazes are also formulated using local materials. The work is then single fired in a wood burning kiln.

Ireland’s work is inspired by local folk traditions and the work of his teachers at Penland, Will Ruggles and Douglass Rankin. Several trips to central Italy inspired figurative work that he calls “Animal Ware” in the form of candlesticks, vases and bowls. 

Public Collections

Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina

City of Rocky Mount Art Center, Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Bibliography

Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E, Jim Lawton, and Linda Kopp. 500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design. New York: Lark Books, 2002.

Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E. 500 Bowls: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design. New York: Lark Books, 2003.

Tourtillott, Suzanne J. E. 500 Pitchers: Contemporary Expressions of a Classic Form. New York: Lark Books, 2006.

Website: www.shawnirelandpottery.com

Shawn Ireland Pottery

Southern Highland Craft Guild