The Color Network’s mission is to aid in the advancement of people of color in the ceramic arts. We aim to assist artists develop, network, and create dialogue while maintaining a place for a database, resources, and mentorship. We hope to foster a community of artists of all professional and skill levels that help each other grow.
[In 1991] Bobby Scroggins identified an intangible wall surrounding the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference that prevented artists of color from accessing well-deserved opportunities and appreciation. In his opinion, the organization was like many others: at best, indifferent to the plight of artists of color, Black artists in particular, who had only recently managed to navigate the taxing educational, economic, and cultural systems in place to get there. He saw no other choice but to "strategically demolish [that wall] brick by brick," but he couldn't do it alone. In his time at the 1991 conference, Scroggins sought out Black and Brown faces in the crowds and arranged informal meetings and discussion groups in hotel lobbies, bars, and conference halls. He met with like-minded colleagues - artists of color and allies - such as Imna Arroyo, Greg Busceme, Stephen Carter, Dora Hernandez, Winnie Owens-Hart, and several others who became official founding members of The Color Network.
At the 1996 conference, Paul Andrew Wandless, a Chicago-based African American artist, met Scroggins through his undergraduate professor, James Tanner, an African American artist and president of NCECA from 1995 to 2000. Following their introduction, Wandless became a member of The Color Network and Scroggins eventually passed him the baton to lead the organization. Like Scroggins and other members of The Color Network before him, Wandless spearheaded many initiatives in support of the organization's mission. He primarily concentrated on curating shows and on maintaining the website Cultural Visions, which launched in 1999 and remained active through 2014. The site was a repository of information, announcements, and opportunities for artists of color. It also highlighted artists through individual profiles in a time when artist websites were not commonplace.
-Excerpt from the curatorial statement for Voices For Change, 2020, by Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy
Since 2018, The Color Network has created an international Mentorship program, curated exhibitions, hosted residencies at Watershed Ceramics, and continues to provide opportunities through micro grants and our listserv. Our active Instagram page highlights both established and rising stars in the ceramics field as well as resources for the community. We hold periodic affinity rooms for artists of color as well as safe rooms for specific communities. Collaborating with NCECA, The Color Network holds panels, resource tables, community events, and exhibitions.
https://www.pjandersonceramics.com/
Pj Anderson is an artist of Caribbean/Métis descent from Thompson, Manitoba, Canada. She holds a BFA and MFA from the University of Manitoba. She has shown internationally, as Resident Artist at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa, China as a finalist in the International Ceramic Magazine Editors Associations (ICMEA) emerging artist competition and many others. PJ additionally serves as Director of Programming for NCECA (the National Council for the Education in the Ceramic Arts). Her practice explores the use of traditional craft practices in the exploration of cultural weaponizations and speculations on future histories of traditionally underrepresented peoples.
Magdolene Dykstra is a second generation Egyptian-Canadian. After studying both biology and visual arts in undergraduate studies, she received her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Magdolene has participated in residencies at the Medalta Historic Clay District, Watershed Center for Arts and Crafts, and Concordia University. Magdolene has been awarded several grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, including Research and Creation Grants, Exhibition Assistance Grants, and Arts Abroad Grants. Recent exhibitions include a site-specific installation at the Gardiner Museum (Toronto, ON). Upcoming exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Jane Hartsook Gallery (New York, NY). Magdolene is also the founder of SWFT Artists, dedicated to supporting women, trans and femme artists in the Niagara region.
April Felipe was born in, Queens, New York. She received her B.F.A from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and her M.F.A in Ceramics from Ohio University. April worked at Greenwich House Pottery, taught at Ohio State University and Ohio University. In 2017 she was named one of Ceramic Monthly’s Emerging Artist and began a ceramic jewelry line babyGrapes Designs that are carried in galleries though out the United States. She has participated in residencies at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and The Archie Bray Foundation. She has set down roots in Albany, Ohio with a home studio, she currently works for the Dairy barn Arts Center.
Corrin Grooms was born in Atlanta, GA and grew up in Detroit, MI. Her career began while she attended Detroit School of Arts High School. She completed an internship at Pewabic Pottery and taught youth ceramics classes in Detroit, MI. Corrin later attended Saginaw Valley State University, where she earned her BA with a concentration in Ceramic Art in 2018. She participated in a residency at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Corrin’s work has been featured in museums and galleries across the Mid-West. She currently resides in Saginaw, MI where she works from her home studio.
Born and raised in the border city of El Paso, TX, George Rodriguez creates humorous decorative ceramic sculpture addressing his identity and community. George earned a BFA in ceramics from the University of Texas El Paso then went on to achieve an MFA from the University of Washington. His world curiosity grew as a recipient of a Bonderman Travel Fellowship where he traveled the world through most of 2010. George was recognized as a 2019 NCECA Emerging Artist and was featured on PBS's Craft in America Storytellers episode. His work can be found in the permanent collection of the National Mexican Museum of Art in Chicago, the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in DC and the National Museum of Sweden amongst others. George is represented by Foster/White Gallery in Seattle, WA.
Yen Chu was born in Taichung, Taiwan. She grew up in New Mexico, where she completed her BFA in Ceramics as well as minors in Biology and English at Western New Mexico University. During her time in undergrad, she volunteered for and demoed pottery throwing at the Silver City CLAY Festival. She also served as an Advisory Board Member for the Mimbres Press of Western New Mexico University, where she created an undergraduate journal and worked as the Chief Editor. Yen is currently a ceramics studio coordinator and instructor at Foothills Art Center in Golden, CO.
http://www.salvadorjimenezflores.com