Steve Murphy
65 Chandler Street
Boston, MA 02116
617-542-0997
Exhibitions
“State of Clay” April 22 to May 16, 2012. Lexinton Arts & Crafts Society. Juried show of Massachusetts artists.
“Our Shared World” June 19 to July 9, 2012. Show at Lexington Art and Crafts Center in conjunction with Mass Audubon Society. Animal related imagery
DeCordova Museum, 5 Faculty Exhibitions, Museum School Gallery July 2008 to present, next show Summer 2011
Tea Bowl National 2010, KC Clay Guild, Kansas City, Missouri
Galleries:
Patch NYC, 2008 to present, 46 Waltham St, The Courtyard. Boston MA www.patchnyc.com
Pop Gallery, Gloucester Ma, October 2010 to February 2011 popgallery.tumblr.com
Local Collection, May 2010 to present, Fanueil Hall, Boston
Navio Gallery, June 2010 to present, New Bedford, MA www.navioarts.com
Fuller Craft Museum, November 2009 to present, 455 Oak St., Brockton, MA. 508-588-6000 www.fullercraft.org
Lexington Arts and Crafts Society “State of Clay” 2009, March 30, 2009, 2 pieces www.lexingtonma.org/LACS/
Art Complex Museum, 189 Alden St., Duxbury, MA www.artcomplex.org permanent collection
Gustin Gallery, 231 Horseneck Rd, South Dartmouth, MA. 508-636-6213 www.gustinceramics.com
Baltimore Clayworks, 5707 Smith Ave., Baltimore, MD. “Mark of Fire” 2006
Artful Hand Gallery, 100 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA. 1994 to 2008
Urban Living Studios, 58 Clarendon St., Boston, MA. 2002 to 2008
Publications
Ceramics Monthly April 2008, Article “Form Follows Function Follows Form” and two suggestions published 2007 and 2008.
The Art of Contemporary American Pottery by Kevin Hulch, Krause Publications 2001.
Asian Wraps cookdook by Nina Simonds, William Morrow 2000.
Education
UMASS Dartmouth, Bachelors of Fine Arts in Design, 1983.
Apprentice to Keiichroh Sato, potter in Nagano-ken, Japan, 1990-91
Student of Japanese Tea Ceremony, 1993 to 1995 with Allan Sosei Palmer, Brookline, MA
Teaching Experience
DeCordova Museum School, Lincoln, MA – April 2008 to present
Teaching beginning to advanced students, adults, children and teens.
DeCordova Art Camp, Lincoln, MA – 2008 to present.
Teaching drawing and painting, ceramics and sculpture, Summer 6 weekly programs
Boston Center for Adult Education, Boston, MA – 2000 to 2008
Taught beginning, intermediate and advanced students wheel throwing, handbuilding, and glazing. In 2008, I took 5 advanced students to fire an anagama kiln at Gustin Ceramics.
Fuller Museum of Craft, Brockton MA – 2005 to 2009
Led workshops focused on clay for teens and adults.
Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, Nagano, Japan – 1989-1992 Taught English as a foreign language in public junior high schools, helped raise our school’s English testing scores to the highest in the state after three years. Also taught adults English in a community adult education program.
Workshops & Lectures
Mudflat, Somerville MA, Spring 2010, Lecture and workshop “Pottery for the Japanese Tea Ceremony”:
UMASS Dartmouth, April 2009, Lecture on my work, pricing, and my hybrid electric/gas kiln.
Fuller Craft Museum, March 2009, Wheel demonstration at “Craft in America” exhibition
Fuller Craft Museum, 2005, Lecture and Demonstration of Japanese Ceramic Techniques during Exhibition of Japanese Mingei Pottery
Teaching Philosophy
I am a results oriented teacher. With beginners, I want everyone to succeed in a structured environment. I usually begin the first class with hand-building projects so students build confidence and learn the feel of the clay. During the second class, we begin wheel throwing, with subsequent classes focusing on trimming. I believe anyone can throw given focused instruction.
With advanced students, my focus is on making their ideas work. I incorporate lessons related to both aesthetics and functionality, including engineering work to survive various kilns and temperatures. I find advanced students especially interesting. I enjoy the challenge of helping others implement their ideas about clay without introducing too much of my own style.
Professional Experience
Currently firing electric and electric/gas-reduction, as well as anagama-wood and wood salt firings. Low, mid and high fire clays, both commercial and homemade glazes. I make ash and mineral glazes and experiment with mineral and stone inclusions in some of my sculptural work. While involved in the anagama firings at Gustin Ceramics in Dartmouth, MA, I helped develop a residual salt firing schedule that produces beautiful work. I developed a group of sculptural work that helps the wood kiln to fire hotter. (Ceramics Monthly, April 2008). I also developed a stoking system that saves time and heat, video on website.
I have repaired electric kilns, built wood kilns, retrofitted electric kilns to accommodate full reduction firings including re-channeling element grooves and application of ITC Ceramic Coatings to improve soft brick heat retention and extend life of elements. I also built a fire-retarding kiln room with heat sinks on the walls.
Worked professionally with Chris Gustin, Tom Coleman, Jim Lawton, Meira Matthison and many others. I have taken workshops from artists including John Leach and Ken Matsuzaki. I had a two weeks residency at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in July 2005.
Hobbies
Rock hunting, sailing, fishing, Art with my daughters, tree pruning, camping, aquariums
Additional Skills
Eagle Scout, BSA 1978, first aid training, critical thinking, knots, Lifeguard, 1991 to 1996 first aid, CPR