The Saint John's Pottery to host two Jerome Foundation emerging artists

Erin Anderson of Minneapolis and Kevin Lips of Brooklyn, New York, have been selected as the 2015 recipients of The Saint John's Pottery and Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Program.

Anderson and Lips were chosen from an application pool that included potters, sculptors, painters and installation artists.

Each will take part in an intensive residency at The Saint John's Pottery throughout the month of June. They will receive studio space, clay, access to technical assistance, room and board, and an award of $3,600.

One of the unique aspects of the program at SJU is the ability to work with natural materials. These works are later fired in the Johanna Kiln, the largest wood-burning kiln in North America.

Anderson uses a wide range of materials such as clay, wool, rawhide, paper and found objects to create personal and figurative artwork. She has a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, and recently studied industrial sewing at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis.

Lips makes large sculptures and drawings of abstracted forms, many of which have richly textured surfaces. He has a BFA from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, after which he completed numerous apprenticeship activities in Europe and Asia to learn traditional ceramic art techniques.

The emerging artists were selected as part of an extensive panel review. The panelists included Richard Bresnahan, director and artist-in-residence at The Saint John's Pottery; Stuart Klipper, internationally-regarded photographer; and Kristin Makholm, executive director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art.

The Saint John's Pottery and Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Program is funded by a Jerome Foundation 50th Anniversary Grant. The Jerome Foundation, created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill, supports the development and creation of new works by emerging artists. For more information, contact Steven Lemke, program manager, at 320-363-2930.