TEENA JANAY ROBERSON
Life Long Love of Making
I have always loved to create. Many types of media are appealing but clay spoke to me immediately and intuitively. Getting my hands into the work, feeling the way it can be encouraged to change and grow, while still having a life and soul of its own, is divine. My admiration of nature reveals itself in subject matter and textures while exposing my fondness for beetles.
CONTACT ME
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist"
Pablo Picasso
TEENA JANAY ROBERSON
I have always had that quote from Picasso on a scrap of paper in every studio I have set up. Standing on a strong foundation of skill and knowledge that is enhanced with experience can allow freedom when creating work. I have used that foundation of skill in teaching clay, stained glass, jewelry, and dance. Everything is interconnected and we spiral together in life and growth creating smiles and happiness along the way.
PART OF MY STORY
Creating memories through the years.
I began working for Peter & Mary Deneen's Cloth & Clay Inc. during the busy seasons of 1999 and 2000. Throwing pots early in the morning hours to help with their Christmas and then spring rush. I love clay and taught classes for years but this was my first production pottery connection. The love of creating things with my hands forged a friendship and work relationship for 22+years. There are literally thousands of my designs, on millions of these lovely hand made mugs, that have sparked memories and smiles through the years and many more years to come. The art attached here is a small fraction of examples.
RESUME - CV
Professional Summary
• Recognized artist with a professional focus on ceramic art, commercial art direction, and art education leadership.
• Fifteen years experience, including time as a Studio Manager and Ceramics Instructor, addressing student needs and ensuring proper student development for mastery and enjoyment of ceramics arts through development of foundational skills.
• More than two decades professional art experience, including 20+ years participating in building a key large scale craft ceramics production company, currently delivering 25,000 fired works every week.
• Life long love of clay, delighting in elevating the appreciation of ceramics as an art form, while tapping into intrinsic human connections with clay.
Skills
• In-depth knowledge of ceramic techniques with
• Adobe Creative Suite user with extensive use of Photoshop and Illustrator
• Motivated to help others meet timelines
• Ability to work with detailed projects
• Flexible to teach and encourage all levels of students
• Communicates well to meet needs
• Eager to learn and master new skills
Work History Art Director, 2001 to 2022 Deneen Pottery - Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Create complex designs from photographs and data into compelling visuals for translation into die form perfecting what to emphasize for best reproduction in clay.
• Generate detailed logos and art for Art Proofs to be sent directly to customers. Adobe Creative Suite user with extensive time in Photoshop, Illustrator
• Mentor new members of the design team and sales staff during their introduction to our specific market. Unlike other design firms, what we create is translated into a clay engraving process.
• Train designers on programs in Adobe Creative Suite while maintaining sensitivity to the process of handmade production clay work.
• Catalog, brochure, and box design for safely shipping and the displaying of ceramic mugs.
Studio Manager 1997 to 2001 Northern Clay Center - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Created and maintained glazes, clay, equipment, kilns and studios for educational space as well as private rental studios.
• Fired all student work bisque and glaze firings as well as taught private studio renters how to use kilns. Electric - Gas - Salt - Soda.
• Kept detailed scheduling of kilns and kiln firing logs.
• Collaborated with emerging and established artists glazing and firing needs.
• Coordinated the first American Pottery Festival 1998 at NCC and the following 4 years.
• Also worked closely with the Gallery Coordinator on display of ceramic work for gallery shows including large scale clay sculptures. [Ex. Jun Kaneko, Soji Hamada, William Daley, Malcolm Davis]
Ceramics Instructor, 1994 to 2005 Northern Clay Center NCC • Edina Art Center • Community Education Mpls & St Paul Area • Saint Paul Academy Summit School • Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
• Established clear objectives for all lessons and projects.
• Adapted teaching methods and materials to meet students varying needs and schools available equipment and budget limitations. Public and Private Elementary and Middle School levels.
• Created an interactive classroom atmosphere to maintain student interest and facilitate learning.
• Taught many levels from Community Continuing Education fun activities to advanced summer classes for private schools as well as continued year round adult education at NCC. I presented as a guest lecture and demonstrator at other schools such as Macalester College in Saint Paul and others.
• Contributed to the development of the “Clay Mobile” for NCC. Taught many of the grant funded programs for clay experiences designed first for Elementary schools that did not have art programs and then developed into mobile clay events for community outreach.
Stained Glass Color Consultant and Construction, 1994 to 1998
J. Ring Glass Studio Inc. - Saint Paul, Minnesota • Worked in stained glass supply and construction.
• Color Consultant for glass in cathedral restoration projects.
• Created stained glass for sale and antique repair work.
• Taught jewelry making classes.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Sculpture and Ceramics 1994
Abilene Christian University - Abilene, Texas • Cum Laude
Laguna College of Art and Design CA - Short Program Scholarship 1990
Additional Accomplishments
• Saint Paul Art Crawl • Twenty two shows • poster, billboard, and flyer design.
• Member of the Tilsner Artist Cooperative.
• One of three case studies designed to evaluate “How Artist Space Matters” for Artspace organization
• Awarded billboard advertisement for St Paul Art Crawl 3 consecutive years
• Minneapolis Institute of Art - “Foot in the Door Show”
• Grace Cultural Center Alumni Show
• National traveling show “An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles” including Virginia Shore Art Gallery
• Phipps Center for the Arts - Hudson, Wisconsin - Solo Clay Exhibition
• Jerome Grant Recipient
• NCECA member - National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
• Three Jerome Artists Show Jan-April
• Co-founder of ‘Fired Up” a small business dedicated to studio rental, education, support of clay artists
• Faculty Exhibition Northern Clay Center - 17 years
• Slide Lecture and Demonstrator Edina Art Center - multiple years
• Scenic Painter - Minneapolis Planetarium entry mural
• Illustrator - “Honey, I Shrunk the Universe” Minneapolis Planetarium and Chicago Planetarium
• Sculptor - Fabricator of natural habitats for the Abilene Zoo
• Illustrator - Lakeview Christian Foundation promotional video
COLLECTION OF CLAY WORK
Portfolio
TRI CHAMBERED BEETLE JAR
High Fire Stoneware
ORCHID VASE
Pierced Porcelain
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
Covered Casserole Dish
WHO'S ON TOP
Covered Casserole Dish
Soda Fired Stoneware
THE MATING DANCE
Covered Casserole Dish
with Gold Leaf
STANDING BLUE BEETLE
RATTLE HEAD JAR
Carved Stoneware
VOYEUR
Covered Casserole Dish
WALL BEETLES
Tilsner Artist Co-Op Instillation
ART DIRECTOR AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER
for Deneen Pottery - DeneenPottery.com
I started out as a potter for Deneen Pottery and have done almost every step in the process developed in this production pottery business. With my strong drawing skills and my understanding of clay I quickly found my niche, designing the logos that go onto the handmade mugs. I have great pride in how the family company has grown since I joined in 2001. My work can be seen on mugs across the nation and the world. I am terribly fond of some of the more intricate work that can be represented in this clay engraved process started by mentor and friend Peter Deneen. DeneenPottery.com
DENEEN POTTERY
St. Paul, MN
DEATH WISH COFFEE
Valhalla Java Series
New York
BRYCE CANYON
National Park Series
Utah
FOR THE LOVE OF TEACHING
I have always loved sharing creative energy with others and that began in teaching through Community Education in St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN. A more permanent position at Northern Clay Center became a life standard as private studio space for my own work, employment with constant teaching opportunities, and creative growth. This evolved into a Studio Managing position where I helped develop clay class structure, scheduling and budgeting. I managed and facilitated kiln use as well as firing all student work. I was an exhibiting artist in curated exhibitions for gallery shows throughout many years 1996 - 2005.
1996 NCC
Northern Clay Center expanded Classes and Outreach with Galtier Magnet Shool and Jackson Elementary School in St. Paul; other programs conducted with Macalester College, Metro State University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota. I functioned as Instructor - Demonstrator - and/or Facilitator.
1999 - 2000 NCC
NCC Expansion of Clay Camps and the development of the Clay Mobile allowed for grant proposals to bring clay experiences to inner city schools. I lead many of these programs and trained teachers in developing class curriculum and stetting standards for firing and glazing.
NCC STAFF
I was an active member of NCC Staff in more than one capacity from 1994 to 2002. Private Studio Renter - Instructor - Studio Manager
GALLERY
