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Steven Young Lee – Ceramic Artist

Steven Lee

Steven Young Lee

Steven Young Lee about his work: “The pieces I create appropriate and incorporate elements of form, decoration, color, image and material that are distinct to particular cultures and time periods. They are a reflection of my love for historical ceramic objects and their ability to provide a unique view of the past. I am fascinated by the effect of environment and resources in the evolution of these objects and the imprint of the cultures in which they were created.

The forms and decorative motifs I use in my work are appropriated from historical references from various cultural origins–Chinese, Korean, French, Dutch, English, etc. These evolve from their original source, simulating an organic development of form and pattern as a visual language.

Through my work, I enjoy challenging preconceptions of identity and systems of belief leaving the viewer to construct the context and/or narrative of the object based on their own perspective and experience. This includes questioning the role that intent and context play in determining the value of an object.”

Steven Young Lee has been the resident artist director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana since 2006. In 2004-05, he lectured and taught at numerous universities throughout China as part of a one-year cultural and educational exchange in Jingdezhen, Shanghai and Beijing. In 2005-6 he was a visiting professor at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C.

Steve has lectured extensively in North America and Asia. In March 2013 he participated on a panel, “Americans in the Porcelain City,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2013, he was one of several international artists invited to participate in “New Blue and White,” an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston that featured contemporary artists working in the blue-and-white tradition of ceramic production. In the Fall of 2016 his work will be featured as part of the Renwick Invitational at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

He is represented by the Duane Reed Gallery, Ferrin Contemporary and The Archie Bray Foundation Gallery. His work has been collected by the Smithsonian Museum, the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Korea, as well as many private collections.

Steve received his BFA and MFA in Ceramics from Alfred University. Originally from Chicago, he lives in Helena with his wife, Lisa and their son and daughter Gavin and Florence.

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