Jorie Berman

About Jorie Berman

I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and although I moved around a lot as a child, I remained in the South. I love to travel, but ultimately feel a deep connection to this region of the country. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the University of Georgia in 2002 and my Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2005. I currently live in Athens, Georgia where I maintain an active studio practice as well as teach Color and Composition at UGA and Drawing I and Art Appreciation at Gainesville State College.

Artist Statement

I approach every new project as an experiment- just to see what happens. I try to keep my mind curious and my hands active. I use the making process as a tool for learning, learning about myself as well as the outside world. I align the process of making with the process of meditation- as I work and simultaneously quiet my mind another type of awareness grows. Source material for my work includes my memory and sensory impressions of outsider art, trips I took to India as a young girl, and my maternal grandmother, Bubby. No matter what I "try" to make these influences always seem to rear their heads.

My father owned and ran an art gallery when I was young. He sold folk art and pottery, and he often took me on buying trips where I had the fortunate experience of meeting several eccentric artists devoted wholeheartedly to their work. Their work was all unique, but what the artists had in common was an insatiable drive to create. Some of them claimed that they had been called from another world, or had been inspired by visions, and it seemed that they spent every moment they could making their work. This drive or feeling of inspiration they felt and in turn communicated to others impacted me greatly. The honest and direct nature of their work allows the viewer entry into their world, and I think this pathway is what every artist strives to create.

I went on pilgrimage to India twice as a young girl, once when I was 10 and again when I was 14. My senses were completely engaged; everything I saw, smelled, tasted, felt, and heard was new. I felt alive and aware. I noticed everything about my new environment and I felt a sense of belonging. In India, there is a sense of the sacred everywhere, not just in temples, but in the streets and slums, in restaurants, airports, and train stations, in taxis and rickshaws, in the bustling, overcrowded cities, and in the countryside- everywhere. The sacred- as a space, a feeling, a monument- is at the core of all of my work, be it the subject matter, the inspiration, or the process.

My grandmother, Bubby, has been a major influence on my life and work. She was a maker and a collector of everything: fabric samples, buttons, baskets, games, stuffed animals, plants, etc. She had an attic as big as her house that was packed full of things she had collected over the years, her cabinets were overflowing with snacks and her deep freeze was always full. She made all sorts of things, Cupie dolls, bassinettes, and clothes for Barbie, puppets, she embroidered, she made her own curtains, and she baked cakes and breads and cookies for everyone in the neighborhood and beyond. I remember one time we made acorn people together. First, we had to steal freshly fallen acorns from a few houses down. Once we returned to Bubby's house, we decorated the acorns with paint and beads to give them all faces. She taught me how to sew and embroider, and unknowingly shared with me the nature of a true artist- one who has to have everything just so, and is willing to make it that way.

My travels in India, exposure to eccentric artists and personalities, and my maternal grandmother have all influenced my work immensely. My working process includes research, experimentation, and recall of experience. I am interested in how we become who we are based on a series of experiences, and I hope in my work to reveal a bit of who I am

Jorie Berman Resume

EDUCATION

2003-2005 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
Master of Fine Arts, Ceramics, With Honors

1997-2002 University of Georgia Athens, GA
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Ceramics, Magna cum Laude
Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art, Minor in Italian, Magna cum Laude

1999 Centro Fiorenza Florence, Italy

1996-1997 Oxford College of Emory University Oxford, GA

EXPERIENCE

2006-current University of Georgia (Athens, GA). Instructor of Record: Color and Composition.

Gainesville State College (Gainesville, GA). Instructor of Record: Drawing I, Two Dimensional Design, Art Appreciation.

2005-current Chase Street Park Studio (Athens, GA). Independent studio artist.

2005 Good Dirt (Athens, GA). Instructor: Low Fire, Pit, and Saggar: Silky Surfaces.

2003-2005 Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI). Graduate Assistant: Hand building, Tableware and Production Methods, Drawing Takes Form.

2004 RISD Pre-College Program (Providence, RI). Ceramics Instructor.

2002 and 2003 Pace Academy Summer Program (Atlanta, GA). Ceramics Instructor.

EXHIBITIONS

2006 Fired Works. A regional invitational exhibit. Macon Arts Gallery; Macon, GA.

2006 John C. Campbell Folk School Exhibition. Brasstown, North Carolina.

2005 Works for the Table: A Functional Feast. The Gallery at Good Dirt; Athens, GA.

2005 Rick Berman and Jorie Berman. The Signature Shop and Gallery; Atlanta, GA

2005 Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition. The Albert G. Angell House; Providence, RI.

2005 Annual Graduate Student Exhibition. The RISD Museum; Providence, RI.

2005 Graduate Invitational Exhibition. Sol Koffler Gallery; Providence, RI.

2005 NCECA Regional Student Juried Exhibition. Baltimore, MD.

2005 RISD Ceramics Department Triennial. Woods- Gerry Gallery; Providence, RI.

2004 Featured Artist at RISD Museum Trustees Dinner. Providence, RI.

2004 RISD Faculty Exhibition. Woods- Gerry Gallery; Providence, RI.

2004 Ohio State University (OSU)/ RISD Group Exchange Exhibition. Hopkins Hall; Columbus, OH.

2004 RISD/OSU Graduate Exchange Exhibition. Sol Koffler Gallery; Providence, RI.

2003 Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Exhibition. OCAF Gallery; Watkinsville, GA.

2002 Senior Exit Show. The Courtyard Gallery; Lamar Dodd School of Art; Athens, GA.

2001 Ceramics Exhibition. The Courtyard Gallery; Lamar Dodd School of Art; Athens, GA.