Andrew Snyder: 9 Meditations
June 3-July 15, 2017
Opening Reception: June 3, 7-9pm
Artist Talk: June 17, 7pm
Performances: June 2 (1-3pm, 4-6pm, 7-9pm), June 3 (9-11am, 1-3pm, 5-7pm), June 17 (3-5pm)
Workshops: July 15, 3-5pm and 7-9pm
Andrew Snyder presents 9 Meditations, a performative installation at Open Source Gallery.
Traditionally, the act of throwing is merely a means to an end; the potter’s wheel, a tool. Customarily, the act of throwing is documented by firing the work. During 9 Meditations, Snyder, rather than relying on the finished product to demonstrate his skill, records his time on the potter’s wheel by transforming the fabric beneath the potter’s wheel into a canvas for the documentation of his work.
9 Meditations pays tribute to the tradition of demonstration by way of performance. There is a long history of demonstration in the crafts–whether weaving, smithing or throwing–as a performance that shows the mastery of the craftsman’s skill. Snyder does not place focus on the bowls made at the potter’s wheel, but concentrates on throwing. The repetitive process of throwing, as demonstrated during six two-hour performances the day before and the day of the opening reception of 9 Meditations, puts the potter into a state of meditation. While throwing, Snyder takes time to reflect, creating bowls that upon first look might appear similar, but result from a process that is ever-changing with the circumstances of Snyder’s reflection.
The monotony and boredom of repetition often leads Snyder into contemplation about the people in his life. Snyder incorporates his contemplation about friends, family and neighbors into the performance using fabric that reminds him of specific people. Fabrics are sought out by Snyder, an avid thrift store shopper, at secondhand shops or requested from those they represent. The found fabrics give insight into Snyder’s meditations, which transform each performance and bowl into something subtly different.
Andrew Snyder received a Bachelor of Science in Ceramics from Towson University in 2001. Upon graduation he began his career as a production potter at Eldreth Pottery in Oxford, PA. In 2010 he returned to Towson University to pursue his MFA in Sculpture. Snyder currently teaches ceramics and digital modeling at West Chester University where he is Assistant Professor of Art, ceramics area and object lab coordinator. Snyder previously exhibited 9 Meditations at Linfield College (Oregon). His work has been shown throughout the United States at spaces such as Baltimore Clayworks (MD), Knauer Gallery (PA), Wayne Art Center (PA), Academy of Fine Arts (VA), Thornhill Gallery (MO) and the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art (DE) among many others.
Andrew Snyder: 9 Meditations | Press Release | Anatomy of a Bowl Workshop | Installation View | Video
