October 30, 2006
Honored ceramist to show works at SIUC
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A celebrated ceramist will showcase his work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale next week as part of the Visiting Artists program at the University's School of Art and Design, part of the College of Liberal Arts.
David Furman, professor of ceramics at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., will present a slide lecture and a demonstration on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. in room 161 of Lawson Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The fine arts activity fee funds the Visiting Artists program.
"Furman's visit will give SIUC students and faculty a unique opportunity to learn from this great artist," said Jiyong Lee, assistant professor of glass and chair of the Visiting Artists committee.
Furman is an award-winning ceramist, earning National Endowment for the Arts fellowships in 1975, 1986 and 1996 and Fulbright Senior Artist fellowships in 1979, 1990 and 2000. He won a silver medal at the 3rd World Ceramic Biennale in Korea in 2005.
His 2000 grant enabled him to work at the National School of Fine Art and with middle school children in Lima, Peru, making community ceramic tile mural projects.
Furman's whimsical porcelain sculptures, a series of teapots that reference South American erotic vessels, are his most famous works.
Furman earned a bachelor of art from the University of Oregon in 1969 and a master of fine arts from the University of Washington in 1972. He was a director at large for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts from 1986 to 1987 and secretary treasurer in 1989.
Leading in research, scholarly and creative activities is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.