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February 12, 2003

Media Contacts: Jan Jennings (858) 822-1684

WORKS BY INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED CERAMIC SCULPTOR
PAUL SOLDNER TO GO ON VIEW MARCH 11 IN UCSD’S GROVE GALLERY

Soldner Works, a one-man exhibition of six non-objective pieces by internationally acclaimed ceramic sculptor Paul Soldner, will be on view March 11 through April 19 in Grove Gallery at the University of California, San Diego. A reception for the artist will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. March 14. The reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public.

The Soldner exhibition is being presented at UCSD in concert with Rebels in Clay: Peter Voulkos and the Otis Group on view at the UCSD University Art Gallery through April 19. Both exhibitions are being held in conjunction with the National Council on the Education for the Ceramic Arts conference to be held in San Diego March 11-15.

Soldner is known for pushing the limits of clay and discovering unique textures and forms. His contributions to ceramics include developing what has become known as "American raku," derived from the traditional Oriental raku technique.

Of his work with and experimentation in raku, Soldner says: “In the spirit of raku: make no demands, expect nothing, follow no absolute plan, be secure in change, learn to accept another solution and, finally, prefer to gamble on your own intuition.”

For Soldner, new ideas, methods, and experimentation have always been incorporated in his work, ranging from the functional bowls and vases, to the purely aesthetic thrown and altered sculptural clay forms.

“Paul Soldner has likely influenced American ceramics more than any artist living today,” says Grove Gallery director Ron Carlson. “Through his work, years of teaching, and involvement in workshops spanning the continent and the decades, he has a unique position in our collective ceramic history.”

Soldner studied with ceramist Peter Voulkos at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He helped set up the ceramics department there and created modifications to the pottery wheel which began his lifelong interest in inventions and innovations in pottery. Prior to earning a master’s of fine art at Otis in 1956, he received a master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he was introduced to ceramics, and a bachelor’s degree in art at Bluffton College in Ohio. Soldner taught ceramics for 37 years at Scripps College and Claremont Graduate School, where he is a professor emeritus.

Soldner's works have been exhibited in major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Latvia, and he has given more than 400 lectures, seminars, demonstrations and workshops across the country. The ceramic sculptor is the author of numerous articles, a book, and the founder of the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado, which draws people from all over the world to study under well-known teachers.

Soldner Works will be on view in UCSD’s Grove Gallery from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays March 11 through April 19. Grove Gallery is located in the UCSD Crafts Center Complex on the Revelle College campus off Eucalyptus Grove Lane. Gallery directions and parking information are available at the Gilman Drive information center at the entrance to the campus.

For further information on the Soldner exhibition call (858) 534-2021.