Young Artists Take Part in 13th Annual Clay Olympics
Four Buffalo State ceramics and art education alumni, now teachers, will bring their high school students to campus on Wednesday, May 18, to take part in the 13th annual Western New York Clay Olympics. The event starts at 10:30 a.m. in the ceramics studio in Upton Hall 128.
Brett Coppins, ’98, ’02, from the Lewiston-Porter Central School District; Scott Losi, ’97, ’02, from Pioneer Central; Ann Perry-Smith, ’91, ’95, from Lancaster Central; and Matt Sagurney, ’96, ’01, from Kenmore East High School are the teachers whose students will compete in the Clay Olympics.
“It’s very gratifying to see my own former students sharing the skills they learned here with a new generation of students,” said Robert Wood, ceramic artist and professor and chair of the Design Department. With Coppins, Wood is coordinating this year’s event.
The contestants, about 40 students, will vie individually and in teams in timed events using clay and various clay-forming methods. The team that earns the most points wins, and receives a trophy created by last year’s Clay Olympics winner.
Coppins and Wood, with the support of Sylvia Rosen, ’71, organized the first Clay Olympics at Buffalo State. Rosen, who will be on hand Wednesday, is a ceramic artist whose celadon porcelain works are found in many museums and private collections. With her late husband, she established the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment for Fine Arts in Craft Media at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The endowment supports the Sylvia L. Rosen Gallery for Fine Arts in Craft Media and a biennial craft arts exhibition.
The long-running Clay Olympics was established to give area high-school ceramicists an opportunity to meet fellow student artists, and to enjoy a friendly and often funny competition. The events include no-hands pot throwing on a potter’s wheel and creating whimsical clay sculptures.
The students will also exhibit their work in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. A juror will select the top works, and their creators will receive cash awards made possible by the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The awards will be presented at 1:15 p.m.
The Clay Olympics is made possible by the generous support of the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Lewiston-Porter Central High School, Sheffield Pottery, and the School of Arts and Humanities at Buffalo State.
Brett Coppins, ’98, ’02, from the Lewiston-Porter Central School District; Scott Losi, ’97, ’02, from Pioneer Central; Ann Perry-Smith, ’91, ’95, from Lancaster Central; and Matt Sagurney, ’96, ’01, from Kenmore East High School are the teachers whose students will compete in the Clay Olympics.
“It’s very gratifying to see my own former students sharing the skills they learned here with a new generation of students,” said Robert Wood, ceramic artist and professor and chair of the Design Department. With Coppins, Wood is coordinating this year’s event.
The contestants, about 40 students, will vie individually and in teams in timed events using clay and various clay-forming methods. The team that earns the most points wins, and receives a trophy created by last year’s Clay Olympics winner.
Coppins and Wood, with the support of Sylvia Rosen, ’71, organized the first Clay Olympics at Buffalo State. Rosen, who will be on hand Wednesday, is a ceramic artist whose celadon porcelain works are found in many museums and private collections. With her late husband, she established the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment for Fine Arts in Craft Media at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The endowment supports the Sylvia L. Rosen Gallery for Fine Arts in Craft Media and a biennial craft arts exhibition.
The long-running Clay Olympics was established to give area high-school ceramicists an opportunity to meet fellow student artists, and to enjoy a friendly and often funny competition. The events include no-hands pot throwing on a potter’s wheel and creating whimsical clay sculptures.
The students will also exhibit their work in the Czurles-Nelson Gallery in Upton Hall. A juror will select the top works, and their creators will receive cash awards made possible by the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The awards will be presented at 1:15 p.m.
The Clay Olympics is made possible by the generous support of the Sylvia L. Rosen Endowment of the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Lewiston-Porter Central High School, Sheffield Pottery, and the School of Arts and Humanities at Buffalo State.
Media Contact:
Mary A. Durlak, Senior Writer | 7168783517 | durlakma@buffalostate.edu