Canadian Ceramic Artist Victor Cicansky at Graceland March 28 through April 2

The Graceland University artist in residence program, sponsored by JR Shaw, for whom Shaw Center is named, is proud to announce that Victor Cicansky will be on campus from March 28 through April 2. Cicansky is a Canadian ceramic artist whose work “Ode to Pickling” was given to the Graceland Fine Art Collection by JR Shaw in 2012.

The brightly colored ceramic sculpture is a representation of a pantry of pickling jars of various sizes and shapes. The prairie artist’s inspiration for the painted cupboard is a personal story. A body of work was initiated in clay, in celebration of the bounty of the land, after Cicansky expressed his appreciation for the natural beauty of his wife’s homemade pickles.

“The source of my work is the garden of the mind. It’s a place that goes beyond soil, plants and insects. It’s a rough and wild place where ideas grow and hybridize. It’s a garden that provides me with a rich source of ideas that I fashion into a universe of personal expression.” – Victor Cicansky, 1998

Cicansky is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and the University of California at Davis (MFA 1970) where exciting innovations were occurring in the use of clay as a sculptural medium. Cicansky’s work is a nostalgic representation of rural life on the prairies.

“He is very much interested in working with our classes, students from Lamoni High School, and people in the community with an interest in clay. Cicansky has already designed several projects for demonstrations that should illustrate the versatility of clay as a creative medium,” explained Julia Franklin, Graceland University Professor of Art.

On Tuesday, March 29, Cicansky will give an Artist’s Talk in Carol Hall at 2:15 p.m. that is open to the public. He will offer clay demonstrations on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, March 29 and 31, from 6-7:45 p.m. in Helene E106 Ceramics Studio at Graceland University. The public is also invited to a demonstration and workshop on Friday from 9 a.m. to noon in the ceramics studio. For more information, please call the Division of Visual and Performing Arts office at 641-784-5270.