Artist Statement
My clay work is intended to be useful - this is art that is meant to be touched. In the past everything we used in the home was made by hand. Today our homes are filled with stuff stamped out by machines. When we seek out handmade art we make our surroundings a little more human.
I throw on the potter's wheel or use slabs of clay to hand-build my clay forms - then I add that little something extra. Right now I am making lots of bird pottery, ginkgo pottery and some slab pieces with a faux bois (woodgrain) texture . I also have a line handmade ceramic jewelry.
Education and Experience
I began my Ceramics career, as a potter's assistant when I was sixteen. I later studied art at Longwood College and Mary Washington College in Virginia. I graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art from Mary Washington College in 2000. I spent some time at the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina during the Summer of 2003. In 2008, I received my certification in Art Education from the University of Richmond.
Resume - Tasha McKelvey
Education
2006 – 2008 - University of Richmond, Teacher Licensure Program, Richmond, Virginia
1997 - 2000 - Bachelors of Art in Studio Art, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia
1996 -1997 - Longwood College, Farmville, Virginia
Work History
2000 – Present - Studio Potter, Mathews County & Richmond, Virginia
2008 - 2009 - Part-Time Middle School Art Teacher, Henrico County, Virginia
January - May 2008 - Student Teaching in Visual Art at Twin Hickory Elementary School & Varina High School, Henrico County, Virginia
February 2006 - Visiting Artist at Waller Mill Elementary School, Williamsburg, Virginia
June 2003 - Work Study Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
Fall 2001 - Pottery Instructor (throwing & hand-building), Fredericksburg, Virginia
1999 - Pottery Internship, The Poddery, Mathews County, Virginia
1998 – 1999 - Ceramics Studio Aid, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia
1994 – 1998 - Potter’s Assistant, The Poddery, Mathews County, Virginia
Exhibitions & Awards
October - November 2009 - Adornment Adored - Clay Jewelry Exhibition - Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, Maryland
June - August 2009 - Work - Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
November - December 2008 - Winterfest 2008 Invitational - Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, Maryland
October - November 2008 - Jewelry Designers of The Richmond Craft Mafia - This Century Gallery, Williamsburg, Virginia
May 2007 - Purchase Award - The Gosport Art Festival, Portsmouth, Virginia
February - March 2007 - Richard Wilson and Tasha McKelvey - Pastels and Pottery - This Century Gallery, Williamsburg, Virginia
November 2006 – Paintings and Pottery - Tasha McKelvey and Tom McLauchlin - Vincent Hester Gallery, Portsmouth, Virginia
May 2006 - Honorable Mention - Fredericksburg Art Festival, Fredericksburg, Virginia
May 2006 - Award of Distinction - The Gosport Art Festival, Portsmouth, Virginia
January - February 2006 - Works by Hand: Explorations in Clay - Recent works by Tasha McKelvey and Sonja Stoeckli - Portlock Gallery at SoNo, Chesapeake, Virginia
September 2005 - New Works by Tasha McKelvey and Tom McLauchlin - Vincent Hester Gallery, Portsmouth, Virginia
October 2004 - Gallery CBA, Chesapeake Academy, Virginia Beach, Virginia
July - September 2004 - 22nd Annual Bay Days Juried Exhibition, Hampton, Virginia
May 2004 - Yorktown Arts Foundation & This Century Gallery Joint Members Show - Gallery on the York, Yorktown, Virginia
August - September 2003 – Crafts National - Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
August 2003 - Third Place Award, Seawall Art Show, Portsmouth, Virginia
June 2003 - Media Award - Fredericksburg Art Festival, Fredericksburg, Virginia
June 2001 - Best in Show - Fredericksburg Art Festival, Fredericksburg, Virginia
October 2000 - Exhibit of Pottery by Tasha McKelvey - On-the-Hill Gallery, Yorktown, Virginia
November 1999 - Senior Exhibit - DuPont Gallery, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia
April 1999 - Department Award in Ceramics - Annual Student Exhibit, DuPont Gallery, Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg, Virginia
Tasha has also exhibited at many Art and Craft Shows in the Mid-Atlantic region since 2000 including:
Renegade Craft Fair, Crafty Bastards Craft Show, The Richmond Craft Mafia’s Spring Bada-Bing & Handmade Holiday, Charm City Craft Mafia’s Pile of Craft & Holiday Heap, The Hand Workshop Craft and Design Show, Stockley Gardens Arts Festival, Port Warwick Art and Sculpture Festival, The Gosport Arts Festival, Arts in the Park, Art on the Square, An Occasion for the Arts and many more, please check the blog section of this website for upcoming shows.
Selected Press & Publications
January 2010 - Home featured on Apartment Therapy
January 2010 - New Work featured on Scoutie Girl Blog
January 2010 - Studio featured on Craft Zine Blog
October 2009 - Work at Handmade Holiday featured in Richmond Home Magazine
September 2009 - 10 Question Tuesday with Tasha McKelvey on Baltimore Street Team Blog
September 2009 - Finding Your Passion - Tasha McKelvey on Scoutie Girl Blog
July 2009 - Handmade Spaces Feature about Tasha’s Studio on Modish Blog
June 2009 - Tasha’s Display at Artstar Craft Bizarre feature on Indie Fixx Blog
December 2008 - Bird Cup featured on Craft: Blog
December 2008 - Featured in Virginia Shop Local Article on Etsy.com’s Online Zine - The Storque
December 2008 - Featured on Richmond.com Shopping Blog
May 2008 - Interview on the Crafty Bastards Blog
December 2007 - Edited the Virginia Shop Local Article on Etsy.com’s Online Zine - The Storque
November 2007 - Mentioned on Craft Zine’s Blog entry for the Handmade Market
August 2007 - Interview on IndieEntrepreneur.com
June 2007 - Featured in Business Weekly’s online article on Etsy.com
May 2007 - Featured in the Indie-Fixx Summer Wedding Guide
April 2007 - Featured on Indie-Fixx Blog
April 2007 - Featured in Brick Weekly
April 2007 - Featured on She's A Betty Blog
March 2007 - Featured on Dandilion Design Blog
November 2006 - Featured on Adorn Magazine's Blog
November 2006 - Featured on Indi-Fixx Blog
November 2006 - Featured Artist on Indie-A-Rama
October 2006 - Article by Tasha McKelvey Published in Croq Zine
Fall 2006 - Featured in Craft Zine
October 2006 - Article by Tasha McKelvey published in Croq Zine
September 2006 - Featured Seller on Etsy.com
Summer 2006 - Article by Tasha McKelvey - Croq Zine
August 2006 - Featured on Modish Blog
June 2006 - Featured on Craft Revolution Blog
July - August 2004 - Featured in Clay Times
