Women of Woodfire

Organized with Lindsay Oesterritter and Careen Stoll

June 19 - July 25, 2020

WoW gathers the voices of women artists from around the country who have devoted their careers to incorporating wood firing into their ceramic practice. Originally, this exhibition was meant to complement the Northwest Wood Firing Conference held in Newberg, Oregon. With this in mind, organizers Careen Stoll, Lindsay Oesterritter, and Brett Binford wanted to create a visual conversation among established makers.   

Starting from our experience in wood firing and knowledge of contemporary makers, we then researched artists that were lesser known to us. Our general criteria were rather simple:  Wood firing had to make up a significant amount of the artist’s work, the maker needed to exhibit a high level of craftsmanship and clear artistic voice, and they needed to identify as a woman. We also wanted to showcase the range of possibilities within the genre, showcasing different temperatures, firing approaches, clays and fuel sources. We look forward to where this conversation may continue as women’s contributions to the field prove themselves by attrition.  

We see this exhibition as a springboard for the future, with further inclusion of emerging wood fire artists in a book that will better showcase a diversity of voice.

Participating artists include: Amanda Bury, Betsy Williams, Careen Stoll, Catherine White, Courtney Martin, Francis Johnson, Hitomi Shibata, Jan McKeachie Johnston, Jody Johnstone, Joy Brown, Julie Crosby, Kristin Müller, Linda Christianson, Lindsay Oesterritter, Liz Lurie, Nancy Green, Rosanne Sniderman, Shasta Krueger, Tara Wilson, and Zoë Powell.