Rina Peleg

Artist Statement

I grew up in Israel on a kibbutz. Almost everywhere one walked, one practically stumbled over pottery shards. These fragments are sometimes the only evidence of the rich cultures that existed in the Middle East in the past. My first acquaintance with clay was made through these fragments.

I actually began working with clay after high school, when I discovered the raw material and became aware that almost any shape could be made from the formless mass. At first, I worked with the potter’s wheel, making functional pieces to be used at home. I gradually discovered the many possibilities inherent in the material, and began to make explorations in new directions.

Working with clay became a way for me to make contact with the world outside the kibbutz, and, ultimately, outside Israel.

While attending Alfred University, I worked on hand-coiled clay structures that involved a play of unconnected coils within the structures. This experience taught me that a coil could be used the way rope or string is used in waving and plaiting and I began to “weave” with these clay coils. Since the woven coils were basically the same sort of coils I had used for traditional pinched pots, the transition was simple and involved only a slight change in technique. Past weaving experience made this transition a natural one for me. Weaving in clay had become a natural activity for me.

I have been concerned for several years with the so called “right” of the ceramicist to create non-functional works. My own reason for making such works was, and is, a strong attraction to deal with basic classical shapes. This clearly came about from a deep emotional need, not a practical intent.

I began to understand some of the sources from which I drew my ideas upon learning Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious. Stated simply, Jung maintains that there is a collective unconscious of the whole human race which manifests itself in each individual through that persons dreams, or, in my case, through creativity. The basic shapes of ceramic utensils which were used ages ago, as well as the technique of making them, also form a part of the collective unconscious.

My need to make the shapes I do can be explained in part, if such explanation is necessary, by Jung’s theory, my own acquaintance with the history of arts and crafts, and a strong personal need.

Resume

Rina Peleg lives and works in NYC.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:

2007	Rhonda Schaller Studio, NY (solo)
2006	Studios 39, NY (solo)
2006	Rhonda Schaller Studio, NY
2005	54th Concorso Internazionale Della Ceramica D’Arte Contemporaneas, Italy
2004	Jane Hartsook Gallery, NY (solo)
2003	2nd World Ceramics Biennial, South Korea
2002	Franklin Parrasch Gallery, NY
2001	65 Hope Street gallery, NY (solo)
2001	Nordjyllands Kuntsmuseum, Aalborg, Denmark
1990	International Ceramics, Mino Japan
1989	Linda Carson Gallery, Denver, CO
1988	Klutznick Museum Washington, D.C
1988	The Queens Museum, NY (solo)
1987	Museum of Art and Design, NY
1987	Graham Modern Gallery, NY
1986	Snug Harbor Gallery, NY
1985	New York State Museum, Albany NY
1985	Everson Museum of Arts, Syracuse, NY (solo)
1985	Robert Kidd gallery, Detroit MI (solo)
1984	Brainerd Art Gallery, Potsdam, NY
1983	Heller Gallery, NY (solo)
1983	Mabat Gallery, Tel Aviv,Israel (solo)
1983	Robert Kidd gallery, Detroit, MI (solo)
1982	40th Concorso Internazionale Della Ceramica D’Arte Contemporaneas, Italy
1982	Form & Function, Atlanta, GA (solo)
1982	Cooper-Hewitt Museum, NY
1982	Robertson Center for the Arts, Albany NY
1981	Tel Hai Contemporary Art Festival, Israel
1981	Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Mass
1981	Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art
1981	Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
1981	John Michael Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
1981	Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina
1981	Tweed Museum of art, Duluth, MI
1981	Downy Museum, Los Angeles, CA
1981	Thorpe Intermedia gallery, Sparkill NY
1981	Theo Portnoy Gallery, NY (solo)
1980	Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, NY
1980	Albright-Know Gallery, Buffalo, NY
1980	Parsons School of Art and Design, NY
1980	Appalachian Craft Center, Tennessee
1980	Otis Gallery, Losa Angeles, CA
1979	Haharetz Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel (solo)
1976	Incorporated gallery, NY (solo)
1972	American-Israeli Cultural Foundation, NY (solo)

COLLECTIONS:
Burchfield-Penny Art Center, Buffalo, NY
Davis and Brody Architects, New York, NY
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
Greenville Art Museum, Greenville, South Carolina
Haharetz Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
Israeli Embassy, Washington D.C.
Lannon Foundation, Palm Beach, Florida
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY
Robertson Center for the Arts, Albany, NY
Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred University
Tajimi Cutlural Hall, Tajimi City, Japan

GRANTS AND AWARDS:

2003	New York Foundation for the Arts, NY
2003	Gottlieb Foundation, NY
2003	2nd World Ceramics Biennial, Juror’s choice Award, South Korea
1987	Honorable Mention, International Ceramic, Mino Japan
1998	Pollack-Krasner Foundation, NY
1984	Nettie Marie Fellowship in Visual Arts, NY
1982	40th Concorso Internazionale Della Ceramica D’Arte Contemporaneas, Italy
1982	Artist in Residence, Art Park Lewiston, NY
1981	National Endowment for the Arts, Craftsman Fellowship

EDUCATION:

1980	MFA Alfred University
1960	BFA Bezalel Academy of Arts, Jerusalem