Niel Hora

MudFire Gallery will soon host an extensive collection of new works by North Carolina artist Niel Hora. The solo show and sale will run from July 15 - August 5, 2006, with an opening party and artist reception on Saturday, July 15, from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.

A closing reception and artist demonstration will take place August 5, from 1pm to 5pm. Niel will demonstrate his decorating techniques involving wax resist, slips and painted glazes. He will also show the creation of several forms from start to finish, including thrown/altered and handbuilt forms. The demo will run from 1pm to 4pm in the studio, with a closing reception from 4pm to 5pm in the gallery.

His first solo show in Atlanta, Niel will present over one hundred pieces of handsome functional and decorative pottery, all executed flawlessly in his singular style. Pottery in Atlanta may never be the same.

Niel Hora - Artist Statement

My pottery consists of traditional forms and how they relate to both my past and surroundings. Making pots in small production runs, I form the first few pieces with strict dimensions in mind. As production moves forward, I allow my intuition to take over and "eye" the pot's proportions. I have limited my glazing palette and pared down the surface treatment to simple shapes and designs. My goal is to find harmony between form and applied design. I allow my progression to be gradual, honing in on subtleties that make similar pots different.

Niel Hora - Biography

My career as a potter began with Ron Dale's beginning ceramics class at the University of Mississippi. I took this course as an elective during my last year completing an undergraduate science degree. As my passion for my craft expanded, I returned to school and completed my bachelor's degree in ceramics. While in college, I participated in several summer work/study programs at the Penland School of Crafts under such instructors as Will Ruggles, Douglass Rankin, Jane Shellenbarger, Chris Staley, Nicholas Joerling, and Silvie Granatelli.

Following graduation, I took a job as store manager at a pottery supply company, then later went to work with one of that company's clients to develop designs and molds for mass production. In this way I gained exposure to the day-to-day business of the world of art, preparing me to later become a full-time potter focusing on my own work.

Recently, I began teaching recreational classes in beginning wheel throwing and intend to continue teaching more complicated techniques in an effort to share my passion for pottery.

My pots have been displayed in many local and national shows, including Memphis Potter's Guild Holiday & Spring Shows, Pretzel Jars and Beer Services, Eight Fluid Ounces, Spotlight, The Strictly Functional Pottery National, The Handheld Cup Show, The Soda National, and Ceramics USA.

Niel Hora - Artist Resume

EDUCATION

B.F.A., Ceramics, The University of Mississippi, 2001

Penland School of Crafts, Coursework and Studio Assistantships, Instructors: Will Ruggles, Douglass Rankin, Jane Shellenbarger, Chris Staley, Nicholas Joerling, Silvie Granatelli, 1999, 2001

B.S., Biological Science, The University of Mississippi, 1996

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Studio Artist, Niel Hora Pottery, Apex, North Carolina, 2005-Present

Pottery Instructor, Pullen Arts, Raleigh, North Carolina, 2005-Present

Production Assistant, Joseph Eckles Stoneware, Hernando, Mississippi, 2004

Product Development, Carnevale, Inc., Memphis, Tennessee, 2002-2004

Store Manager, Clayworld, Inc., Memphis, Tennessee, 2001

EXHIBITIONS

Spotlight 2006, Kentucky Museum of Art + Craft, Louisville, Kentucky, 2006

8 Fluid Ounces II, LSU School of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2006

Refraction & Flux: 8 Rising Young Potters, Invitational, Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood, South Carolina, 2005

Cup: The Intimate Object IV, Charlie Cummings Clay Studio, Fort Wayne, Indiana, 2005

Point of Departure, Invitational, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, 2005

Memphis Potter’s Guild Holiday Show and Sale, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002-2004

Memphis Potter’s Guild Spring Show and Sale, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002-2004

Paper and Clay, Invitational, Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Clarksville, Tennessee, 2004

Deliverance Received, Invitational, East Central College, Union, Missouri, 2004

Holiday Show, Invitational, Southside Gallery, Oxford, Mississippi, 2003

Gallery 10 Art and Antiques Auction, Memphis, Tennessee, 2003

Space Available, Oxford, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee, 1999, 2003

Double Decker Arts Festival, Oxford, Mississippi, 1997-2003

Malleable Mud, Invitational, University, Mississippi, 2003

New Memphis Clay, Invitational, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002
Current Work of Ben Caldwell and Niel Hora, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002

Pretzel Jars and Beer Services, BFA Thesis Exhibition, University, Mississippi, 2001

The Strictly Functional Pottery National, Lancaster and Ephrata, Pennsylvania, 1999, 2001

The Handheld Cup Show, Asheville, North Carolina, 2001

The Soda National 2001, Missoula, Montana, 2001

NCECA Regional Student Juried Exhibition, Charlotte, North Carolina, 2001

The Clay Cup VIII National Juried Competition, Carbondale, Illinois, 2001

Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition, Jackson and Meridian, Mississippi, 1997, 2000, 2001

University of Mississippi Juried Student Summer Show, Juror’sPurchase Award, University, Mississippi, 2001

Ceramics USA 2000, Denton, Texas, 2000

ARTWAVE, Biloxi, Mississippi, 2000

Via the Visual, Invitational, Ittawamba, Mississippi, 2000

Chef John Folse Culinary Institute National Ceramics Competition, Thibodeaux, Louisiana, 1997

LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS

“Visiting Artist,” Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, 2005

“Visiting Artist,” Memphis College of Art, Memphis, Tennessee, 2003

“Artists in Action,” Demonstration, Arts in the Park, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002-2003

“Visiting Artist,” Overton High School/Brooks Museum Art Program, Memphis, Tennessee, 2002

“Teacher In-service,” Shelby County Schools Art Program, Germantown, Tennessee, 2001-2002

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004-2005

Memphis Potter’s Guild, 2002-2005

Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, 2004-2005

PUBLICATION RECOGNITION

Marty Fielding, “Upfront: Point of Departure,” Ceramics Monthly, March 2005, pgs 24 & 26.

Donna Rozman, “History, Influence and Evolution: The NCECA Regional Student Juried Exhibition”, Ceramics Monthly, September 2004, pgs 66-71.

Michael Finger, “Feats of Clay,” Memphis Magazine, October 2003, pgs 88-92.