Hailing from Canada, Mia Riley is an emerging ceramic artist who has called many Albertan cities, towns, and tents her home. She often finds inspiration in the transience and landscapes within her life, having moved and lived in various places across western Canada. A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design, Mia has also completed several residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, researching wood kiln building, alternative making processes, and the natural disasters that have affected her home province in the last decade.
For the past eight months, Mia has been interning with Harvard University’s Ceramics Program as part of IA&A’s Exchange Visitor Program. During her program, she had the opportunity to explore her own art practice and gain hands-on experience running studio operations. As an added bonus, Mia was also the winner of IA&A’s first-ever photo contest!
We recently caught up with Mia and Kathy King, Director of Education for the Ceramics Program, to learn more about the program and Mia’s exchange experience!
Kathy, can you tell us a bit more about the Ceramics Program at Harvard University?
The Ceramics Program falls under the umbrella of the Office for the Arts at Harvard that includes theater, dance, music and the visual arts. Our program in unique in that, for almost 50 years, we have served both the Harvard and the Boston-area communities. We provide non-credit courses three semesters a year and in any of these classes you might be sitting next to a Harvard Professor, staff, graduate or undergraduate student or someone who lives down the street! Our courses span everything from using the potter’s wheel, sculpting from a model, glaze chemistry or printing ceramic forms with a 3D printer. In addition to the courses offered, we work with different courses and departments within Harvard. Last year, we worked with the Graduate School of Design, the School of Engineering, Departments of Anthropology, Humanities, Art History and Architecture, the Graduate School of Education as well as our fine arts equivalent – Visual Environmental Studies. There are so many ways that we intersect with the ceramic medium, whether it is looking at examples of ancient vessels in an Anthropology or Art History course to designing new ways to use ceramics in architectural applications at the Graduate School of Design. We also work with the curators and conservation scientists at the Harvard Art Museum and the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture whereby we may be asked to replicate the techniques used in a ceramic form being studied.
Mia, why did you choose the Ceramics Program at Harvard for your exchange?
I was originally interested in the traineeship at the Ceramics Program at Harvard because I wanted the chance to connect with the American ceramics community. The program has ultimately provided me the opportunity to gain access to studio facilities where I can explore my own art practice and gain hands-on experience running studio operations. I have also had the chance to collaborate on projects with academic faculty and have gained many new friendships and connections.
Mia, what projects have you been working on during your internship?
One of the things I have been most excited to work on has been the animal head vessel project, which is featured in some the photos I have included in the profile. Many branches of this project have arisen out of an exhibition on ancient animal drinking vessels that will be exhibited at Harvard later this year. My role has been to assist in a workshop with anthropology students in making replicas of these vessels, design a child friendly craft for Harvard’s upcoming Arts First Festival, and create replicas that will potentially be used as teaching tools for the exhibition. This project has furthered my interest in ancient ceramics history and process, which was one of the aspects of my undergraduate studies. Also, I have enjoyed the access to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where I have visited regularly to study these objects.
What has been your favorite part about interning with the Ceramics Program?
My favorite part about my internship has been meeting new artists and sharing our experiences. Because the Harvard studio is home to a large number of artists, professionals and students at many stages of their careers, I have had the chance to meet and exchange ideas on many levels. It has inspired me to see how ceramic art and pottery can exist in many different aspects in one’s life and career. I have loved being able to participate in all of the workshops we have held this year with world renowned artists such as Walter Keeler, Sunshine Cobb, Jason Burnett, and Bai Ming.
Kathy, what have been some of your favorite things about hosting an exchange visitor?
Mia brought with her energy and passion about working in ceramics and the technical knowledge that allowed her to jump right into our wide array of activities within the program. Mia was invited to give a lecture on her work and her life in Canada to our community and that conversation of how our cultures differ that has been on-going in the studio – whether it be art making, educational systems or even food!
What has Mia contributed to the Ceramics Program?
Mia has contributed her talents and assistance and we will be hard-pressed to find someone who was able to integrate into our community with such ease. Her wonderful sense of humor and friendly disposition paired with her skills as an artist has proven Mia as an effective educator as well. She has been a Teaching Assistant for a number of different classes and has assisted students in their own making, firing of kilns and helping with glazing work. She treats everyone equally and fairly – whether they are 20 or 80 years old, a beginning student to a master.
Kathy, what were some of the cultural activities that Mia got to participate in during her exchange program?
Mia is an avid outdoors-person as well as art lover! She has been active in exploring New England’s museums, historical sites as well as its wilderness. Mia has attended all our exhibitions, lectures and workshops by visiting artists at our program from China, the UK to all over the U.S. and has been integral to being able to get to know these artists behind the scenes as well.
Mia, what have you been able to get out of this internship that you couldn’t get elsewhere?
The work that I have been able to do in collaboration with other departments at Harvard has been very rewarding. Being able to assist students from the Graduate School of Design on architectural ceramics projects, teach students from the art history department about ceramics making techniques and many other projects have given me a lot to think about in terms of bringing makers and artists into the academic world. I have been inspired by the work that my supervisor, Kathy King, has been doing to make these connections possible and has opened my eyes to the new ways in which ceramics can be incorporated into academic studies and research. In the future I would like to continue working on these types of projects and am looking forward to seeing how I might initiate these collaborations once I return to Canada.
What advice can you offer to future exchange visitors coming to the United States?
I’d like to let future interns and trainees know that they will get the most out of their experience if they are proactive in pursuing learning through their experience. Being engaged and enthusiastic from the start will show your host that you are eager for new opportunities and challenges, and may lead to taking on further responsibilities. During your working hours make sure you ask questions and highlight your specific areas of interest. As well, take use of your time outside of work to explore a new place and participate in arts and culture activities, such as visiting museums, attending special festivals and events and go out with friends!