GRace Mccraw
BIO
Grace McCraw is an interdisciplinary artist with an emphasis on ceramics. She is fascinated with the idea of joy and the labor that is necessary for every moment of pleasure throughout the day. She has shown work locally and nationally from Fayetteville, AR to Dallas, tx to new york city, NY. When she is not working in the studio she is working at Presley paige to help create event installations, new products, and digital designs.
Artist Statement
For the past year, I have been deeply interested in the topics of joy and labor. As someone who takes great joy in creating art, I find myself wondering if art as work is too frivolous and therefore too precarious to survive or gain security in the current capitalist landscape, which values the tangible outputs of labor above all else. My current series of objects are monuments to joy-- of the joy of creation, the joy of experiencing art, and the universal joys of the human experience. My work, often characterized by bright and childlike imagery, is tethered to reality through its materiality. I have used the laborious material processes of ceramic art to summon a greater permanence for these objects of joy. A balloon, typically running its joyous life cycle within one week, has been suspended in ceramic indefinitely. I pride myself on the accessibility of my work, given that most Americans can recognize a party balloon as a symbol of ephemeral joy; however, I am interested in the relics of joy which exist in other cultures and the possibility that to many people around the world less captivated by consumerism, joy cannot be purchased for $1.99. I am conflicted and caught between my own consumerist tendencies, my desire to create genuine moments of joy, and the fixed cost of existing under capitalism. By giving the nuance of joyful moments validity and presence, I hope to allow viewers to consider the labor of joy they find in their lives..
EDUCATION
2022 B.F.A., Ceramic Studio Arts, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
Minor in Art History, and marketing and information systems
RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
2023-pr Studio Assistant to Ana Buitrago, Fayetteville, AR
2022-23 Graphic, Product, and Display Designer at Presley Paige, Fayetteville, AR
2022-23 Community Creative Center Instructor, Fayetteville, AR
2022 Contemporary Arts Issue Class taught by Chief Curator at Crystal Bridges, Austen Bailey and esteemed Art Historian, Jennifer
Greenhill, Bentonville, AR
2022 Gallery Assistant Intern At University of Arkansas Fine Arts Gallery, Fayetteville, AR
2019-22 Studio Assistant to Cathy Shepherd, Dallas, TX
Curated Shows
2024 Departure; Curated Local Artists, Hosted at the CAve Gallery, Curated by GRAce McCraw, Fayetteville, AR
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Lighter, hosted by PH Gallery, West Fork, AR
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Embracing the Intersection of Art and Design, MIXD DROP 004, Curated by Allison Hobbs, Rogers, AR
2023 Blue: A Color Story, MIXD DROP 003, Curated by Allison Hobbs, Rogers, AR
2023 Exposed, 21C Museum Hotel, Group curation, Bentonville, AR
2023 Parallel 2.0, LIKEWISE, Curated by Jody Barbaree, Fayetteville, AR
2023 Natural Being, MIXD DROP 002, Curated by Allison Hobbs, Rogers, AR
2022 Spoilt, Milk Factory, ROGERS, AR
2022 In Loving Memory of the Agricultural Annex, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2022 PHORIN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, Curated by Christian Rochefort, NYC, NY
2022 Merging Spaces, MIXD Drop 001, Curated by Allison Hobbs, Rogers, AR
2022 Carry On: a UARK Ceramics Exhibition and Celebration, Sacrament, CA
2021 Ceramic Studio Exhibition, Curated by Mathew McConnell, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2021 Student Business Exhibition, Curated by University of Arkansas Programs, Fayetteville, AR
2021 CeramiCurious, Curated by Jeannie Hulen, pH Gallery, West Fork, AR
2021 Ceramic Studio Exhibition, Curated by Linda Lopez, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2019 Ceramic Studio Exhibition, Curated by Linda Lopez, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
PUBLICATIONS
2023 MIXD Gallery Drop 003 Promotional Zine
2023 MIXD Gallery Drop 002 Promotional Zine
2022 MIXD Gallery Promotional Zine, pg. 2 & 8
2022 University of Arkansas Ceramics Promotional Zine, University of Arkansas Ceramics Department, pg. 16
COMMUNITY SERVICE
2021--22 Treasurer and Public Relations, Association of Ceramic Enthusiast, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2022 Member of the Drawing and Painting Association, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2019-23 Member of Association of Ceramic Enthusiasts, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
AWARDS & HONORS
2023-24 Windgate Accelerator Grant, University of Arkansas, School of Art Fayetteville, AR
2022-23 School of Art Non-Renewable Scholarship, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2021-22 School of Art Renewable Scholarship, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2020 School of Art UG Student Support- Merit-Based Scholarship, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
2020 School of Art Self-Initiated Summer Scholarship, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR