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Resident Artist - James Lawton

Longquan Research Institute of JCU

Dec 6, 2024

驻场艺术家-James Lawton

景德镇陶瓷大学龙泉研究院的国际陶艺交流项目一直致力于构筑连接全球陶瓷艺术的桥梁。通过一系列精彩的展览和深入的交流活动，我们向世界展示龙泉青瓷的非凡魅力，并更广纳世界各地的艺术精粹。2024年10月，我们荣幸邀请到了美国知名陶瓷艺术家James Lawton来到龙泉研究院进行为期两个月的驻场创作。本文根据其驻场期间访谈、交流等材料综合编辑整理完成。

The International Ceramic Exchange Program at the Longquan Research Institute of Jingdezhen Ceramic University has long been dedicated to building bridges connecting ceramic art worldwide. Through a series of remarkable exhibitions and in-depth exchange activities, we showcase the extraordinary allure of Longquan celadon to the world and welcome artistic insights from across the globe. In October 2024, we are honored to invite renowned American ceramic artist James Lawton to the Longquan Research Institute of JCU for a two-month residency. This article was compiled and edited based on interviews, exchanges, and other materials collected during the artist's residency.

James Lawton的创作风格和理念深受建筑学的影响。他的陶艺作品常常融合并模糊了雕塑和实用器物的概念。从草书书法到机械几何等形式手法，他的陶艺创作常常受到多种艺术形式的启发。他的一些雕塑作品经常使用入侵建筑空间的手法以挑战人们对居住空间的传统假设。

James Lawton’s creative style and philosophy are profoundly influenced by architecture. His ceramic works often merge and blur the boundaries between sculpture and functional objects. Drawing inspiration from various forms, from cursive calligraphy to mechanical geometry, his work transcends traditional artistic categories. Some of his sculptural works even take on an intrusive approach to spatial design, challenging conventional assumptions about living spaces.

Double Handle Jar

2006

wood-fired stoneware, wire

14" x 15" x 5"

(jimlawton.com)

在他的艺术实践中，Lawton常常通过构筑一种封闭空间来表现人类的生活状况。他认为，这种结构的内外两侧能够表现两种不同的意义。在内侧，陶器作为一种功能性物品，它们本身有着内在或固有的存在意义。这种内在意义与其实际用途密切相关——它们如何服务于人们的生活，在日常使用中扮演的角色，以及与使用者的联系。这种内在意义与它们的外观——视觉或美学的吸引力形成对比。对Lawton来说，陶土和人类的肉体之间存在某种联系，陶器和雕塑不仅能描述人类的形态，而且其本身也能代表人类形态的一部分。

In his artistic practice, Lawton constructs enclosed spaces to express distinct human conditions. He believes that the interior and exterior of these structures convey different meanings. Internally, ceramics as functional objects possess intrinsic significance tied to their actual use—their role in daily life, their interaction with users, and their personal connection to those who use them. This contrasts with their external aesthetic appeal. For Lawton, there is a connection between clay and the human body; ceramics and sculpture can not only depict human form but are, in essence, part of that form.

Porcelain Gear

2008

Ceramic

(jimlawton.com)

当Lawton首次访问中国时，正值2008年北京奥运会准备期间，他被当时人们热烈的工作气氛所震撼。他参观了为紫禁城内建筑制作替换陶瓷屋顶和墙壁瓷砖的工厂，也目睹了壮观的现代建筑如国家体育场“鸟巢”的崛起。在这过程中，他感受到了中国的“进取”精神、工业辉煌和文化繁荣。在当时，他不仅对中国有着千年历史的陶瓷成就感到敬畏，也对中国制造业的蓬勃发展感到惊叹。

During his first visit to China, Lawton was struck by the intense atmosphere surrounding preparations for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. He toured factories that manufactured replacement ceramic roof and wall tiles for the Forbidden City’s buildings and witnessed the rise of iconic modern structures like the National Stadium “Bird’s Nest.” These sights exemplified China’s spirit of progress, industrial achievement, and cultural vitality. At that time, he was awed not only by China’s millennia-old ceramic legacy but also by the thriving development of its manufacturing industry.

Crenelated Line: Midnight

2008

Ceramic

(jimlawton.com)

Red Serrated Line

2008

Ceramic

(jimlawton.com)

在这之后，他着手创作了名为“Rack + Pinion”的瓷器齿轮作品。这件艺术品直径长达2米，与人的体格近似，意在传达力量与效率的主题。Lawton通过这件作品向人们提出了一个问题：瓷器是否能替代齿轮来承重？答案显而易见，它不能。通过这一创作，他意在表达一个观点：追求那些看似不可能实现的目标，有时恰恰是推动我们向前发展的唯一途径。

Following this experience, he began creating a porcelain gear piece titled 'Rack + Pinion'. This 2-meter-diameter artwork, nearly human-sized, conveyed themes of power and efficiency. However, Lawton questioned its functionality: how could porcelain serve as gears to bear heavy loads? The answer was clear: it couldn’t—and he had no intention for it to function practically. Through this creation, he sought to convey a message: sometimes, pursuing seemingly impossible goals is the very force that drives us forward.

Rack + Pinion

2009

cast porcelain, glaze, wood

80" x 68" x4"

(jimlawton.com)

Lawton首次与龙泉青瓷邂逅，是在江西景德镇的一次驻场项目中。在当时，那种青釉所散发的璀璨、通透之美深深打动了他。从学生时代起，直至后来成为教授釉料分析的教授，他始终对龙泉青瓷青釉的质感赞不绝口。在龙泉驻场创作一个月的时间里，他探访了当地的多家工厂和釉料实验室，研究了众多釉色试片，深入了解了龙泉青瓷的制瓷工艺，并查阅了大量关于龙泉青瓷的历史资料。这些经历不仅加深了他对龙泉青瓷文化和工艺的理解，而且为他在后续的驻场创作中注入了新的灵感。

Lawton’s first encounter with Longquan celadon was during a residency program in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. He was deeply moved by the luminous and translucent beauty of the celadon glaze he saw there. From his student days to his later career as a professor specializing in glaze calculation, he has held a longstanding admiration for the quality of Longquan celadon glaze. During his month-long residency in Longquan, he visited local factories and glaze laboratories, studied numerous glaze test tiles, gained insights into the celadon-making process, and consulted historical resources on Longquan celadon. These experiences not only deepened his understanding of Longquan’s celadon culture and craftsmanship but also infused fresh inspiration into his work for this residency.

“青瓷的光学特性，尤其是龙泉青瓷的特性，正是吸引我来此研究的原因。” 他特别钟情于龙泉青瓷制品中的釉层随着表面凹凸情况所呈现的渐变现象。在凸起或棱线处，釉会变得更薄或显得更浅色，由此形成了独特的“如山脊刺破天空”的视觉层次感。相比之下，釉料在凹槽部分汇聚，“宛如注入海底深渊”。在本次的驻场中，他的创作会延续以往的风格，聚焦于使用一些机械部件的紧密的几何结构，如齿轮、锯片和深刻的扇形块，以展现这些“山脊”和“深渊”的美感。

“The optical qualities of celadon, particularly those developed in Longquan, are what drew me here to do research,” he said. He is especially fond of the glaze's gradients on the surfaces of Longquan celadon pieces. It becomes thinner and lighter on ridges, creating a unique sense of depth that appears, “like a mountain ridge piercing the sky.” In contrast, the glaze pools in grooves, “as into an ocean’s chasm.” Continuing in his distinctive style during this residency, he will focus on using tightly structured geometries of mechanical parts, such as gears, saw blades, and deeply scalloped blocks, to celebrate the aesthetics of these “ridges” and “chasms.”

关于艺术家

About Artist

James Lawton于1976年在佛罗里达州塔拉哈西的佛罗里达州立大学获得陶瓷与金属构造设计学士学位，并于1980年在路易斯安那州立大学巴吞鲁日校区获得陶瓷与版画艺术硕士学位。

1998年，James Lawton加入马萨诸塞大学达特茅斯分校视觉与表演艺术学院担任陶瓷教授和研究生项目主任，并曾任手工艺系主任，直到2021年退休。在此之前，他于1992-1998年在芝加哥艺术学院任教，担任终身教授和系主任。此外，他还曾在阿尔弗雷德大学、路易斯安那州立大学和密歇根大学担任客座教授。

他曾担任缅因州纽卡斯尔陶瓷艺术家驻地——Watershed陶瓷艺术中心的董事会成员，此外还曾在《Studio Potter》杂志董事会任职。

James Lawton曾在中国的陶溪川国际工作室和景德镇亚欧美陶瓷中心（JAEA），丹麦的Guldagergård国际陶瓷研究中心，匈牙利的凯奇凯梅特国际陶瓷研讨会/驻地，美国科罗拉多州的安德森牧场艺术中心，以及北卡罗来纳州的彭兰工艺学校担任驻地艺术家。他还在美国和海外多次举办工作坊和演讲。

James Lawton在其职业生涯中担任过多种专业职务，包括富勒工艺博物馆和新罕布什尔艺术学院的展览评委，麦克奈特奖学金的评委，工艺卓越奖章（SAC Medal for Excellence in Craft Award）遴选委员会委员，以及阿姆斯特丹陶瓷千禧年世界大会的代表。2012年，Lark出版社出版了《500 茶壶，第2卷》，劳顿从超过6800件作品中策展，并撰写了序言。

James Lawton曾获得许多奖项，包括两次全国艺术捐赠基金会视觉艺术奖学金、南卡罗来纳州艺术家奖学金，以及芝加哥艺术学院和马萨诸塞大学达特茅斯分校的学术研究资助。

James Lawton的作品被众多重要艺术机构收藏，包括华盛顿特区的史密森尼学会伦威克画廊、伦敦的维多利亚与阿尔伯特博物馆、洛杉矶的洛杉矶县艺术博物馆、北卡罗来纳州夏洛特的薄荷博物馆、纽约州阿尔弗雷德的陶瓷艺术博物馆、亚利桑那州立大学陶瓷研究中心、中国宜兴博物馆以及韩国利川世界陶瓷中心等。此外，他的作品还被众多私人收藏。2015年，他为马萨诸塞州达特茅斯的斯洛卡姆河自然保护区“河流项目：艺术与自然”完成了一件18米长的场地特定文本艺术作品。2017年9月，他的作品入选了中国醴陵陶瓷谷美术馆的”经典再造·醴陵瓷谷国际名家陶瓷设计邀请展“。

2012年，James Lawton被选为国际陶艺学会（International Academy of Ceramics）的会员。

James Lawton earned a bachelor's degree in Constructive Design in Ceramics and Metals at Florida State University, Tallahassee in 1976 and a MFA in Ceramics and Printmaking at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge in 1980.

Lawton joined the faculty at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at UMass Dartmouth in 1998 where he was Professor of Ceramics and Graduate Program Director, and former Chair of the Artisanry Department until retiring in 2021. Prior appointments include the School of the Art Institute of Chicago 1992-98, where he was tenured faculty and Department Chair, and visiting professorships at Alfred University, Louisiana State University, and University of Michigan.

He served on the Board of Trustees of the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, an artist residency located in Newcastle, Maine and previously on the Board of Studio Potter Magazine.

Lawton has been an artist in residence at the Taoxichuan International Studio and Jingdezhen Asia European American Ceramic Center (JAEA) in China; Guldagergård: International Ceramic Research Center, Denmark; International Ceramics Symposium/Residency, Kecskemét, Hungary; Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado; and Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina. Lawton presents workshops and lectures around the US and abroad.

He has served in many professional capacities throughout his career, including exhibitions juror at the Fuller Craft Museum and New Hampshire Art Institute, juror for the McKnight Fellowship, Selection Committee for the SAC Medal for Excellence in Craft Award, Society of Arts+Crafts, and Delegate at the Ceramic Millennium World Conference, Amsterdam. In 2012, Lark Books published “500 Teapots, Vo. 2” which Lawton curated from over 6800 submissions and wrote the introduction.

Lawton has received numerous awards, including two National Endowment Visual Arts Fellowships, the South Carolina Artist Fellowship, and academic research grants from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Lawton’s work is in the collections of the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C; the Victoria + Albert Museum, London; L.A. County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; the Mint Museum of Art + Design, Charlotte, NC; the Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY; ASU Ceramic Research Center, Tempe; Yixing City Museum, China and the Icheon World Ceramic Center, South Korea, among others and in numerous private collections. In 2015, he completed the 18-meter site-specific text piece for the River Project: Art & Nature at the Slocum’s River Preserve in Dartmouth, MA. Lawton’s work was included in the exhibition “Classics Revived-International Contemporary Ceramics Design Invitational Exhibition” at the Liling Ceramics Valley Museum, Liling, China opening September 2017.

In 2012 he was elected to the International Academy of Ceramics.

部分代表作品

Representative Works