
$350 Untitled signed porcelain 9" x6.5"

$100 Untitled porcelain 4.5" x 3"
Gary Erickson (1955 - 2015)
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Gary Erickson's office space at Macalester College offered a window into his life. Ceramic art pieces crafted by him and by his students. Books on art. Recipes for ceramic glazes and recipes for soup served at a recent food bank fundraiser he organized.
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Erickson, a visiting assistant professor of art at Macalester, was a gifted ceramics artist and a dedicated teacher to hundreds of students over two decades.
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What Gary brought to ceramics studies was unique. He was full of enthusiasm. What he did worked as he received wonderful works from his students each year.
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Erickson was born Dec. 22, 1955, in Rush City, Minnesota, to Lawrence and Wanda Erickson. A graduate of Rush City High School, he earned his BA in Studio Arts from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his MFA in Ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, New York.
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Erickson began teaching at Macalester in 1995 and conducted ceramics workshops at colleges across the country. An avid dancer, he also taught salsa classes at Macalester, in his own studio and even during his trips to China.
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Erickson injected humor and creativity into his teaching. He also put ceramics in the real world, they weren't just beautiful objects. His students, for example, would make ceramic dishes and then gather at his studio to share a meal served in their creations.
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Erickson had a special bond with Jingdezhen, China, known as its "porcelain city," where he traveled each summer. He also participated in artist exchanges in Cuba. He received several grants, including from National Endowment for the Arts, the Minnesota State Arts Board and a McKnight Artist Fellowship.
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His abstract ceramic sculpture was exhibited nationally and internationally, ranging from the Minneapolis Institute of Art to galleries in Cuba and China. His sculpture is in many private and public collections, including the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery.