Kevin SnipesArtist in Residence & Teaching (ART) Program

Open Studio Hours

Exclusive Workshops

Artist Lectures

SCG ART Program Events

Blue Line Arts offers the following activities as a special opportunity for our community to meet with Kevin Snipes and learn about his craft first hand in 2023

Please check back soon for SCG Event updates

Kevin Snipes2023 Local SCG Resident & Teaching Artist

Kevin Snipes is an accomplished American artist known for his ceramic work that blurs the boundaries between craft and art. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Snipes has cultivated a unique artistic style that combines narrative figure drawing, text, and hand-formed porcelain constructions, resulting in multi-layered objects that can be interpreted as paintings.

Snipes earned a B.F.A. in ceramics and drawing from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1994 and completed his graduate studies at the University of Florida in 2003. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and artist residencies that have contributed to his artistic growth and recognition. These include fellowships at The Clay Studio of Philadelphia, The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences in Rabun Gap, GA; The American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, CA; Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in New Castle, ME; A.I.R. in Vallauris, France, and C.R.E.T.A. Rome.

Noteworthy accolades in Snipes' career include the Taunt Fellowship from the Archie Bray Foundation in Montana in 2008, the McKnight Residency award from Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, MN in 2011, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2014. His work has been exhibited extensively both nationally as well as internationally and is featured in prominent collections such as the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA.

As an artist who has actively engaged with diverse communities and belongs to a historically marginalized group, Snipes' intellectual focus centers around understanding the social dynamics of Otherness. Rather than creating art that solely reflects a love for or victimization of African Americans, he delves into the underlying issues surrounding the recognition of difference. His work operates on a personal and intimate level, inviting viewers into a private investigation of the objects he creates. This act of confrontation between a single viewer and a single object sets the stage for a dialogue on the nature of subject-to-object relationships, ultimately becoming a metaphor for the concept of otherness. Snipes believes that true progress in eradicating racism can only occur when we view others as part of ourselves.

Throughout his adult life, Snipes has embraced an itinerant existence, allowing the sense of place to shape his identity and contribute to the ongoing dialogue within his work. Currently residing in Philadelphia, PA, he is actively developing a rooted sense of self through community engagement and his dedicated studio practice.

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Supported by

The Artist in Residence & Teaching (ART) Program

The Susan Cooley-Gilliom Artist in Residence and Teaching (SCG ART) Program is a lasting gift to the many artists, arts educators and students, and arts enthusiasts we are fortunate to have in our community. The program represents a significant part of Susan’s lasting legacy–as a beloved local artist and environmental advocate.

The ART program works to develop and enhance the visual arts through short-term residencies and workshops taught by nationally-established and highly reputable artists who create in a range of media. Past visiting artists include:

  • 2023: Jennifer Rugge
  • 2022: Mark Abildgaard
  • 2021: Jason Walker
  • 2019: Ana Lisa Hedstrom
  • 2018: Michelle Gregor
  • 2017: Karen Willenbrink-Johnson
  • 2016: Phoebe Toland
  • 2015: Sergei Isupov
  • 2014: Tip Toland
  • 2013: Laura Ross Paul
  • 2012: Katherine Ace
  • 2011: Richard Notkin

To learn more about Susan Cooley-Gilliom and this lasting gift to the community, visit The Placer Community Foundation.

 

Attend an SCG ART Workshop for FREE

Stipends for free workshop registrations are available for Local Artists (residing in Placer and surrounding counties: Yolo, Sacramento, El Dorado, Nevada County ) and are generously provided by the Placer Community Foundation.  

Applications are due by 11:59pm on Tuesday, August 1st, 2023