Between Here and There | Kimberly LaVonne
February 17 - March 18, 2023
Artist Statement:
This body of work celebrates my Panamanian heritage and encapsulates the memories from my childhood living on Ft. Clayton, now Ciudad del Saber, and the desire to stay connected to this part of myself today. Growing up in the Midwest with my mother living in Panama, it was and continues to be a struggle to feel a part of this community. Through this work I am able to honor and identify with my Panamanian background.The forms are inspired by Pre-Columbian Coclé pottery, with soft rounded handles and voluminous bodies. They act as canvases for layers of drawings and patterns that I carve into the surface. The pallet is simple allowing the graphic quality of the linework to pop against the black surface while pinks, greens and yellows reference the vibrancy found in architecture and the tropical environment. Imagery within the work harkens to my childhood in Ciudad del Saber as well as the ways in which technology has allowed us to stay connected today. Other patterns and motifs reference Molas, a textile art created by the Guna, an indigenous group in Panama and traditional Panamanian pottery.I remember seeing the “Diablico Sucio,” or “Dirty Devils” in a parade as a child in Santiago, so striking with their colorful, ornate masks and their black and red striped outfits. These masks as well as tigers, papayas, flowers, portraits of myself, and family are pulled together in elaborate compositions on my ceramic forms. This work feels light, and celebratory, with pops of color and busy loud patterns similar to the graffitied public transit buses known as “Diablo Rojo” in Panama. These buses, full of travelers and booming reggaetón music, capture the frenetic and vibrant energy of contemporary life in the city, which composes the backdrop of my work. The forms and the drawings carved into them are my way of creating a language that speaks to my desire to stay connected to a part of myself and community that has often felt very far away.
Artist Bio:
Kimberly LaVonne (b. 1988) is a ceramic artist who hand-builds forms adorned with graphic illustrations depicting parts of her Panamanian heritage, family, connection and remembrance. She received her MFA from Indiana University and her BFA from the University of Central Missouri. Her works have been on exhibit both nationally and internationally. Some of these venues include Oliva Gallery, Chicago, IL; the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX; Kiosk Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland and the Kápolna Galéria, Kecskemét, Hungary. She has completed two artist residencies at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary, as well as a residency with the Charlotte Street Studio Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2016 she presented her work and research at the Death, Art and Anatomy conference at the University of Winchester, UK. Ceramics Monthly awarded her as one of the Emerging Artists of 2020, which was included in their May publication. In 2021, she was awarded as one of the recipients of the American Craft Council Emerging Artist Cohort program. She currently lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.
This body of work celebrates my Panamanian heritage and encapsulates the memories from my childhood living on Ft. Clayton, now Ciudad del Saber, and the desire to stay connected to this part of myself today. Growing up in the Midwest with my mother living in Panama, it was and continues to be a struggle to feel a part of this community. Through this work I am able to honor and identify with my Panamanian background.The forms are inspired by Pre-Columbian Coclé pottery, with soft rounded handles and voluminous bodies. They act as canvases for layers of drawings and patterns that I carve into the surface. The pallet is simple allowing the graphic quality of the linework to pop against the black surface while pinks, greens and yellows reference the vibrancy found in architecture and the tropical environment. Imagery within the work harkens to my childhood in Ciudad del Saber as well as the ways in which technology has allowed us to stay connected today. Other patterns and motifs reference Molas, a textile art created by the Guna, an indigenous group in Panama and traditional Panamanian pottery.I remember seeing the “Diablico Sucio,” or “Dirty Devils” in a parade as a child in Santiago, so striking with their colorful, ornate masks and their black and red striped outfits. These masks as well as tigers, papayas, flowers, portraits of myself, and family are pulled together in elaborate compositions on my ceramic forms. This work feels light, and celebratory, with pops of color and busy loud patterns similar to the graffitied public transit buses known as “Diablo Rojo” in Panama. These buses, full of travelers and booming reggaetón music, capture the frenetic and vibrant energy of contemporary life in the city, which composes the backdrop of my work. The forms and the drawings carved into them are my way of creating a language that speaks to my desire to stay connected to a part of myself and community that has often felt very far away.
Artist Bio:
Kimberly LaVonne (b. 1988) is a ceramic artist who hand-builds forms adorned with graphic illustrations depicting parts of her Panamanian heritage, family, connection and remembrance. She received her MFA from Indiana University and her BFA from the University of Central Missouri. Her works have been on exhibit both nationally and internationally. Some of these venues include Oliva Gallery, Chicago, IL; the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX; Kiosk Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland and the Kápolna Galéria, Kecskemét, Hungary. She has completed two artist residencies at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary, as well as a residency with the Charlotte Street Studio Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2016 she presented her work and research at the Death, Art and Anatomy conference at the University of Winchester, UK. Ceramics Monthly awarded her as one of the Emerging Artists of 2020, which was included in their May publication. In 2021, she was awarded as one of the recipients of the American Craft Council Emerging Artist Cohort program. She currently lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.
