Functional qualities, visual rhythms, and exaggerated proportions are some of the elements I compose in my work to create pause. The objects I make are both an anthropological study and an artistic endeavor, and incorporate an attempt to understand the world we live in, through making.
The intentional placement of openings, lids, and handles in my work conveys the specificity of function, clarifying that the objects I make propose an intended purpose. The exact function may be less obvious, and a situation can be created that pairs a sense of knowing with a sense of mystery.
My work exhibits a compositional preference for repetition over variety, and I position repeated elements in regular, metered fashion. A rhythm develops, with a cadence that promotes a rambling exploration of the forms.
Vessels for containment are the products of a desire for order, a universal human engagement. Interiors are made special by manipulating access to them, rarefying the space my vessels contain. Simply reaching the interior, literally or visually, is an event, a private ritual that is a self-justifying endeavor.
The composed nature of my work reflects a quiet sentiment, part of my investigations. My endeavor is a disciplined approach, aimed to augment one's engagement with their surroundings by creating objects in a thoughtful manner.
BIOGRAPHY
David Eichelberger is a Resident Artist at the Penland School of Craft in Penland,
North Carolina. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, David was introduced to functional ceramics while in college at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia. After earning his B.F.A. in 2000, he studied at the Penland School during the spring of 2001. This period helped solidify David’s aesthetic interests, and led him to move to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He worked at Santa Fe Clay Co., in their supply warehouse and retail store, and also teaching classes.
In 2004 David was granted residency at The EnergyXchange, in Burnsville, North Carolina. The residency facilities, including David’s kiln, were fueled by reclaimed landfill gas in an effort to provide cheap energy while protecting the environment. David completed his three-year term at The EnergyXchange, and returned to school, earning his M.F.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in 2010.
David was an invited artist at the Australian National University in Canberra,
Australia, during the month of August, 2010, and spent a year with his wife Elisa Di Feo as an Artist In Residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee. Currently, David is halfway through his three-year term as a Resident Artist at the Penland School, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters, Mena and Louisa. David makes ceramic objects with a functional sentiment and a sculptural approach to form, and his work has been shown extensively throughout the U.S.
EDUCATION
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, M.F.A.
2000
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, B.F.A. Ceramics
RELATED EDUCATION
2005
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio, Studio Assistant
2001
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio, Work Study
2000
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2011
Tennessee Tech University, Intermediate Handbuilding in Ceramics and Independent Study Instructor, Smithville, TN
2007-2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Beginning Ceramics and Intermediate Ceramics
Instructor, Lincoln, NE
2003-2004
Santa Fe Clay, Class Instructor, Santa Fe, NM
2002
Roanoke County Parks and Recreation, Class Instructor, Roanoke, VA
WORK EXPERIENCE
2011-Present
Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC. Resident Artist at the Sanford Center Resident Artist Barns.
2010-2011
Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN. Artist In Residence at satellite campus of Tennessee Tech University.
2004-2007
The ExergyXchange, Burnsville, NC. Artist In Residence at a facility that utilized reclaimed landfill gas to fuel kilns and provide heat.
2002-2004
Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM. Warehouse manager, retail associate, gallery associate.
AWARDS
2010
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, Hixon-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
2009
KBH Merit Award, NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition, Tempe, AZ.
NCECA International Residency Grant: School of Art, Australian National University. NCECA, Tempe, AZ.
2008
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Blacksburg, VA.
2007
American Craft Council Award of Excellence, ACC Retail Exhibition, Atlanta, GA.
PUBLICATIONS
2008
Ceramics Monthly (Cover), article by Eric Haagensen, owner of Mudfire Gallery,
Decatur, GA
2007
American Craft
City Magazine, Roanoke, VA
SHOW HISTORY
2013 (upcoming)
Polseno, Eichelberger, Taylor, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
AKAR Featured Artist, AKAR Design, Iowa City, IA.
Dwelling on the Gulf, NCECA (by artist George Bowes), Galveston, TX.
La Mesa, NCECA (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Houston, TX.
Dallas Pottery Invitational, Dallas, TX.
Clay Studio Solo Show, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
Red Lodge Featured Artist, Red Lodge Clay, Red Lodge, MN.
2012
Gifted, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
Winter Show, Green Hill Center for the Arts, Greensboro, NC.
Cup Show, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
Via Penland, Rebus Works, Raleigh, NC.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Seattle, WA.
Well Served, Seattle Design Center, Seattle, WA.
The Barns – Penland’s Resident Artists, Penland Gallery, Penland, NC.
Containment III, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC.
2011
Gifted, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Tampa, FL.
16 Hands Studio Tour, Blacksburg, VA.
In Residence, Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN.
Continuance, LUX Center for Art, Lincoln, NE.
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
2010
Out of Line, Crimson Laurel Gallery (with artist Tom Spleth), Bakersville, NC.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Philadelphia, PA.
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
Pottery -not- Plastic, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA.
Red Dot, Peru State College, Peru, NE.
2009
Cups, Cups, Cups, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM.
30 x 5, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Tempe, AZ.
NCECA Regional Student Exhibition, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ.
2008
RAW, Improvised Location Graduate Showcase, Lincoln, NE.
2007
Locally Grown: Locally Thrown, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA.
The EnergyXchange Group Show, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC.
North Meets South, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Louisville, KY.
Atlanta ACC Craft Show, Atlanta, GA.
Design/Refine, Mudfire Studio Gallery, Decatur, GA.
Coming Up Down South, Emerging Artists of the Southeast, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC.
2006
Charlotte ACC Craft Show, Charlotte, NC.
Atlanta ACC Craft Show, Atlanta, GA.
30/30, Lill Street Art Center, Chicago, IL.
The Potters of The EnergyXchange, Mudfire Studio Gallery, Decatur, GA.
2005
Cups, Cups, Cups, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Baltimore, MD.
The Contemporary Cup, Lill Street Art Center, Chicago, IL.
2004
Common Ground, Leedy-Voulkos Gallery, Kansas City, MO.
Soda/ Salt National, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT.
2003
Yunomi Invitational, The Kiln Door, Durango, CO.
Faculty Show, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM.
The intentional placement of openings, lids, and handles in my work conveys the specificity of function, clarifying that the objects I make propose an intended purpose. The exact function may be less obvious, and a situation can be created that pairs a sense of knowing with a sense of mystery.
My work exhibits a compositional preference for repetition over variety, and I position repeated elements in regular, metered fashion. A rhythm develops, with a cadence that promotes a rambling exploration of the forms.
Vessels for containment are the products of a desire for order, a universal human engagement. Interiors are made special by manipulating access to them, rarefying the space my vessels contain. Simply reaching the interior, literally or visually, is an event, a private ritual that is a self-justifying endeavor.
The composed nature of my work reflects a quiet sentiment, part of my investigations. My endeavor is a disciplined approach, aimed to augment one's engagement with their surroundings by creating objects in a thoughtful manner.
BIOGRAPHY
David Eichelberger is a Resident Artist at the Penland School of Craft in Penland,
North Carolina. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, David was introduced to functional ceramics while in college at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia. After earning his B.F.A. in 2000, he studied at the Penland School during the spring of 2001. This period helped solidify David’s aesthetic interests, and led him to move to Santa Fe, New Mexico. He worked at Santa Fe Clay Co., in their supply warehouse and retail store, and also teaching classes.
In 2004 David was granted residency at The EnergyXchange, in Burnsville, North Carolina. The residency facilities, including David’s kiln, were fueled by reclaimed landfill gas in an effort to provide cheap energy while protecting the environment. David completed his three-year term at The EnergyXchange, and returned to school, earning his M.F.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in 2010.
David was an invited artist at the Australian National University in Canberra,
Australia, during the month of August, 2010, and spent a year with his wife Elisa Di Feo as an Artist In Residence at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee. Currently, David is halfway through his three-year term as a Resident Artist at the Penland School, where he lives with his wife and their two daughters, Mena and Louisa. David makes ceramic objects with a functional sentiment and a sculptural approach to form, and his work has been shown extensively throughout the U.S.
EDUCATION
2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, M.F.A.
2000
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, B.F.A. Ceramics
RELATED EDUCATION
2005
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio, Studio Assistant
2001
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio, Work Study
2000
Penland School of Craft, Clay Studio
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2011
Tennessee Tech University, Intermediate Handbuilding in Ceramics and Independent Study Instructor, Smithville, TN
2007-2010
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Beginning Ceramics and Intermediate Ceramics
Instructor, Lincoln, NE
2003-2004
Santa Fe Clay, Class Instructor, Santa Fe, NM
2002
Roanoke County Parks and Recreation, Class Instructor, Roanoke, VA
WORK EXPERIENCE
2011-Present
Penland School of Craft, Penland, NC. Resident Artist at the Sanford Center Resident Artist Barns.
2010-2011
Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN. Artist In Residence at satellite campus of Tennessee Tech University.
2004-2007
The ExergyXchange, Burnsville, NC. Artist In Residence at a facility that utilized reclaimed landfill gas to fuel kilns and provide heat.
2002-2004
Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM. Warehouse manager, retail associate, gallery associate.
AWARDS
2010
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, Hixon-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
2009
KBH Merit Award, NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition, Tempe, AZ.
NCECA International Residency Grant: School of Art, Australian National University. NCECA, Tempe, AZ.
2008
Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Blacksburg, VA.
2007
American Craft Council Award of Excellence, ACC Retail Exhibition, Atlanta, GA.
PUBLICATIONS
2008
Ceramics Monthly (Cover), article by Eric Haagensen, owner of Mudfire Gallery,
Decatur, GA
2007
American Craft
City Magazine, Roanoke, VA
SHOW HISTORY
2013 (upcoming)
Polseno, Eichelberger, Taylor, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
AKAR Featured Artist, AKAR Design, Iowa City, IA.
Dwelling on the Gulf, NCECA (by artist George Bowes), Galveston, TX.
La Mesa, NCECA (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Houston, TX.
Dallas Pottery Invitational, Dallas, TX.
Clay Studio Solo Show, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
Red Lodge Featured Artist, Red Lodge Clay, Red Lodge, MN.
2012
Gifted, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
Winter Show, Green Hill Center for the Arts, Greensboro, NC.
Cup Show, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
Via Penland, Rebus Works, Raleigh, NC.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Seattle, WA.
Well Served, Seattle Design Center, Seattle, WA.
The Barns – Penland’s Resident Artists, Penland Gallery, Penland, NC.
Containment III, Crimson Laurel Gallery, Bakersville, NC.
2011
Gifted, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Tampa, FL.
16 Hands Studio Tour, Blacksburg, VA.
In Residence, Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, TN.
Continuance, LUX Center for Art, Lincoln, NE.
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
2010
Out of Line, Crimson Laurel Gallery (with artist Tom Spleth), Bakersville, NC.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Philadelphia, PA.
Yunomi Invitational, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
Pottery -not- Plastic, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA.
Red Dot, Peru State College, Peru, NE.
2009
Cups, Cups, Cups, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM.
30 x 5, AKAR Design Gallery, Iowa City, IA.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Tempe, AZ.
NCECA Regional Student Exhibition, Tempe Center for the Arts, Tempe, AZ.
2008
RAW, Improvised Location Graduate Showcase, Lincoln, NE.
2007
Locally Grown: Locally Thrown, Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA.
The EnergyXchange Group Show, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC.
North Meets South, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Louisville, KY.
Atlanta ACC Craft Show, Atlanta, GA.
Design/Refine, Mudfire Studio Gallery, Decatur, GA.
Coming Up Down South, Emerging Artists of the Southeast, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC.
2006
Charlotte ACC Craft Show, Charlotte, NC.
Atlanta ACC Craft Show, Atlanta, GA.
30/30, Lill Street Art Center, Chicago, IL.
The Potters of The EnergyXchange, Mudfire Studio Gallery, Decatur, GA.
2005
Cups, Cups, Cups, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring, Santa Fe Clay Co., Santa Fe, NM.
La Mesa, National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (by Santa Fe Clay Co.), Baltimore, MD.
The Contemporary Cup, Lill Street Art Center, Chicago, IL.
2004
Common Ground, Leedy-Voulkos Gallery, Kansas City, MO.
Soda/ Salt National, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT.
2003
Yunomi Invitational, The Kiln Door, Durango, CO.
Faculty Show, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM.
