Marisa LaGuardia (she/they) is a Youngstown, Ohio native whose art practice shifts and grows with them. Trained as a painter, their interdisciplinary work investigates the influence of imagination on our subjective, sense-based responses to our reality. Their interest in depicting the representational (the world outside) and non-representational (the world inside) led them to study painting (BFA, Maryland Institute College of Art, MFA UT Austin). The painting practice offered a foundation for visual/mind perception, while the much later integration of 3D processes activated experiences in the whole body.
It was at UT where she discovered claywork and this interest led down a new path. Clay, in its transformational prowess, immediately captivated them. They saw it as an ideal medium to combine multiple subjects: 2D decoration, 3D construction, chemistry and mineral compositions, mathematics, physics and so much more. Its enduring presence in humans’ artistic expression bridged connections to history and our place in our world. Beyond its technical components, clay presents a structure for metaphor and meaning. Intentionality is amplified with this impressionable, shape-shifting material.
Time as an educator (Glenstone, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art [MASS MoCA], UT Austin, St. Edward’s University, The Butler Museum of American Art, Students Motivated by the Arts [SMARTS]) sharpened teaching and interpersonal skills, growing her ability to teach, discuss and cultivate creative expression to all age and skill levels. For a more thorough description of their accomplishments, see CV.
These themes were further investigated in their 2018 Thesis Installation: Moments of Collision, (Austin, TX) where they built a large, navigable space that explored light and its interaction with physical obstructions. Selected works in their 2019 2-person show, Interior/ Interruptions (Houston, TX) explored these subjects deeper while offering collaborative, and responsive works to another artist’s perspective. LaGuardia’s short-term, digital residency in early 2020 with MoveMove Collaborative propelled toward movement, dance, and expression through the physical body.
After the pandemic caused them to reevaluate their life path in 2020, LaGuardia decided to move back to their hometown in Ohio with the long-term goal of starting a Creative Healing Space. While that dream’s trajectory and mission have shifted, this desire led to many beautiful connections. Soon after returning, LaGuardia became a certified Reiki Master practitioner and holds certification in Crystal Healing from the Upper Clarity School of Stone Medicine. All the while she was simultaneously growing a ceramic practice and functional pottery business, LaGuardia Clayworks. (www.laguardiaclayworks.com).
Marisa reconnected with POCG during the unforeseen displacement from a private studio at the Ward Bakery in Youngstown. She was welcomed with open arms when The Guild acquired their new Jefferson St. Studio. Soon after, appointed POCG’s Artist in Residence, she is now overseeing the design and construction of the 2nd floor Artist Suites and creating work for LaGuardia Clayworks and personal ceramics practice. She also is developing the workshop programming with fellow Guild members. Like clay, POCG is an opportunity to merge many disciplines and play with how everything fits together. I’m honored to be a part of that journey!
Mug of the Month - February Design Inspiration:
This design is a playful departure from my usual, precisely decorated works. The goal was to create highly individuated, yet interrelated, visually harmonious pieces. Variable techniques like marbling, meandering brush strokes, and intuitively placed carvings allow for uniqueness within a predetermined set of aesthetic guidelines. Stained clay segments added to a mound of clay merge and swirl together, highlighting the particles’ paths after spinning on the potter’s wheel. Wide, sweeping brush strokes move with or against this flow to create layered relationships, while carved designs add more dimension.
Thank you all for your support!
Marisa
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