Kirsten Abrahamson

Personal background

She was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1960. She moved to Canada with her family at the beginning of her high school years and subsequently became a Canadian citizen. After completing high school she moved to Calgary, Alberta to study at the Alberta College of Art and Design where she earned Diplomas in Ceramics and Glassblowing. In 1984 and 1985 she attended the summer sessions in Ceramics at The Banff School of Fine Arts, Banff, Alberta. She then attended the University of Calgary from which she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ceramics) in 1987 and Master of Fine Arts (Sculpture) in 1990. Subsequently, she was an artist in residence at the Alberta College of Art and Design , and later at the Banff Centre. Her career evolved as an artist and as an instructor at post-secondary institutions. She is currently represented by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery, a commercial ceramic art gallery in London, Ontario.

Body of work

Abrahamson's work was influenced by a sojourn in Mexico in 1993 where she and a colleague experienced the Day of the Dead festival. Out of that experience she and her colleague created a special exhibition entitled Revival shown at the Muttart Gallery. Subsequently, they had a second exhibition, Days of the Dead at The New Gallery in Calgary. Abrahamson portrayed the symbolism of this festival.

Through her extensive course of studies in ceramic art, Kirsten Abrahamson has both an understanding of ceramic traditions and the formal skills in ceramic arts developed from the 19th through to the 21st century. Her foremost work, Diary of a River, has been the subject of critical analysis.

That work was reviewed in a short book by Carol Podedworny. Podedworny observed that Abrahamson's work reflects the California Funk and Bay Area Ceramics traditions and that Abrahamson's "bold, satirical and colourful leanings are reflected in her narrative and figurative works that have a strong personal introspective penchant". The use of low-fire clay and glazes permit the construction of large objects and brighter colours.

Similarly, Virginia Eichorn's article, about Diary of a River, featured in ESPACE SCULPTURE, observed that Abrahamson's studio work takes an autobiographical approach in the creation of ceramic art that reflects the themes in her life. Diary of a River was subsequently acquired by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts as part of its permanent collection. A number of her other works have been also been acquired by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Abrahamson's ceramic art is illustrated and exemplified in several ceramics texts. One of these is Gail Crawford's book Studio Ceramics in Canada, a standard reference text published with the assistance of the Gardiner Museum, the only museum in Canada dedicated to ceramic art. The text discusses and illustrates Canadian ceramic art work and ceramic artists in Canada. Kirsten Abrahamson's glazing work has also been used for illustrative purposes in two books by professional studio potter Robin Hopper. In 2012 her work was featured by the Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery's promotion in Ceramics Monthly.

Kirsten Abrahamson's works were represented in 5 of the 10 National Biennial of Ceramics exhibitions. At the 10th Biennial she was awarded the "Prix Du Public". During its 20-year history, this exhibition was a juried national ceramics show. At its 10th and final exhibition, the participants were selected by curators who invited submissions from artists in each of four regions.

Awards

Abrahamson's work has been recognized by the awards or prizes in these venues,

Selected collections

Her work has been acquired by individuals, and collected in private and public galleries. The works of Kirsten Abrahamson are held in the permanent collections of the following institutions;

Exhibitions

Her work has been given wide public exposure and has been included in several international shows in the United States (in San Diego, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York and; San Angelo, Texas ) and overseas; in Tai Pai, Taiwan; and Prague, Czechoslovakia.

Solo exhibitions

Academic positions

Abrahamson began her teaching career as an art instructor with the City of Calgary from 1985 to 1988. During the Summer of 1987-89 and 1991 she was an Instructor in the Summerscapes Youth Art Program of Red Deer College, Red Deer, Alberta; during 1988, for the Children’s Art Classes at the Alberta College of Art and Design. Between 1987 and 2003 she regularly taught various subjects in the Alberta College of Art's academic program including drawing, 2-D and 3-D design, and ceramics.

In 1999 she was drawing instructor in the Extension Department at The University of Calgary; in 2002-2003, was instructor in drawing at the University of Calgary and Art Instructor at the North Mount Pleasant Art Centre of the City of Calgary. On her return to Ontario she became Associate Professor of Drawing and Clay Studies at the University of Waterloo from 2004 to 2007. Since 2007 Abrahamson has been an Associate Professor in painting, colour theory, 3-D design, and business for the arts at the Trafalgar Campus of Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario.

Exterior images

Selected exhibition catalogues