Website monicarudquist.com Known for Pottery | Name Monica Rudquist | |
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Alma mater Macalester College, Cranbrook Educational Community |
Monica rudquist
Monica Rudquist is a ceramic artist working out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is known for her distinctive "spiraling shapes" and works primarily in porcelain.
Contents
- Monica rudquist
- Early life and education
- Artwork
- InContext
- Professional life
- Honors and Awards
- Selected Exhibitions
- References
Early life and education
Monica's father, Jerry Rudquist, was a painter and art professor at Macalester College. Her mother, Raquel Rudquist, was a architect for Target Co and one of the first female architects in Minnesota. She had recognizable clay talent from a young age and worked with Gail Kristenson when she was only twelve. When studying at Macalester, Ron Gallas had a large influence in Rudquist's work in series. Rudquist has said that her father is her biggest artistic inspiration because of his prowess with color and bravery when it came to risk-taking. She received her undergraduate from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN and a graduate degree at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. While in Michigan, Monica studied with Jun Kaneko.
Artwork
Monica creates wheel-thrown functional pieces. Her pieces have fluid shapes and "explores the space between function and sculpture". Rudquist frequently works in multiples and finds artistic value in examining the spaces between pieces.
InContext
Rudquist was a recipient of the 2013 Artist Initiative Grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board. Through this grant, she created and exhibited her work in her exhibition INCONTEXT. The centerpiece of the show, "Intersection" measured 6.5 ft x 25 ft. This work "explored the interplay and patterns between the interior and exterior of form and the spaces created between the forms when they are set side-by-side." This show included wall, pedestal, and floor installations and all works had multiple pieces. "Intersection" is permanently installed at the headquarters of LifeSource in Minneapolis. InContext is made up of approximately one thousand smaller pieces, each with a small hole in the back for easy hanging.
Professional life
Monica has worked at the Bloomington Art Center in Bloomington, MN, Edina Art Center in Edina, MN, and St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She has worked at St. Catherine University since 2008 as a ceramics professor. She spent three years working with 700 K-8 students at the Seward Montessori School helping them to create a "Time Line of Life" tile mural, a project that was organized through Northern Clay Center.
She holds exhibitions three to four times a year at various art fairs and galleries. She is also a founding member of Northern Clay Center and was a member of Women's Art Resources of Minnesota in the 1990s. She is currently a member of Minnesota Women Ceramic Artists. She is a longtime member of National Council of Ceramic Artists.
Rudquist's work can be found at Northern Clay Center, the Guthrie Shop, the Weisman Museum Shop, and the Grand Hand Gallery.