Short Bio
Inspired by her mother's love of gardening and handicrafts, Emmanuelle uses a variety of ceramic techniques to create lace dinnerware and ornate floral pieces.
Statement
I create ceramic, lace embossed, dinnerware and decorative floral vessels. My ornamental floral vessels are surfaced in carved, stamped, and three-dimensional plant forms, which I paint to mimic real plant life. My lace dinnerware is embossed with lace and then the texture highlighted with various surface breaking glazes. My work is decorative and intricate, but also designed for function. They are stove top, microwave, and dishwasher safe.Though my floral and lace pieces are aesthetically different, the inspiration for my pieces all stem from the teachings of my Haitian mother and her love of nature, gardening, and women's handicrafts, such as fiber arts. These art forms are valued in her culture, which I am proud to share. As a child, I took her love of these things for granted. But as I grew older, I saw how beautiful and full of history they are. By making ceramic flowers and lace forms in clay I have found my own way to create gardens and intricate textile textures while honoring the arts my mother taught me.
The Background: The Lace Pieces
Since I was a child, I have always loved lace. My mother would take out her wedding lace and let me hold it. I would look for pictures in the intricate weaving and find patterns that mirror the natural world. Tree branches, flowers, and spiderwebs would loop and curl before me, making a whole realm of possibilities. Lace is described as feminine, soft, ornate, and fragile, yet lace can represent whole time periods. Depending on the country of origin, the period, or the method of weaving, laces that look similar can have very different imagery and forms. Some are more refined, while others are bolder. One can follow the history of fashion and industry through the making and manufacturing of lace. From the medieval lace of kings to the lace on a Christian Dior gown, lace is a symbol of beauty, wealth, and tradition. Before machine made lace the specialized art of weaving lace was passed down in families for generations. And when lace became more easily manufactured by machine, designers and fashion houses began creating their own status symbols, unique patterns that only they use. The history of the lace is our history. For that reason, I impress lace into clay to create my plates.
I create a canvas of simple forms and shapes for my plates so that the lace is the focus of the piece. I then highlight the lace with a glaze. Certain glazes complement certain clays. The breaking of colorful glazes over the impressed lace pattern reveals and accentuates the natural surface and beauty of the clay underneath. Together the lace texture, clay, and glaze, form a unique piece that captures a moment in time.
Fabrics will fade, yellow, and fall apart but a ceramic plate or vessel lasts 10,000 years. By impressing the lace into clay, I create a fossil of that place, that object, that time. Like putting a memory in stone and holding that beauty and moment. I create mementos, heirlooms that can last lifetimes.
Background: The Floral Works
My mother is a master gardener, but I have a brown thumb. Though I do not have a talent for growing plants, I have always been drawn to them. I love their colors, shapes, their changing forms from bud to blossom, and the fact that most of them are temporary forms, waning and waxing with the seasons. For me, they have always been a symbol of my mother. She not only made her garden grow, but nurtured me to grow into the beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate woman I am today. I may not be able to grow flowers, like my mother, but my ceramics are my way of making them. Through my art I create my own green thumb, the way I make the world a more beautiful and better place.
Like the Rococo and Baroque artists of Meissen and Sevres, I see flowers as symbols of life and beauty. I use porcelain and white stoneware with no grog for my floral pieces because the clay is moldable. I can create thin petals and intricate forms of flowers without having to worry about cracking and breaking. I also decorate with a variety of under-glazes to match the natural coloring of the flowers, trying to make them as real as I can. In the end I have a piece that captures a moment in the life of the flower, a moment in time.
Biography
Emmanuelle Wambach grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in a multi racial and cultural family that instilled a love of art in her at a young age. However, it wasn’t until college that she discovered her love of the ceramic arts. Emmanuelle received her BA in art from Swarthmore College in 2008, her Post Baccalaureate Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on 2009, and her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics and sculpture from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012. Emmanuelle moved to Pittsburgh in 2014 to hone her ceramics skills and become part of Pittsburgh’s vibrant ceramics and arts community. In 2016 Emmanuelle traveled to Japan as part of the Shigaraki Ceramics Cultural Park's Ceramic Artist Residency. She returned to Pittsburgh with a renewed love of ceramics and a new motivation to create. She has taken part in various shows and has been a teaching artist in many venues across the Pittsburgh , including at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Union Project, Propel Schools, and Sweetwater Center for the Arts. Currently, Emmanuelle is a teaching artist and Ceramics Cooperative Member at Union Project, teaches ceramics classes at Ton Pottery, and is a Producer at Monmade. Her work can be found at PG&H Pop up shop in Downtown Pittsburgh, Ton Pottery in Millvale, and Songbird Artistry in Lawrenceville.Resume / CV
Emmanuelle Maryse WambachEducation
06/2012 Master of Fine Arts Degree Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
Major: Ceramics Minor: Sculpture
05/2009 Post Baccalaureate Certificate, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,
Philadelphia, PA, USA
06/2008 Bachelor of Arts Degree Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Major: Studio Arts
Professional Experience
06/2018-Present Co-Lead Educator, The Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh Early Childhood Education Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
09/2017-Present Ceramics Instructor, Ton Pottery, Millvale, PA, USA
02/2017-Present Part Time Teaching Artist, The Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA,USA
02/2018-02/2019 Ceramics and Sewing Instructor, Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
01/2016-06/2018 Afterschool Ceramics instructor, Propel Charter Schools, Homestead, PA, USA
12/2014- 06/2018 Art Instructor, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
06/2017-07/2017 Artist, Propel MAGIC Summer Camp, Homestead, PA, USA
01/2016-06/2016 Ceramics Instructor, Allegheny YMCA, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
05/2012- 08/2016 Framing Specialist and Manager on Duty, Jo-Anns Fabrics and Crafts, Harrisburg, PA, USA/ Pittsburgh, PA, USA
12/2014- 04/2015 Ceramics Instructor, Stray Cat Studios, Beaver Falls, PA, USA
02/2012-12/2014 Ceramics and Sculptor Instructor, The Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA, USA
08/2010- 08/2011 University Museum Gallery Attendant and Monitor, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
08/2010- 08/2011 Museum Graduate Assistant, Fine Arts Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
08/2009- 08/2011 Ceramics Graduate Assistant, Fine Arts Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
01/2006-06/2008 Gallery Attendant and Monitor, List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Exhibitions/ Shows
(2019) Squirrel Hill Night Market, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2019 Fort Hunter Garden Faire, Fort Hunter, Harrisburg, PA, USA
The Mother of All Pottery Sales, Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Modern Meaning: Celebrating New and Emerging Designs from Monmade Producers, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Clay Nation: Ceramics, Community, and Collaboration, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
I Made It! Sweet: I Made It Market, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2018 August Wilson Cultural Center Community Day Craft Show, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The Highland Park Pottery Tour, Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The Carlisle Christmas Craft Show (Juried), Carlisle High School, Carlisle, PA, USA
The Mount Holly Springs Holly Festival Day Craft Show, Mount Holly Springs, PA, USA
Swarthmore Alumni Exhibition, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
The Garden Faire at Fort Hunter, Fort Hunter, Harrisburg, PA, USA
From the Ground UP; Union Project Show in Collaboration with The National Conference for
Education in the Ceramic Arts (Juried), The Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2017 The Carlisle Christmas Craft Show (Juried), Carlisle High School, Carlisle, PA, USA
A Garden Faire at Fort Hunter, Harrisburg, PA, USA
Art All Night Lawrenceville 2017, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Creativity: A YMCA Community Art Exhibition, The John A. Hermann Jr. Memorial Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2016 IUP Pittsburgh Connection, Spinning Plate Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The Mother of All Pottery Sales, The Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Juror: Jenna Vanden Brink
2015 The Art Association of Harrisburg Members Invitational Exhibition, Harrisburg, PA, USA
Spectrum, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Curator: Marike Vuga
The Mother of All Pottery Sales, The Union Project, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The Cultural Enrichment Fund Red Carpet Soirée: A Salute to the Arts, Harrisburg, PA, USA
2014 Art School Annual Exhibition, The Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA, USA
Shipoke Soirée: The Art Association 2014 Summer Soireés, The Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA, USA
The Cultural Enrichment Fund Red Carpet Soirée: A Salute to the Arts, Harrisburg, PA, USA
2013 Art School Annual Exhibition, The Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, PA, USA
2011 Surviving the Quarter Life Crisis: Emmanuelle Wambach MFA Thesis Show, Kipp Gallery, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA, Self-Curated
New Juried Visual Art Exhibition, Three Rivers Art Festival, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
30 Small Works Exhibition, Gallery Up, Rock Hill, SC, USA, Juror: Barbara Schreiber
Catalyst: Indiana University of Pennsylvania Graduate Art Exhibition, Bottle Works Art Center, Johnstown, PA, USA
Indiana University of Pennsylvania Annual Graduate Student Art Exhibition, University Museum, Indiana, PA, USA, Juror: Garry Knox Bennett
2010 New Juried Visual Art Exhibition, Three Rivers Art Festival, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Shadow: Student show in conjunction with Dr. James Nestor’s Retrospective, Robertshaw Building, Indiana, PA, USA
(RE): A Green Art and Geek Innovators Event, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2009 Post Baccalaureate End of the Year Show, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2008-2009 Certificate/BFA-Post Baccalaureate and MFA Juried Exhibition, Gallery 128, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Goldfish Gallery Holiday Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA, USA, Curated by Irene Sfakianos
2008 Collaborative Senior Show, Swarthmore College List Gallery, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Senior Thesis Exhibition Show, Swarthmore College List Gallery, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Stockits
2019- Present Songbird Artistry, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2018- Present PG&H Pop Up Store, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Ton Pottery, Millvale, PA, USA
Honors, Awards, Grants
2018 Monmade Development Grant from Bridgeway Capital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2011 Co-President of the Graduate Art Association, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
2010 Professional Development Grant, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
2009-2010 Graduate Student Research Grant 2009-2010, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
2007 Leigh Altman Summer Grant- Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Eugene M. Lang Summer Initiative Grant in the Humanities- Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
Workshops/ Demos Led
2019 Ceramics Demo and Art Event, Emmanuel Fine Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
March Maker Event, PG&H Pop Up Shop, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2017 There is More Than One Way to Make a Mug, The Mattress Factory Teen Art Cooperative, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Artist Residencies
08/2016 – 12/2016 Studio Artist, Shigaraki Ceramic Sculpture Park Artist in Residence, Shigaraki, Japan
Publications
2012 Surviving the Quarter Life Crisis: A Graduate Thesis Paper in Partial Fulfillment of the
Master of Fine Arts, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA.
Articles
2019 Emmanuelle crafts beautiful ceramics, now available at PG&H, Next Pittsburgh, Nov 21, 2018, https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/current-features/meet-the-maker-emmanuelle-crafts-beautiful-ceramics/?fbclid=IwAR3vnpvsEIA0aMwzAT52PLSZixvCSsYlUgtRF3Qad3J6m9FSaq_lYf128H8
Presentations
12/2018 Demonstration of plate techniques at PG&H Pittsburgh, PA, USA
04/2017 Present on my experiences in Shigaraki to the undergraduate and graduate classes at Indiana
University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA
10/2016 International Symposium-Kansai Artists in Residence in Shigaraki, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan
03/2010 Graduate Student Image Forum at the 2010 National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts Conference, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Professional Organizations
2018-Present Monmade, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2014-Present The Union Project Ceramics Cooperative
2012-Present The Art Association of Harrisburg
2008-Present National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
Updated June 2019
