Resident Artist

Portrait by Jonathan Barber

Brian Vu

Medium: Clay
Residency: December 1, 2019–
August 31, 2020

 Brian Vu is a multidisciplinary artist born in North Texas. His approach to ceramics addresses the coexistence of the semi-permanent and the ephemeral, as well as the improvisation of memory with the mundane and domestic. He works in a wide variety of mediums, such as ceramic sculpture, dance performance, painting, and impermanent installation, to explore these themes. Minimalism, color, and taking up large volumes of space are motifs that he uses to frame his work.

In his current work, Brian is creating and utilizing ceramic props or stand-ins that reference the domestic household and the daily functions performed within those spaces. He is particularly interested in rectilinear spaces, which are associated with anthropology, aesthetic, function, space, and architecture, and with the relationships he creates between the ceramic object and the rectangle.

Brian holds a BA with a concentration in ceramics and contemporary dance from Bennington College and a MA in ceramics from Cranbook Academy of Art, where he studied under Ian McDonald. Brian was nominated for the Emerging Artist Award and received the New Beginnings Award from Cranbrook and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. In the summer of 2018, Brian was the artist-in-residence at Locust Projects in the Miami Design District and exhibited lung tone_ mirror print_, a solo show merging both clay and dance performance.

Brian’s residency is generously underwritten by Leslie and Brad Bucher.

More Residents

September 1, 2016 –
August 31, 2017
Medium: CLAY
September 1, 2016 –
February 23, 2017
Medium: MIXED MEDIA
September 1, 2016 –
May 30, 2017
Medium: Fiber
August 1, 2016 –
December 31, 2016
Medium: Clay
June 1, 2016 –
August 15, 2016
Medium: Clay
May 31, 2016 –
August 12, 2016
Medium: Fiber

The application for the 2025 – 2026 cycle opens December 1, 2025. It’s free to apply!

The Artist Residency Program is designed to offer time and space for craft artists to focus on their creative work and interact with the public. The program supports emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in all craft media, including but not limited to clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and mixed media.

The application for the 2025 – 2026 cycle opens December 1, 2025. It’s free to apply!

The Artist Residency Program is designed to offer time and space for craft artists to focus on their creative work and interact with the public. The program supports emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in all craft media, including but not limited to clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and mixed media.

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