Resident Artist

Colette Spears
Above, from top to bottom: Collette Spears. Photo courtesy the artist. Collette Spears, “Kitchen and Jar Set” (detail), 2014. Clay. Photo by Serena Nancarrow.

Collette Spears

Medium: Clay
Residency: September 1, 2014–
August 30, 2015

Collette Spears hails from Indiana, where she received her BFA in ceramics and BA in psychology from Ball State University in 2014. She worked as an educational assistant at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts during the summer of 2013 and has spent time assisting renowned kiln builder, Ted Neal, with kilns for various clay studios in Indiana, Kentucky, California, and British Columbia.

In her work, Collette explores how art serves as a therapeutic expulsion for the body and mind through process. As someone who has worked to cope with generalized anxiety, finding a healthy outlet for excess energy is essential. She translates psychological tension into clay work, via carving, pattern and form, placing great emphasis on precision and craft. She explores concepts of perfectionism, connection, and vulnerability and is learning to embrace struggle as a critical part of a fulfilling, productive lifestyle. During her one-year residency, she will continue to develop a balance of pattern and form in her work, strengthen concepts, and hopefully find inspiration within the other artistic disciplines represented at HCCC.

Collette has exhibited nationally and was the 2014 NICHE Award Student Winner of the Ceramics: Sculptural category. She was also a NICHE finalist in two other categories and a Windgate Fellowship nominee. She will be with HCCC from September, 2014, through August, 2015. To learn more about Collette, visit www.collettespears.com.

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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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