09/21/17

AMES, Iowa — Ceramics designer Jonathan Castro will visit Iowa State University as an artist-in-residence Sept. 25-29 in the Department of Art and Visual Culture in the College of Design.

Castro will present a free public lecture on “Branding: Who Are You?” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in room 362 Design. He also will teach an intermediate wheel pottery class open to the public, serve as a guest artist and critic in the intermediate ceramics studio course and produce work for a student scholarship fundraising campaign during his residency. See schedule below.

About the artist

Castro is a Chicago native who moved to New York City shortly after graduating from Iowa State in 2007 with a bachelor of fine arts in integrated studio arts. He has designed for high-end furniture companies, boutique stores and interior design firms and collaborates frequently with other artists and businesses. In 2015 he established Jonathan Castro Designs to sell his handmade work, both functional and sculptural, full time.

Castro produces a wide range of plates, bowls, bottles, mugs, vases, pitchers, planters and candle holders in a variety of glazes along with custom pieces. His influences and inspirations derive from traditional Japanese forms and concepts together with an emphasis on American Modernism. His most unusual work is found in the “Anomaly Series,” in which each item sports spiky protuberances reminiscent of a sea urchin.

Castro has created lines for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, SwitchModern and most recently, West Elm. He sells directly from his website and through numerous pop-up markets and local shops. He attributes many opportunities and successes to his involvement in student organizations and employment and the skills and business acumen he developed early in his years at Iowa State. Find him on Facebook and Instagram.

Schedule

Intermediate Pottery Class

Lidded Pots and Enclosed Forms

6:30 – 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, and Wednesday, Sept. 27
Memorial Union Workspace
$35 ISU / $45 public (tuition plus $10 supply fee)
Register online

Studio Residency

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25; Wednesday, Sept. 27; and Friday, Sept. 29
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Thursday, Sept. 28
Room 38 College of Design

Artist-in-Residence Lecture

Branding: Who Are You?

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26
Room 77 College of Design

Contacts

Ingrid Lilligren, Chair, Art & Visual Culture, ililligr@iastate.edu
Letitia Kenemer, Fine Arts Coordinator, Memorial Union, letitia@iastate.edu
Heather Sauer, Communications Specialist, College of Design, (515) (294) 9289, hsauer@iastate.edu

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