Aisha Harrison
Artist Statement for the How It 's Held series
2017-2019
How and what does my positioning allow me to see? Continually awakening to reality causes me to
question the ways that reality has affected my life, ways that I didn't understand until now. And there are so
many other things that I still don't understand. And will never understand. And yet the grief, not for my
role in things, although I do feel that, but the grief that what my ancestors have gone through and done, in
some ways isn't enough. Will it ever be enough? How can I use my skills, what can I do to further the
dreams of my ancestors, my descendants? What can I do to make the world better for my son? And what do
I do with the grief'? How can I connect to the forces that my ancestors connected to? How can I deal with
the fear? How did they deal with the fear'? How did they find so much courage? What do I do with thoughts
and emotions when I think about the ways in which my life is both incredibly safe and at the same time
threatened?
I have found strength in connecting with the earth, with the trees, with their power to go towards the up.
With their power to go towards the down, the out, to each other. While my work often refers to nature,
specifically trees and water, I also see a complicated relationship with the woods and water, at least
historically, for Black people. Woods and water- sustenance, safety, cleanser, conveyers to bondage, death,
and torture.
I heard about some astronauts that went to space. Before they left they always longed to be in space and to
feel what it felt like to be in space. And when they got into space their ftrst thought when they looked back
at the earth was how homesick they were for the earth. Their second thought was that the earth is in space.
They had always been in space. Space as blackness, mystery that holds us. That gives me solace.
I am a student of the unimaginable pain and suffering and bravery of my ancestors, and the conditions in
which me and my people stilI endure, the systems that cause the need for that endurance. Now that I have a
son there is the crushing weight of the fact that I could lose him (that he could lose me), that people have
lost their children, loved ones, that people are losing their children and loved ones. I also know that my
own fear of losing him pales in comparison with the realities that others face. The unbearable results of our
systems are so blatant, and it seems at least half the population (more) doesn't see them or understand
them. It is enraging. And intensely takes away hope. If people want to live in denial it will never be
different. Can it ever be different? What kind of future do we want? Do we want to live in a future where
we don't acknowledge and understand how our past has led to this moment? Are we capable of living?
I'm not sure. I hope so.
I have found hope and joy in the small things, in living close with a young person, in daily acts of love. I
have found solace in the unknowable, in the smoke of a candle that's been snuffed out, solace in the dark.
Solace in seeing that I am connected forward and backward, up and down, that I am so very small. We are
all so very small, and this isn't really about me. Solace in connecting to the sacred. Small acts, a stitch or
making a long line of thread. Sharing excitement with loved ones over red roots that reach toward nutrients
in the water. I've found solace in making small acts together, small acts that add up. and echo our smallness
in the universe.
How can we communicate like trees? How can we see each other as stars? Stardust?
How It's Held is a struggle between my deepest fears and my most hopeful hope in humanity. How It's
Held is an investigation of these things, these questions.
Aisha Harrison CV
Education:
2010 Masters Degree in Fine Arts, Ceramics, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
2004 Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, Ceramics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA,
Summa Cum Laude
2000 Bachelors Degree, Spanish, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Grants, Residencies, and Fellowships:
2018 Watershed Residency- invited artist, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts,
Newcastle, ME- two week residency.
2010-2011 Artist in Residence and Lormina Salter Fellowship, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore,
MD. Fellowship included one-year residency, materials/firing stipend and solo
exhibition.
2010 Kimmel Foundation Grant- Lincoln Mayor's Arts Award, Lincoln, NE
2007-2009 Graduate Studies Fellowship, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
Fellowship included monetary award given during first two years of graduate school.
Lucy Morgan Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC.
Scholarship included tuition, room and board in exchange for work-study during two
week, summer courses.
2006 Studio Fellowship and Residency, Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY
Fellowship included partial funding for studio and housing for five week residency.
2001-2003 Lucy Morgan Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC.
Publications:
2019 Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques, book, Rhonda Willers, The American
Ceramic Society
2016 American Craft, article, Judy Arginteanu, Vol 76, No 3
2014 500 Figures in Clay Volume 2, book, Nan Smith, Lark Crafts
2013 THE Magazine, article, Marina LaPalma, Feb/Mar
2012 Thurston Talk, article, Alec Clayton, 11/5/2012
Solo and Invitational Exhibitions:
2018 How it's Held, solo invitational, Helen Smith Gallery, Greenriver College,
Auburn, WA
2017 A Paper Narrative, invitational, Border's Books, Olympia, WA
People of Color, People of Clay, invitational, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2016 Art Show fbc x brujas, invitational, Gallery BOOM, Olympia, WA
Tramp l'oeil: Ceramics of the Third Wave, invitational, Heinrich
Toh Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2015 In Our Bones, Invitational collaboration piece, Minnaert Center for the Arts, Olympia,
WA
2014 Generations, Invitational, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE. Curator- Gail Kendall
2013 Residue, Solo Exhibition, Salon Refu/Susan Christian Project Space, Olympia, WA
Big Red, Invitational, O'Kane Gallery, University of Houston, Downtown Campus,
Houston, TX. Curator- Margaret Bohls
2012 The Realm of the Feminine: Interior Edge, Invitational, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle
WA. Curator- Christine Golden
Art from the East Side, Washington State University, Invitational, Seattle Design
Center, Seattle WA. Curator- Ann Christenson
2011 Contemporary Ceramics, Invitational, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna
University, Selinsgrove, PA. Curator- Dan Olivetti
Contours of Belonging, Solo Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2010 Black, White, Brown, Solo Exhibition, Eisentrager- Howard Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2009 Shift, Invitational, Tugboat Gallery, Lincoln, NE. Curator- Nolan Tredway
Community Based Projects:
2019 Community Graduation Quilt, collaboration with team from First Peoples and Trans
and Queer Advising Services. Participants were invited to create a quilt square to be sewn
together and added to future quilts.
Recognition Books, collaboration with Staff and Faculty acting for Equity Ad Hoc group
at the Evergreen State College.
2018 Community Gifts Quilt, presented to First Peoples and Trans and Queer Advising
Services, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA. The final result of the quilt started
at the ReConvocation Rally.
Belonging Through Clay- Working with youth from the Upward Bound program to
create ceramic tiles with personal symbols of belonging.
Hope in Small Acts- Series of events offered to students, staff, and faculty at The
Evergreen State College to address the events of the spring of 2017.
Sharing Truths, Honoring Community- provided the art component of an event offered
by the Office of Equity and Inclusion at The Evergreen State College.
2017 ReConvocation Rally- worked with students, staff, and faculty to initiate a community
building rally. During the rally participants developed personal imagery on three inch
square linoleum block responding to the prompt, "What Gifts do you Bring
Community?" They carved their designs and then printed them on fabric and paper. The
project was repeated at several events throughout the 2017-2018 school year. The fabric
squares were then hand sewn by the community to form a quilt of our collective gifts. It
was displayed at graduation.
Belonging in the Clay Studio- Participants did a journaling exercise meant to draw out
personal symbols of belonging. The symbols were transferred to ceramic tiles.
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2019 Reaching Down, Rising Up, Pierce County Aids Foundation, Tacoma, WA
2017 How it's Held (in process installation), Arbutus Folk School, Olympia, WA
Exploring Race: Identity Resistance and Resilience, curator, Multnomah
Meetinghouse, Portland, OR
Statements and Questions, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2014 Looking at Ourselves, Juried Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore MD. Juror:
Adrian Arleo
2013 The Finish, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2012 Beginning to End, Santa Fe Clay Gallery, 3 person show, co-curator, Santa Fe, NM
2010 Body and Soul, Juried Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
The Search for "Good Hair", Handmade Modern, Lincoln, NE
National Student Juried Show, National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts,
Philadelphia, PA Award: Retired Teacher's Award
Red Dot Show, Peru State College, Peru, NE
2009 Boxed, Rotunda Gallery, two person show, Lincoln, NE
Introspection, Haydon Art Center, Lincoln, NE
2008 Code Red 2, Peru State College, Peru, NE
RAW, 11th Street Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2007 Second Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Minnaert Center for the Arts,
Olympia, WA
2006 Earth and Her Beings: Endangered Species, Simon Fraser University Gallery,
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Unclad 2006: The Fine Art of the Figure, Juried Exhibition, Floyd Norgaard Cultural
Center, Stanwood, WA
Professional Activities:
2017 Artist Demonstration, invited by Washington Clay Arts Association, Arbutus Folk
School, Olympia, WA
2015 Visiting Artist and Collaborator, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia,
WA. Made a collaboration piece with a sculpture class over a 6-week time span.
2014 Artist Lecture, Timberland Regional Library, Olympia, WA
2013 Visiting Artist, Morehead State College, Morehead, KY. Demo, lecture, critique with
Masters students
2010 Visiting Artist, Maryland College of Art, Baltimore, MD, Lecture and Critique
Visiting Artist, Loyola University, Baltimore, MD. Lecture
2008 Artist Assistant, to Eddie Dominguez, Lincoln, NE. Assisted from May 1-May 31st.
Teaching, Community Education, and Teaching Awards:
2019 Raquel Salinas Student Support Award, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2018 Faculty Equity Award, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2011- Present Adjunct Member of the Faculty, The Evergreen State College, Evening and Weekend
Studies, Olympia, WA.
2014 Instructor, Penland School of Crafts. One-week workshop in Summer.
2010-2011 Adjunct Faculty, Center for Continuing Education Senior Institute, Community College
of Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD.
Community Classes, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2010 Community Class, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE
Teaching Assistant, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC. Assisted John Byrd and Tip
Toland (three weeks during summer session)
2009 Recognition of Contribution to Student Lives from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Parents' Association
2008-2010 Teacher of Record, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
2007-2008 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
2006-2007 Teaching Assistant, "Hot Clay" Idyllwild School of the Arts, Idyllwild, CA.
2003 Teaching Assistant, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.
2001-2002 Elementary School Teacher, The Atlanta School, Atlanta, GA. Taught 3rd and 4th grades.
Artist Statement for the How It 's Held series
2017-2019
How and what does my positioning allow me to see? Continually awakening to reality causes me to
question the ways that reality has affected my life, ways that I didn't understand until now. And there are so
many other things that I still don't understand. And will never understand. And yet the grief, not for my
role in things, although I do feel that, but the grief that what my ancestors have gone through and done, in
some ways isn't enough. Will it ever be enough? How can I use my skills, what can I do to further the
dreams of my ancestors, my descendants? What can I do to make the world better for my son? And what do
I do with the grief'? How can I connect to the forces that my ancestors connected to? How can I deal with
the fear? How did they deal with the fear'? How did they find so much courage? What do I do with thoughts
and emotions when I think about the ways in which my life is both incredibly safe and at the same time
threatened?
I have found strength in connecting with the earth, with the trees, with their power to go towards the up.
With their power to go towards the down, the out, to each other. While my work often refers to nature,
specifically trees and water, I also see a complicated relationship with the woods and water, at least
historically, for Black people. Woods and water- sustenance, safety, cleanser, conveyers to bondage, death,
and torture.
I heard about some astronauts that went to space. Before they left they always longed to be in space and to
feel what it felt like to be in space. And when they got into space their ftrst thought when they looked back
at the earth was how homesick they were for the earth. Their second thought was that the earth is in space.
They had always been in space. Space as blackness, mystery that holds us. That gives me solace.
I am a student of the unimaginable pain and suffering and bravery of my ancestors, and the conditions in
which me and my people stilI endure, the systems that cause the need for that endurance. Now that I have a
son there is the crushing weight of the fact that I could lose him (that he could lose me), that people have
lost their children, loved ones, that people are losing their children and loved ones. I also know that my
own fear of losing him pales in comparison with the realities that others face. The unbearable results of our
systems are so blatant, and it seems at least half the population (more) doesn't see them or understand
them. It is enraging. And intensely takes away hope. If people want to live in denial it will never be
different. Can it ever be different? What kind of future do we want? Do we want to live in a future where
we don't acknowledge and understand how our past has led to this moment? Are we capable of living?
I'm not sure. I hope so.
I have found hope and joy in the small things, in living close with a young person, in daily acts of love. I
have found solace in the unknowable, in the smoke of a candle that's been snuffed out, solace in the dark.
Solace in seeing that I am connected forward and backward, up and down, that I am so very small. We are
all so very small, and this isn't really about me. Solace in connecting to the sacred. Small acts, a stitch or
making a long line of thread. Sharing excitement with loved ones over red roots that reach toward nutrients
in the water. I've found solace in making small acts together, small acts that add up. and echo our smallness
in the universe.
How can we communicate like trees? How can we see each other as stars? Stardust?
How It's Held is a struggle between my deepest fears and my most hopeful hope in humanity. How It's
Held is an investigation of these things, these questions.
Aisha Harrison CV
Education:
2010 Masters Degree in Fine Arts, Ceramics, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
2004 Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, Ceramics, Washington State University, Pullman, WA,
Summa Cum Laude
2000 Bachelors Degree, Spanish, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA
Grants, Residencies, and Fellowships:
2018 Watershed Residency- invited artist, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts,
Newcastle, ME- two week residency.
2010-2011 Artist in Residence and Lormina Salter Fellowship, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore,
MD. Fellowship included one-year residency, materials/firing stipend and solo
exhibition.
2010 Kimmel Foundation Grant- Lincoln Mayor's Arts Award, Lincoln, NE
2007-2009 Graduate Studies Fellowship, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
Fellowship included monetary award given during first two years of graduate school.
Lucy Morgan Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC.
Scholarship included tuition, room and board in exchange for work-study during two
week, summer courses.
2006 Studio Fellowship and Residency, Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY
Fellowship included partial funding for studio and housing for five week residency.
2001-2003 Lucy Morgan Scholarship, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC.
Publications:
2019 Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques, book, Rhonda Willers, The American
Ceramic Society
2016 American Craft, article, Judy Arginteanu, Vol 76, No 3
2014 500 Figures in Clay Volume 2, book, Nan Smith, Lark Crafts
2013 THE Magazine, article, Marina LaPalma, Feb/Mar
2012 Thurston Talk, article, Alec Clayton, 11/5/2012
Solo and Invitational Exhibitions:
2018 How it's Held, solo invitational, Helen Smith Gallery, Greenriver College,
Auburn, WA
2017 A Paper Narrative, invitational, Border's Books, Olympia, WA
People of Color, People of Clay, invitational, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2016 Art Show fbc x brujas, invitational, Gallery BOOM, Olympia, WA
Tramp l'oeil: Ceramics of the Third Wave, invitational, Heinrich
Toh Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2015 In Our Bones, Invitational collaboration piece, Minnaert Center for the Arts, Olympia,
WA
2014 Generations, Invitational, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE. Curator- Gail Kendall
2013 Residue, Solo Exhibition, Salon Refu/Susan Christian Project Space, Olympia, WA
Big Red, Invitational, O'Kane Gallery, University of Houston, Downtown Campus,
Houston, TX. Curator- Margaret Bohls
2012 The Realm of the Feminine: Interior Edge, Invitational, Gage Academy of Art, Seattle
WA. Curator- Christine Golden
Art from the East Side, Washington State University, Invitational, Seattle Design
Center, Seattle WA. Curator- Ann Christenson
2011 Contemporary Ceramics, Invitational, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna
University, Selinsgrove, PA. Curator- Dan Olivetti
Contours of Belonging, Solo Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2010 Black, White, Brown, Solo Exhibition, Eisentrager- Howard Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2009 Shift, Invitational, Tugboat Gallery, Lincoln, NE. Curator- Nolan Tredway
Community Based Projects:
2019 Community Graduation Quilt, collaboration with team from First Peoples and Trans
and Queer Advising Services. Participants were invited to create a quilt square to be sewn
together and added to future quilts.
Recognition Books, collaboration with Staff and Faculty acting for Equity Ad Hoc group
at the Evergreen State College.
2018 Community Gifts Quilt, presented to First Peoples and Trans and Queer Advising
Services, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA. The final result of the quilt started
at the ReConvocation Rally.
Belonging Through Clay- Working with youth from the Upward Bound program to
create ceramic tiles with personal symbols of belonging.
Hope in Small Acts- Series of events offered to students, staff, and faculty at The
Evergreen State College to address the events of the spring of 2017.
Sharing Truths, Honoring Community- provided the art component of an event offered
by the Office of Equity and Inclusion at The Evergreen State College.
2017 ReConvocation Rally- worked with students, staff, and faculty to initiate a community
building rally. During the rally participants developed personal imagery on three inch
square linoleum block responding to the prompt, "What Gifts do you Bring
Community?" They carved their designs and then printed them on fabric and paper. The
project was repeated at several events throughout the 2017-2018 school year. The fabric
squares were then hand sewn by the community to form a quilt of our collective gifts. It
was displayed at graduation.
Belonging in the Clay Studio- Participants did a journaling exercise meant to draw out
personal symbols of belonging. The symbols were transferred to ceramic tiles.
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2019 Reaching Down, Rising Up, Pierce County Aids Foundation, Tacoma, WA
2017 How it's Held (in process installation), Arbutus Folk School, Olympia, WA
Exploring Race: Identity Resistance and Resilience, curator, Multnomah
Meetinghouse, Portland, OR
Statements and Questions, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2014 Looking at Ourselves, Juried Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore MD. Juror:
Adrian Arleo
2013 The Finish, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2012 Beginning to End, Santa Fe Clay Gallery, 3 person show, co-curator, Santa Fe, NM
2010 Body and Soul, Juried Exhibition, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
The Search for "Good Hair", Handmade Modern, Lincoln, NE
National Student Juried Show, National Council for the Education of the Ceramic Arts,
Philadelphia, PA Award: Retired Teacher's Award
Red Dot Show, Peru State College, Peru, NE
2009 Boxed, Rotunda Gallery, two person show, Lincoln, NE
Introspection, Haydon Art Center, Lincoln, NE
2008 Code Red 2, Peru State College, Peru, NE
RAW, 11th Street Gallery, Lincoln, NE
2007 Second Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Minnaert Center for the Arts,
Olympia, WA
2006 Earth and Her Beings: Endangered Species, Simon Fraser University Gallery,
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Unclad 2006: The Fine Art of the Figure, Juried Exhibition, Floyd Norgaard Cultural
Center, Stanwood, WA
Professional Activities:
2017 Artist Demonstration, invited by Washington Clay Arts Association, Arbutus Folk
School, Olympia, WA
2015 Visiting Artist and Collaborator, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia,
WA. Made a collaboration piece with a sculpture class over a 6-week time span.
2014 Artist Lecture, Timberland Regional Library, Olympia, WA
2013 Visiting Artist, Morehead State College, Morehead, KY. Demo, lecture, critique with
Masters students
2010 Visiting Artist, Maryland College of Art, Baltimore, MD, Lecture and Critique
Visiting Artist, Loyola University, Baltimore, MD. Lecture
2008 Artist Assistant, to Eddie Dominguez, Lincoln, NE. Assisted from May 1-May 31st.
Teaching, Community Education, and Teaching Awards:
2019 Raquel Salinas Student Support Award, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2018 Faculty Equity Award, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2011- Present Adjunct Member of the Faculty, The Evergreen State College, Evening and Weekend
Studies, Olympia, WA.
2014 Instructor, Penland School of Crafts. One-week workshop in Summer.
2010-2011 Adjunct Faculty, Center for Continuing Education Senior Institute, Community College
of Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD.
Community Classes, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
2010 Community Class, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE
Teaching Assistant, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC. Assisted John Byrd and Tip
Toland (three weeks during summer session)
2009 Recognition of Contribution to Student Lives from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Parents' Association
2008-2010 Teacher of Record, University of Nebraska- Lincoln, Lincoln, NE.
2007-2008 Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
2006-2007 Teaching Assistant, "Hot Clay" Idyllwild School of the Arts, Idyllwild, CA.
2003 Teaching Assistant, Washington State University, Pullman, WA.
2001-2002 Elementary School Teacher, The Atlanta School, Atlanta, GA. Taught 3rd and 4th grades.
