Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, April 2, 2021: John Balistreri, an American ceramic artist (#1247)

John Balistreri (1962) is an American ceramic artist best known for his large-scale sculptures. He is currently a Professor of Art and the head of the ceramic art program at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.

Born in Denver, Balistreri initially worked for his family greenhouse business, during which time he developed an interest in ceramics, building his first gas-fired kiln on the property. He obtained an associate degree from Colorado Mountain College, and later went on to study fine art at Kansas City Art Institute in 1986, before pursuing a master's degree at Kent State University in 1988. He built a 30 ft kiln while at Kent State University, one of the largest in the country.

In 1996, Balistreri was named 'Head of Ceramics' at Bowling Green State University, with many of his students later becoming professors themselves.

He has conducted over fifty workshops and lectures throughout the United States and China, has had nine solo exhibitions of large-scale ceramic work, and has participated in many national and international group exhibitions. Balistreri’s work is also included in numerous corporate, private and museum collections, including the Fredrick R. Weisman Art Museum (Minneapolis, MN), The American Museum of Ceramic Art (Pomona, CA), The Canton Museum of Art (Canton, OH), The Daum Museum (Sedalia, MO), The American Ceramic Society (Columbus, OH), The Shiwan Treasure Pottery Museum (China) and the Foshan Ancient Kiln Museum (China).

Balistreri produces paintings and sculptures, but he is best known for his large-scale ceramic works. He developed techniques for ceramic 3D printing using digital technology for which he received two U.S. patents.

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