Sonoma Community Center welcome new artist-in-residence

Canadian ceramicist Naomi Clement has been selected as the winter /spring artist-in-residence at the Sonoma Community Center. Clement is an artist and educator who explores ideas of home and belonging through the lens of functional ceramics.

Clement, 39, arrived in town on Sunday, but is no stranger to Sonoma, having worked in wine sales when she was younger.

“I have always loved the region and visited several times,” said Clement, who grew up in London, Ontario.

When asked how she learned about the ceramics residency, she laughed and said she had heard about it a few years ago and that a several people quickly emailed her about it when the application was posted.

“The opportunity here in Sonoma is actually very well-known through the ceramics community,” she said.

The six-month residency includes a small but airy apartment with high ceiling and large windows on the second floor of the Community Center.

“It’s great being so close to my studio,” she said. “It has lovely light and couldn’t be more convenient.”

Part of Clement’s agreement with SCC is that she will teach a number of ceramics classes, and she is excited for that aspect of her role.

“In past residencies, I have taught community classes and I’ve also taught undergraduate and graduate students in college,” she explained.

Clement received her MFA from Louisiana State University, and her B.F.A from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design. Her formal education is balanced with a host of experiences in the ceramic field: she has been an apprentice to two established potters; has worked as a studio potter; has given lectures; has attended multiple workshops and residencies throughout North America; and she currently serves as a board member for the National Council on the Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). She has exhibited her work throughout the U.S. and Canada, and was recently named a 2017 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly magazine.

“I make pots because I truly believe that life is different when you choose to surround yourself with objects that already have a story when they reach you,” said Clement. “My goal is always that my pots will introduce a little beauty into the world, and ideally create a space where the user can pause to savor a moment of calm in the midst of a busy day.”

If you would like to meet Clement, stop by the ceramics studio.

“I am looking forward being a part of this community of people who love food, wine and the arts,” she said.