Amedeo Salamoni’s Ceramics Featured in Traveling Art Exhibit

Amedeo Salamoni is a potter, sculptor, artist, and teacher. He makes pottery because he loves the process of creation, and he teaches at George School because he loves working with deep thinking and inspiring students who create.

As a professional artist, Amedeo frequently contributes his artwork to exhibitions. This fall, his work was featured in the Strictly Functional Pottery National Exhibition (SFPN) at the Lancaster Museum of Art. Amedeo’s featured piece is a wheel-thrown Lidded Vessel, 20 inches high x 19 inches wide, wood-fired and made with hand-dug stoneware clay. Since its founding in 1993, SFPN has been recognized as one of the top ceramic exhibitions in the country and features some of the most talented ceramic artists from across the United States.

“It is an honor to be included in this prestigious exhibition,” said Amedeo. “This is my twelfth time being juried into this exhibit. The piece that was accepted into this year’s exhibit is an example of the progression my work has taken over the years. I have had an ongoing interest in digging and refining my own clay. I dig clay all over the country during my travels. My work is designed for everyday use and is inspired by folk pottery traditions across the world. German, Korean, and early American pots all have a wonderful energy that I try to capture in my work. I use dark stoneware clays with layered slips and glazes to achieve a surface that has a deep, atmospheric quality. My pots are complete when they are in service, bringing a sense of human connection to the user.”

During the summer, his work was also featured in the World Clay Collaboration, a traveling exhibition now in New Zealand. This exhibit was coordinated by Clay Arts Vegas to bring different communities together by pairing Las Vegas ceramics artists with partners from locales around the globe, including France, Australia, Thailand, and the United States.

“We wanted to celebrate the art and artists of Las Vegas, but we also wanted to reach beyond the borders of our city,” said Clay Arts Vegas on their website. “In today’s world there are to many walls being put up. Art serves as a bridge that unites people, both makers and viewers. It is a common language that is the shared collective experience of being human.”

The submitted piece to the show titled “GETTING STUFFED” was a collaboration between Amedeo and Peter Jakubowski, owner of Clay Arts Vegas and longtime friend of Amedeo. Aside from making pottery, cooking is another activity both Amedeo and Peter enjoy. This led to them creating serving platters for this exhibit.

“One of the many things I like about the clay community is that we like to share things,” commented Amedeo. “That could be glaze formulas, ideas, or the love of food. So, collaborating on work with other artists just seems like a natural progression.”

One of Amedeo’s former students, Claire Schmucker ’20, was also featured in this exhibition for her piece titled “TOGETHER 1,” which was a collaboration between her and Las Vegas-based artist Jennifer Gorman. “I am drawn to so many different styles of ceramics and get inspired by different artists and their practices,” said Claire. “The idea of being able to work with someone, bounce ideas off of them, and ultimately create a piece that brings together the minds of two artists got me excited,” she explained.

Both Amedeo and Claire also participated in a Clay Arts Vegas show together in 2021.

“I teach like I am conducting a workshop,” shared Amedeo. “I work alongside my students, letting them see how I work and how I sometimes fail. This is important for students to see. It allows them to not be afraid to take chances, experiment, and learn from mistakes. This is where the real learning occurs.”

In addition to making his own art, teaching, and coordinating exhibits in campus art galleries at George School, Amedeo likes to garden and to ride his motorcycle all over the country. He received a BA and MA from Kean University and an MFA from the University of Delaware. Check out more of his artwork here!