Artist's Statement

An innovative artist and art educator for more than thirty years, Syma has recently returned to New York City, after living in London, England, for nearly four years. While in the UK, she maintained a studio at Cockpit Arts. Currently a freelance Artist/Lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she is also available as a visiting artist in New York City through ARTS CONNECTION. Syma has set up her new ceramic studio at Tribeca Pottery in Manhattan and is currently at work on a sculpted tile commision for private home in Hull and a clay and mixed media mural for the South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, MA, as well as works for galleries and shops.

In 2006, Red Door Gallery in London presented a solo show of her smoke-fired ceramics with 24 karat English gold leaf. Inspired by artifacts and mythologies of ancient cultures, this series was begun as Syma’s response to living in England.

A former proprietor of a contemporary craft gallery in Hingham, MA. in the 1970s, Syma has exhibited her clay and mixed media works for nearly thirty years throughout the US., and more recently in the UK. Collectors of Syma’s work include the Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA; Susan Paine, Cambridge, MA; Michael Heller, of Heller Gallery, NYC; Sydney and Ann Levinson, London, UK.

Since 1985, Syma has worked in collaboration with architects, private clients, and industry, in the design and fabrication of site-specific, bas-relief panels. Her monumental cast concrete and sculpted brick architectural details have been integrated into Philadelphia and Boston area building facades. Smaller scale projects include a ceramic sculpted tile fireplace surround, created as a visual interpretation of a client's poem, and sculpted tile representations of the elements of Chinese medicine for the treatment rooms of a New York City doctor.

During her extensive visiting-artist/teaching career, Syma has worked with children, teens, adults, senior citizens, and hospitalized patients in locked wards, encouraging each person to express his or her own creativity through the arts. Many New York and Boston area schools contain permanent installations of site-specific art designed by Syma’s students. She has taught ceramics at City University of New York’s Kingsborough campus in Brooklyn, and at New York City’s Greenwich House Pottery. Syma led pottery making workshops at the British Museum in connection with their exhibition of the ancient treasures of Sudan.

Syma has received numerous artist grants and awards, including an NEA stipend, and an EARTHWATCH fellowship for an archaeological dig in Mallorca, Spain. Syma was selected to participate in the 2006 International Architectural Ceramics Symposium at ICSHU, in Kecskemet, Hungary.

Syma is the artist formerly known as Marsha Syma Gordon Komarin Afia.

Current Work

Current studio ceramics - smoke-fired ‘Bottomless Vessels to Hold Change’ and ‘Angel Panels’ for the wall.

Current small works - handmade and hand painted ceramic jewellery, smoke-fred as well as black figure ‘little pots of gold’, and slipcast magical cow bells.

Current architectural ceramics- sculpted tile commissions for private and public spaces.
Hand-painted, sculpted earthenware clay, slipcast clay, brick clay.

Work generally available from:
Red Door Gallery, Greenwich, London, UK
The Storefront at Greenwich House Pottery, NY.,NY. USA

Available for lectures, demonstrations, workshops, as visiting artist or artist-in-residence.
Available for bespoke commissions and public / community art projects.

Syma sells small works on line at www.etsy.com/shop/symasmallworks

Technical Information

For the studio ceramics I use earthenware or stoneware clays bisque fired to 999C. Leaving large areas of bare clay, underglazes and glazes are applied and re-fired as many times as necessary - to 999C. Pieces are then smoke-fired in a metal barrel (bin?) and after cleaning, drying, and sealing, gilded with 23 or 24 k. Gold leaf.

For the architectural works I have used brick clay and earthenware clays. Also my clay bas-relief sculptures have been cast in precast concrete and fibreglass.

Background History

1944                  Born, Farmville, Virginia, USA
1966                  B.S. Degree, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
1966-69             Studied at Art Students League, NY, NY, USA
1969-85             Attended pottery courses and workshops in USA and UK
                         Tutors included: Paul Soldner, Jack Earl, John and Andrea Gill, Steve Dixon  
1968-94             Taught art courses in private and public schools.
                         Full time/ part time: drawing, painting, crafts including ceramics, USA
1997-02             Taught ceramics at Greenwich House Pottery, NY, NY, USA
2002-2003         Adjunct ceramics instructor: City University, Brooklyn, NY, USA    
1999-2008         Freelance Artist/Lecturer: Metropolitan Museum, NY, NY, USA
2003                  Moved to UK and set up studio at Cockpit Arts Deptford, London, UK
2007                  Set up studio at Tribeca Pottery after relocating to NY, NY, USA

SELECTED AWARDS:
2008-1983         Numerous Artist-in-Residence Grants/Community Arts Projects, USA
2006                  Selected for Architectural Ceramics Symposium:ICSHU, Kecskemet, Hungary
1994                  Artist Fellowship: ‘EARTHWATCH’ Archaeology Dig, Mallorca, Spain
1994                  Art in Architecture, Boston Society of Architects, MA, USA
1985                  Stipend, National Endowment for the Arts, USA

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2006                  Red Door Gallery, Greenwich Market, London, UK
2006                  Eton Applied Arts Gallery, Windsor, UK
2003                  Greek Institute Gallery, Cambridge, MA, USA         
1994                  Soho 20 Gallery, NY, NY, USA   
1986                  Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA, USA
1981                  Clemens Gallery, Hingham, MA, USA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS:             
2008                  AIR Gallery, NY, NY, USA      
2007,05,03         Metropolitan Museum of Art,  NY, NY, USA
2006                  Lesley Craze Gallery, London, UK
2006                  London Potters Select at the Ice House Gallery, Holland Park, London, UK    
2005                  London Potters Select at Broadway Ceramics, London, UK
2005-04             Morley Gallery, London, UK
2005-03             Chilstone Garden Gallery, Kent, UK
2004                  Paddon and Paddon Gallery, Eastbourne, UK
2003                  Cockpit Arts Showcase, Canary Wharf, London, UK
2002                  Boston Architectural Center, MA, USA
1996                  Hartsook Gallery, NY, NY, USA
1995                  Artemesia Gallery, Chicago, IL, USA
1995                  Soho 20 Gallery, NY, NY, USA        
1979                  Provincetown Art Museum, MA, USA
SELECTED ARCHITECTURAL COMMISSIONS:
2008                  Sculpted tile with mixed media mural for Natural Science Center, Norwell, MA, USA
2007                  Sculpted tiles for fireplace of private home, Hull, MA, USA
2003                  Tiles for office of Dr. Frank Lipman, NY, NY, USA
2002, 01, 97       Sculpted, glazed tile borders for home of NY playwrights John Pielmeier, Irene O’Garden Moulded brick panels for library facade, Philadelphia University, USA        
1991                 Prototype for fibreglass gargoyle fountain, private courtyard, Acton, USA
1989                 Precast concrete sculpted spandrel panels:Harvard Health Building, USA    
1986                 Moulded brick pediments for facade of Boston Townhouses, USA

SELECTED PUBLIC/ PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:
                        Sydney and Ann Levinson, London, UK
                        Art Complex Museum, Duxbury, MA, USA
                        Philadelphia University, PA,USA  
                        Michael Heller, Heller Gallery, NY, NY, USA  

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
2008                  ‘Summer Arts Preview...’ Summit Daily News, May 16.
2007                  ‘The Art of Placemaking, Interpreting Community Through Public Art and Urban Design, by Ronald Lee Fleming, Merrell Publishers, pp146-149
2006                  ‘The Future is Bright for British Crafts’, Creative Week,  London, UK, July. p.34
2006,05              ‘GALLERY’ Ceramic Review, January/February issues                
2005                   ‘UPFRONT’ Ceramics Monthly, May issue
2004-06              London Potters Newsletters
2004                   ‘Discovery: Fifty Years of Craft Experience at Haystack School of Crafts’ by Carl Little
2003                   ‘Architectural Ornamentaion: Fragments and Elements,Ceramics Monthly, Feb. issue
1995                   Architecture Magazine
1990                   Costuire in Laterizio, Italy. Anno.3N, Maggia-Giuno. p.179
1989                   The Once and Future Goddess, by Elinor W. Gadon, Harper and Row, pp. 264-5.