Professor's Ceramics on Display June 6-July 2
HFC Ceramics Professor Steve Glazer will have his latest work titled “The Motor City Griot Society: Forty Statements” exhibited at the River’s Edge Gallery, located at 3024 Biddle in Wyandotte. This exhibition runs from Friday, June 6, to Wednesday, July 2.
A reception for Glazer, who has taught at HFC for 10 years, will take place at the River’s Edge Gallery on Friday, June 20, from 7 to 10 p.m. Glazer’s fascination with the Griot began in an anthropology class while he attended graduate school at Indiana State University (ISU) in Terre Haute, Ind. For his research project in this class, he completed an oral presentation about the Griot and played some actual recordings of Griot music for the class.
A Griot is a West African minstrel, troubadour, historian, fortune teller, counselor and entertainer. If a song or prayer is needed to bring rain or ward off evil spirits, the Griot was called upon, possessing powers and visions that go beyond the norm.
When Glazer would lecture about a mask project to his ceramics students, he would always create the mask of an imaginary Griot character as his demo piece. Last summer when he and his students were doing a series of community demonstrations, Glazer would craft a Griot mask. After completing several masks, Glazer realized he really enjoyed making them and people really enjoyed the quality of his craftsmanship. This sparked the Motor City Griot Society.
A Detroit native, Glazer grew up in an artistic household; both his parents and his two brothers are professional musicians. During his senior year at Milford High School, his alma mater, Glazer’s love for ceramics came about when he saw an art teacher working on a potter’s wheel.
Glazer earned his undergraduate degree in Art with a concentration in Ceramics and his K-12 teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti in 1976. He earned his graduate degree in Fine Arts and Ceramics from Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mt. Pleasant in 1977. He earned another graduate degree – an MFA in Ceramics – from ISU in 1982. Glazer is affiliated with the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and Foundations in Art: Theory and Education (FATE). For 20 years, he was a member of the College Art Association (CAA).
Glazer’s career as an art teacher spans more than 37 years in K-12 and college systems. He came to HFC in 2004. At HFC, he has taught ceramics, 2-D design, 3-D design and the history of modern art. Additionally, he serves as director of Exhibitions at HFC’s Sisson Gallery, as well as advisor to the HFC Ceramics Club.
For further information about “The Motor City Griot Society: Forty Statements” exhibition, contact the River’s Edge Gallery at 734.246.9880, riversedgegallery@wyan.com or www.artattheedge.com.