The public is invited to attend the free lecture “Affecting the Landscape” given by Ani Kasten, a visiting ceramic artist, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 in Marymount University’s Reinsch Auditorium. Kasten will discuss how local resources and terrain influence her ceramic vessels and sculptures and how artists can influence their own local landscapes through community development.
Kasten’s work explores the meeting point between natural and man-made worlds. Its shapes and surface treatments are influenced by plants, water, rocks and clay, as well as architecture, industry and machinery.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of Michigan, Kasten trained in ceramics in England and spent four years heading a project to develop a stoneware ceramic production facility for artisan potters in Nepal. She has served as artist in residence at Red Dirt Studio in Mount Ranier, Maryland. After setting up her own studio, she purchased a historic storefront and helped shape the Gateway Arts District in Prince George’s County.
Her many awards include the Exhibitor’s Choice Gold Award at the 2014 Smithsonian Craft Show, Best in Contemporary Clay in 2009 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and several grants.
