JOHN AARON     American, Born 1953                  Represented by the Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC

Selected Solo Exhibitions Grants and Awards
2003       Pantheon of Scoundrels, Zenith Gallery, Washington,DC
2002       Inaugural Exhibition, Gallery of Modern ARF, Arlington, VA
              Art-O-Matic, Washington, DC
2001      The Light and the Dark, Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder, CO
2000      Tales of Africa, CU Mackey Auditorium, Boulder, CO
1998-9  Open Studios, Boulder, CO
1995-6  Venice ArtWalk, Venice, CA
              Yes Store, Santa Barbara, CA
1992      Bowled Over, Green Dragon Art Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
1991      Artist In Residence, Chamber of Commerce, Santa Barbara, CA
1990      Old Dogs, New Tricks, Green Dragon, Santa Barbara, CA
1989      Hit the Beach, Salty Dog Studios, Carpinteria, CA
1988      Tales of Boulder, Lodestone Gallery, Boulder, CO
1987      It Was a Bomb, Joan Robey Gallery, Denver, CO
              Outlaws of Aspen, Janie Beggs Gallery, Aspen, CO
1986      101 Mutations, Contemporary Craftsman, Santa Fe, NM
1985      Historic Boulder, Lodestone Gallery, Boulder, CO
1984      Dog & His Boy II,Xochipilli, Birmingham, MI
1983      Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, Boulder, CO
1982      Roomful of Clay, Grant St. Art Center, Denver, CO
1980      A Dog & His Boy I,   Xochipilli, Rochester, MI

Selected Group Exhibitions

2003      Painted Violins, Benefit for the Arlington Symphony, VA
2002      Dog Days, Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC
             
New Artists, New Space, Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC
2001      ArtOut of the Box, Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, Pasadena, CA
              Revelations, Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC
              Fish Out of Water, Public Art Project, Baltimore, MD
2000      Glazed Visions, Havu Gallery, Denver, CO
              Y2Klay at DIA, Denver International Airport, CO
              Large Scale Clay, Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, Boulder, CO (curator)
1999      Clay on the Wall, KSU, Manhattan, KS
              Please Touch, Tohono Chul Park, Tucson, AZ
1998      I Can Handle IT, Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO (curator)
              Colorado Clay, Arapaho Comm. College, Littleton, CO
1997      Brand XXVII, Brand Library, Glendale, CA
              The Dog in American Craft, AKC Museum of the Dog, St. Louis, MO
1994      Artist’s Response to AIDS, Santa Barbara, CA
1993      Centennial Celebration, Denver Art Museum, CO
              The Pet Show, Helander Gallery, NY, NY
1992      Resistance and Survival, Green Dragon, Santa Barbara, CA
1991      Goin’ to the Dogs, Elizabeth Fortner Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
              Elaine Horwitch Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, Santa Fe,NM
1990      Ceramics Now, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA
              Freedom of Expression Postcard Project, ACLU, Santa Barbara, CA
1989      Vice Versa, Joan Robey Gallery, Denver, CO
1988      Monarch Tile Natl.Ceramic Competition,
              San Angelo Museum of Art, San Angelo, TX
              The Dog Show, Braunstein Quay Gallery, San Francisco, CA
              WOTAZOO, Joan Robey Gallery, Denver, CO
              Self Portraits, Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO
1987      Art in the Mountain Time Zone, JCC, Denver, CO
1986      American Ceramic Natl. IV, Fair Oaks, CA
              Monarch Tile Natl Competition, San Angelo, TX
              Art of Craft, Denver Art Museum
              Figure & Landscape, Denver Art Museum
1985      Chronicles: Historic References in Contemporary Clay,
              Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Fine Art, Logan, Utah
              Clay: Beyond Function, ACC & CSU, Colorado
1984      American Ceramic National II, Downey Museum, Downey, CA
              -American Gold Medal

1998      Boulder Arts Commission, Boulder, CO
              I Can Handle IT... Touch Exhibition
              DraCo Natl Video Contest, Boulder, CO
              Vincent van Gone- Winner
1991      Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce
              Artist-in-Residence
1991      Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce
              Artist-in-Residence
1988      Boulder Arts Commission, Boulder, CO
              Boulder Porcelain Mural
1987      Univ. of Colorado Housing Department
              CU Architectural Sculpture Project
1986      Boulder Arts Commission, Boulder, CO
              Historic Boulder Sculpture Project

Public Arts Education

2001      Legacy Tile Project: Ceramic Mural,
              15”x 18’ done by 5th graders at Superior
              Elementary School, Superior, CO

Collections

              Denver Art Museum
              Touche-Deloitte, CO
              Chemical Bank, NY
              Kaiser Permanente, CO
              Post-Newsweek, MI
              University of Colorado, Boulder
              Boulder, CO

              Aspen, CO
              Santa Barbara, CA
              Dushanbe, Tajikistan
              Ford Motor Company, MI
              Kimball Small Properties, CA
              Shames-Makovsky Realty, CO
              Ashley Hall School, SC
              Thacher School, CA
              Hill Construction, SC
              Big Dog Sportswear, CA
              Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., CA
              Boulder Public Library, CO
              Vendue Inn, SC
              Charlie’s Little Bar, SC
              West End Tavern, CO
              Mark & Polly Addison
              Stuart & Julia Chang-Bloch
              Jimmy & Deborah Calano
              The Wilde Collection
              Betty Sheinbaum
              Dennis Quaid/ Meg Ryan
              Danny Sullivan
              Peggy Phelps
              Turpin/ Foster/Geiger families
              Cynthia Jones
              Boone Sculpture Garden
              Dan & Susan Kilcup
              Glenn Frey
              Cher

Publications
              New York Times, American Craft, New Blood
              Denver Post, new arts examiner, Dog Fancy,
              Clay Times, Ceramics Monthly, Aspen Times,
              ARTWEEK, L.A. Times, Detroit Free Press,
              C.U Alumni Magazine, Georgetowner, others

Education:
1980  BFA  University of Michigan
                    also UCLA and UC Davis

1971 H.S.   Thatcher School,  Ojai, CA

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Aaron studied with acknowledged American Masters
Robert Arneson, Peter Voulkos, Richard Notkin and John Stephenson in the field of clay; Nick
Venet and John Stewart (Kingston Trio) in the field of music and has worked in the film and
animation industry in Hollywood.

John Aaron has been working in sculptural clay for more than 30 years and is recognized
for creating a unique body of work in the world of Art. His thrown and altered relief bowls
and bas reliefs are in corporate, municipal and private collections on 4 continents.
He made his first sculpture, a clay Cocker Spaniel, in 2nd Grade; and although friends who
have followed his work suggested that perhaps he should have quit back then while he was ahead,
he never looked back.

Comments by writers:
"Aaron may not be Picasso, but his sense and use of art history may be as acute..."
      -D. Zantinger, Boulder Daily Camera (2000)

"A noticeable trend of the last several years has been clay's movement from the pedestal
and floor to the wall-not necessarily for the architectural purposes of the past. The large
number of pieces at the Downey confirms this continuation and expansion of this interest,
beginning with John Aaron's Drinks at the Jerome... "
      -E Levin, new arts examiner (1984)

"Aaron creates an Everyman, a character with whose travels and travails the viewer
can identify. The surprise is that Aaron's Everyman is actually an Everydog:
a Labrador Retriever."
      -N. Clegg, Westword (1986)

" Few artists possess Aaron's urgency to create...."
      -V. Miesel, University of Michigan Press (1988)

"John Aaron's "Pantheon of Scoundrels"... overwhelms with the cutting edge vision of the 
ongoing political scene as well as the virtuoso use of the porcelain medium.  The 
Washington Post made a big mistake when they didn't hire Aaron to succeed Herblock....
His image of Rumsfeld with a nuclear bomb going off on top of his head is not one you will forget..."
      -John Blee, Georgtowner Magazine (2003)     

 

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