Reese Girdner

Artist & Educator

About
Statement
Contact

Sculptural

Open

Functional

Open

Return

Reese Girdner was born in central Nebraska and he is a PK-12 Art Education major with a minor in 3D Studio Art. He is a ceramic artist whose work explores the balance between functional wheel-thrown forms and ornate decoration to symbolize the desire to be understood and connect with others.He is a recipient of the Stevie Wilson DIY Young Artists Residency grant and he has spent time as summer workstudy at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN). He has had artwork displayed at the Museum of Nebraska Art (Kearney, NE), the LUX Center for the Arts (Lincoln, NE), the Radial Arts Center (Omaha, NE), the Artists' Cooperative Gallery (Omaha, NE), the Brickwalk Gallery (Kearney, NE) where he is a member of the Brickwalk Collective, and he is a Mug Program member at Cedar Creek Coffee & Art (Elkhorn, NE). He has also had multiple artworks featured in The Carillon, UNK's Literary and Art Journal.

Return

My work explores the relationship between functional forms, ornate sculptural decoration, and pattern as a reflection on community and human connection. Utilizing ornate decoration and pattern is an act of care toward what is being created and transforms the functional piece into something meant to be cherished and shared with others. Drawing inspiration from literature, film, religion, mythology, philosophy, and other media, I create pieces that observe the love we have for one another, the communities we create, the friendships we both grow and lose, and the memories we make along the way. Sculpted imagery of plants, bugs, and other flora and fauna are the voice for themes of perseverance, transformation, and exploration. My work reveals the deeply personal ways we imbue what we love in what we create.