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Artist information:
Shay Church
Kalamazoo, MI
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Shay Church is showing at:
West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology (FULL) West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology (FULL)
98 E Fulton St.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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Shay Church
Artist bio: Shay Church was born in 1975 in Saginaw, Michigan. He has been a practicing artist for the past ten years. Named a ‘2009 Emerging Artist’ by Ceramics Monthly magazine, Church has gained recognition for his large-scale, wet- clay installations of Gray Whales and African Elephants. These awkwardly placed, seemingly deceased animals confront viewers with powerful imagery in compromising positions. Made with wet-clay and wood, the installations eventually dry and crack revealing the fragility of their construction. Church has recently shown his artwork in venues such as The Cue Foundation in New York City, The Ceramic Research Center in Phoenix AZ, and The Natsoulas Center for the Arts, in Davis, CA. After graduating from San Jose State University in 2007, he was a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant Award. In 2008 he completed a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena MT, and is currently a ceramic instructor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.
Artist statement: My artwork is an attempt to create a meaningful connection between the natural world and myself. Often this connection seems fleeting. It is based on observation and the physical act of working with material such as clay and wood. This physical relationship also allows me to explore my spiritual, emotional and psychological concerns for the human experience.

In the “Wet Clay Installation” series, I have chosen to focus on African Elephants and Gray Whales as my source of imagery. Both of theses mammals have long daunting migrations they must survive each year. I like to describe my installations as “migrations interrupted”. This puts a forceful, crude human twist on an elegant natural cycle. I find comfort in meditating on their constant migratory state.
About the work:
Title: Gray Whale

Art form: 3-D

Medium: Clay, Wood

Year created: 2008

Description of work: This installation was created in Cypress, CA and is an example of one of my wet-clay installations. It was 42ft. in length and built on-site in a space that was 30’x30’. It was made with wet clay that is placed on top of a wooden armature. The clay is left to dry and crack thus revealing parts of the armature. These works are site-specific and only exist for the duration of the exhibition. After the exhibition is finished the piece is destroyed. I would like to build a gray whale in any indoor space that is around 30’x30’. The piece is site specific so I can respond to any space that is close to those dimensions. It usually takes me about 5-6 days to build a piece of this scale.

Work statement: In my “Wet Clay Installation” series I have chosen to focus on African Elephants and Gray Whales as my source of imagery. Both of theses mammals have long daunting migrations they must survive each year. I like to describe my installations as “migrations interrupted”. This puts a forceful, crude human twist on an elegant natural cycle. I find comfort in meditating on their constant migratory state.
Technical details:
Work width: 480 inches
Work height: 72 inches
Work depth: 360 inches
Required venue ceiling: 100 inches
Required venue door height: 72 inches
Required venue door width: 36 inches
Required wall linear footage: 30 ft.
Required venue square footage: 800 sq. ft.
Additional considerations:
Audio/video needed: No
Electrical needed: Yes
Lighting needed: No
Internet access needed: No
Ground floor access needed: Yes
Indoor space needed: Yes
Outdoor space needed: No

Work Images

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