Michael Sherrill Firefest 2019 Sculpture Reveal

Ceramic artist Michael Sherrill created the fire sculpture for Firefest 2019. The sculpture was revealed once it reached peak temperature at Firefest. The son of an inventor and motorcycle racer and warrior princess homemaker, Michael Sherrill has lived in the western North Carolina mountains since 1974. He considers himself a materials-based artist experimenting primarily in the media of clay, metal, and glass. At the heart of his interest is the intersection of where humans and materials meet in both handmade objects and the natural world. Michael’s work is in several public collections including the Smithsonian Institute’s Renwick Collection, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, the Museum of Art and Design, Corning Museum of Glass, and Takoma Glass Museum, among others. In 1993, the Year of Craft, Michael was selected for the White House collection, which traveled to venues around the United States. His piece, “Incandescent Bottles,” now resides in the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum. As part of the International Ceramics Symposium (World Ceramic Exposition Foundation), Michael was one of 10 artists invited in the summer of 2004 to participate in a residency creating outdoor sculptures to be placed permanently at the International Ceramic Museum in Inchon, S. Korea. His other residencies include: the LH Project (2015), Museum of Glass (2010), John Michael Kohler Arts Center (2006), and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (2005). Michael was awarded the 2010 United States Artists Wingate Fellowship. He is currently involved with the Center for Craft Creativity and Design and served as president on the board of the Center for Craft, Creativity & Design. The CCCD is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of craft and the field of materials-based arts both in practice and in academic settings. Firefest is a two-day celebration of art created with fire. Firefest is typically held in April at STARworks in Star, NC. Guest artists in glass, ceramics and metal are invited to hold lectures, perform demonstrations and create sculpture. The public is invited to watch, take classes, meet the artists and enjoy fiery finale events. Learn more by visiting www.STARworksNC.org.