Virtual Artist Talk
Participating Artists: Carletta Williams, Shaun Mallonga, V Walton, and Gerald Brown. Moderator: Deshun Peoples.
Clay Art Center presents a Virtual Artist Panel for Thicc-ening the Narrative, our online invitational Pride Month exhibition, guest curated by Deshun Peoples. Join us to learn more about the participating artists and how the intersecting identities of queerness, race, and fatness inform their work and creative processes.
Participating Artists: Carletta Williams, Shaun Mallonga, V Walton, and Gerald Brown. Moderator: Deshun Peoples.
Learn more about Guest Curator Deshun Peoples
*This Virtual Event was originally aired June 20th, 2024, 7pm Eastern Time via Zoom.
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Deshun Peoples, moderator
is a ceramic artist and designer from Chicago, IL who is currently studying clinical social work at the University of Chicago's Crown School of Social Work, working as an intern psychotherapist in a group private practice, and working as a Studio Manager at Firebird Community Arts in Chicago navigating the intersection of Community Mental Health and Creative Arts Practice. Peoples received his dual BA in Studio Art and Rhetoric from Bates College in 2017, MFA in Ceramics from RISD in 2021, and will receive his MSW from UChicago Crown School in 2024. Deshun has taught various courses at Rhode Island School of Design, the University of Arkansas, and Chicago State University.
Peoples has shown his work widely, including a solo exhibition at Bates College Olin Arts Center, and group exhibitions at Eutectic Gallery in Oregon, Worcester Center for Craft in Massachusetts, Abel Contemporary in Wisconsin, Crocker Art Museum in California, KOBO Gallery in Washington, and The Clay Studio in Pennsylvania. His honors include an apprenticeship with artist Theaster Gates, a Fulbright Student Research Grant to study in Jingdezhen, China, an Emerging Artist Chort Grant from the American Craft Council in 2022, and an Emerging Artist Fellowship from NCECA in 2023. Peoples is represented by Reynolds Gallery (Richmond, VA) in the state of Virginia.
Carletta Williams
Born and raised in the South, Carletta has formed a strong connection to the region’s motifs and daily life while being Black. Her current collective of work reflects the present society while reckoning with the events of the past. She sets out to recreate moments of celebration and gathering, while focusing on tangible and intangible pieces of African American Culture. Williams obtained her BA in Studio Art from Wesleyan College and is currently a MFA candidate at the University of Arkansas.
Gerald Brown
Gerald A. Brown is a Chicago Southside native, currently based in Philadelphia, PA. She received her BFA from Syracuse University, double emphasis in Sculpture and Ceramics. She has researched in Paris as well as furthered her studies at Penland and Haystack Mountain School of Craft. Gerald is an instructor in the Philly and surrounding area, currently teaching at West Chester University and Delaware Art Museum. In addition, she is the Social Media Curator for NCECA, the host of Unraveling Podcast with Gerald A. Brown, and co-founder of the Clay Siblings’ Project, a non-profit initiative providing free ceramic workshops around the country.
Shaun Mallonga
Shaun Peter Mallonga (they/he) is a queer Filipinx-Canadian artist currently living and studying in Iowa City, IA. Shaun was born in Vancouver and spent most of their formative years between Quezon City, Philippines and New Delhi, India. Shaun holds a diploma from the Langara College Fine Arts program (2014), and has received his Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the Alberta University of the Arts (2017) in Calgary, AB. He has attended residencies at both the Medalta International Artist-in-Residence program in Medicine Hat, AB, and the Harbourfront Centre Craft + Design Artist-In-Residence program in Toronto, ON. His work has been exhibited in both Canada and the US.
V Walton
V / Victoria Walton is a multidisciplinary artist living in Baltimore. They have an MFA in Ceramic Art from Alfred University and a BFA with a focus in ceramics from Towson University. Victoria explores the wonder and complexity of Black identity, creating sculpture and video works that center the narratives of women and gender-expansive people. V draws from her own life: reflecting on the intersection of her identities, their chronic illness-disability and queerness. Their work illustrates the societal and interpersonal dynamics that build and break us down simultaneously, making multi-layered connections between clay[terra], nature, and the body.
