Lake Louise and its surroundings have inspired Suska-Green’s current work in clay and fiber. Modular ceramic constructions and paper pieces with layers of colored linen and cotton pulps are part of the exhibit. The lake is nestled in the mountains of Calgary province, Canada. The glacier-capped mountains and tall forests that partially surround the lake are reflected in water of an extraordinary turquoise color. The geological term to describe this color is “rock flour.” The turquoise color of Lake Louise results from a suspension of microscopic particles of rock, quartz and feldspar, generated by glacier erosion to create phosphorescent hues.A Pittsburgh native, Suska-Green earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied painting, printmaking and ceramics. Subsequently, she attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics. She currently teaches at Chatham University and the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.
Suska-Green’s paintings, ceramic forms and handmade paper constructions have been exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States. Inspiration for many of her works resonates from travel experiences in artist residencies, study tours and community events in the United States, as well as in Taiwan, Canada, Japan, Ghana, West Africa and China. She has been awarded grants and fellowships for these experiences through the Surdna Foundation, Dream Community and Education Foundation, Greater Pittsburgh Artist Council and the Fulbright-Hayes program.
Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday-Friday and 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, or by appointment.
The Rose Lehrman Art Gallery received state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For more information, contact Kim Banister, gallery curator, at 717-780-2435 or kebanist@hacc.edu.
Caption:
“Rock Flour,” ceramics and fiber by Denise Suska-Green, will be on display in the Rose Lehrman Art Gallery on the Harrisburg Campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, from Wednesday, Sept. 4 through Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013.
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