Dane Youngren concludes PNW Residency with "Prospecting"

SEATTLE - May 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Pottery Northwest is pleased to present "Prospecting," a solo exhibition of work by Dane Youngren. The show will run from June 1 through June 28, 2013 in the Gallery of Pottery Northwest's historic home at 226 First Avenue North (between Thomas and John), just one block south of the Key Arena at the Seattle Center. An Opening Reception with the artist will be held on Saturday, June 1st, from 6 to 8 pm. The public is cordially invited to attend.

For most of his life Dane Youngren lived and worked on his family's dairy farm located near the town of Stanwood, WA. It was there that he developed a passion for farming as well as an interest in building various structures often using reclaimed materials. Youngren studied at Washington State University in Pullman, earning his BFA in 2011 and a BS in Agricultural Economics in 2010. Between 2010 and 2011, he worked as an assistant to sculptor Beth Cavener Stichter in her studio in Garfield, Washington. He has been an artist in residence at Pottery Northwest since 2011.

Youngren's work is a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. It engages with the everyday structures of the built environment serving transportation, industrial, and other functional purposes. He works in the ceramic medium to create sculptures that call attention to these architectural structures as well as the antithesis of construction - the subsequent destruction and abandonment that comes with obsolete buildings and industrial endeavors. The imagery he utilizes has connections to westward expansion and industrialization, but his work tends toward the antithesis of this process of development - the obsolescence, deterioration, and other by-products of industrial decline.

"Prospecting" features new projects and forms developed during Youngren's two year artist-in-residency at Pottery Northwest.  The structures highlight the attention to form and function found in the old west, and vary from tall, mine shaft towers to town saloons and various sheds - all built off the cuff without any plans and only a purpose in mind. In Youngren' words:

This exhibition seeks to not only call attention to the modernization of prospecting, but to also take a step back to the roots and the perhaps simple (but unruly) days of gold prospecting and other mining scenes that sprung up in mineral rich regions. It is in this kind of spirit that the sculptures in this show create a sense of a different time and place where wood-built structures ruled.

About Pottery Northwest

Pottery Northwest is the Pacific Northwest's premiere ceramic facility. Founded in 1966 as a non-profit arts organization, Pottery Northwest is a long time and vibrant source of programming in the Seattle arts community. Artists from around the world come to Pottery Northwest in the spirit of artistic dialog and as a formative step in their professional career. World class professional artist residencies, exhibitions featuring traditional and contemporary work, community classes and an engaging lecture series spanning many years are all features of this fixture at Seattle Center.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 11 am to 5 pm and by appointment.  Call 206-285-4421.