Sharif Bey (born 1974,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, U.S.) is an African American artist, ceramicist and professor. He produces both functional pottery and ceramic and mixed- media sculpture, using a variety of forms and textures. His body of work reflects his interest in the visual heritage of Africa and Oceania, as well as contemporary African American culture. With his colorful large-scale bead sculptures, Bey explores the cultural and political significance of ornamentation and adornment.

Education

As a high school student, Bey completed a ceramics apprenticeship at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild played a formative role for Bey throughout his teens, giving him a foundation of skills, extensive ceramics-world connections, and exposure to various visiting masters – including Jun Kaneko,

Karen Karnes Karen Karnes (November 17, 1925 – July 12, 2016) was an American ceramist, best known for her salt glazed, earth-toned stoneware ceramics. She was born in 1925 in New York City, where she attended art schools for children. Her garment worker pa ...

, Judy Moonelis,

Paul Soldner Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, and

Akio Takamori Akio Takamori (1950 – January 11, 2017) was a Japanese-American ceramic sculptor and was a faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Biography Takamori was born in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan in 1950 October 11. The ...

. Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Bey studied sculpture at The

Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava The Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava (AFAD; sk, Vysoká škola výtvarných umení v Bratislave, VŠVU) is an academy in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was founded in 1949 at the dawn of totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovak Social ...

(Slovak Republic). Later, he earned his BFA in ceramics from

Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock University, formally Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (The Rock or SRU), is a public university in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. SRU is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The university ...

, his MFA in studio art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and PhD in art education from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

Career

Bey's teaching experience includes appointments at:

Winston Salem State University Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a Historically black colleges and universities, historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina. History Winston-Salem State Universi ...

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

, and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He has held artist residencies at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, John Michael Kohler Arts Center,

Pittsburgh Glass Center The Pittsburgh Glass Center is a gallery, glass studio, and public-access school dedicated to teaching, creating and promoting studio glass art. It is located on Penn Avenue in the Friendship neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It has features works by ...

, and

Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts (also known as "The Bray") is a public, nonprofit, educational institution located 3 miles from downtown Helena, Montana, United States. It was founded on the site of the former Western Clay Manufa ...

Art career

Since being featured at the

Renwick Gallery The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C. that displays American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century. The gallery is housed in a National Historic Landmark building that ...

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

in 2018, The Carnegie Museum of Art,

Everson Museum of Art Everson may refer to: People with the surname * Ben Everson (born 1987), English footballer * Bill Everson (1906–1966), Welsh international rugby union player * Cliff Everson, a New Zealand car designer and manufacturer * Corinna Everson (born ...

and the

Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (commonly shortened to the Gardiner Museum) is a ceramics museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is situated within University of Toronto's St. George campus, in downtown Toronto. The museum bu ...

in Toronto have all held solo exhibitions of Bey's Work. His ceramic, glass and mixed-media sculptures can be found in public collections including:

, Museum of Fine Arts Houston,

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbur ...

, Dallas Museum of Art, Mint Museum, Columbus Museum of Art,

Hickory Museum of Art Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) is an art museum in Hickory, North Carolina which holds exhibitions, events, and public educational programs based on a permanent collection of 19th to 21st century American art. The museum also features a long-term e ...

Gardiner Museum The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art (commonly shortened to the Gardiner Museum) is a ceramics museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is situated within University of Toronto's St. George campus, in downtown Toronto. The museum b ...

, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and the United States Embassies in Indonesia, Sudan, and Uganda. His work has been exhibited at: * '' Sharif Bey: Colonial Ruptures'' (2022)

* '' Sharif Bey: Facets'' (2022)

< * '' Sharif Bey: Excavations'' (2021–2022) Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh * ''Objects USA 2020'' (2020) R & Company * ''Adorned'' (2020)

McColl Center for Art and Innovation McColl Center (formerly McColl Center for Art + Innovation) is an artist residency and contemporary art space located at 721 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh * ''Disrupting Craft: Renwick Invitational'' (2018–2019) at the

* ''Sharif Bey: Dialogues in Clay and Glass'' (2018) at the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bey, Sharif 1974 births Living people American ceramists Artists from Pittsburgh African-American artists 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people