Minneapolis-based ceramicist Z Kaplan will lead members of the Lanesboro community through exercises in clay while diving into what it means to actively building a home as artist-in-residence May 6 - June 6, 2024.
Lanesboro Arts is thrilled to welcome Minneapolis-based ceramicist Z Kaplan as the Lanesboro Arts Artist in Residence from May 6 to June 6, 2024.
During their residency at Lanesboro Arts, Z Kaplan will lead members of the Lanesboro community through exercises in clay while diving into what it means to be present and actively building a home, while navigating ongoing relationships to self, others, and place. In informal one-on-one interviews and exploratory clay workshops, Z will work with the community to reflect on their lives through connecting with the earth, clay, diverse tactile experiences and community storytelling. Z’s residency project expands an ongoing Jewish community art initiative that aims to honor ancestry, the complicated reality of living in diaspora, and building home right where you are.
The general public is invited to participate in a series of free creative clay workshops hosted by Z, starting with a Welcome Potluck and Ceramic Workshop on Thursday, May 9th. Two later workshops invite participants to decorate ceramic tiles that will result in a community-made ceramic tapestry. Z will reveal the completed tapestry, intended to live as a permanent fixture in Lanesboro, at a Capstone Potluck on Tuesday, June 4th.
Residency Events
- Thursday, May 9, 5 – 7 pm: Welcome Potluck & Burnout Ceramic Workshop at Sylvan Park Picnic Shelter
- Saturday, May 11, 12 – 2:30 pm: Workshop: Building Home through Clay at Sylvan Park Picnic Shelter
- Thursday, May 23, 5 – 7 pm: Workshop: Sharing our Stories on Tiles at the St. Mane Theatre Parking Lot
- Thursday, May 30, 5 – 7 pm: Workshop: Sharing our Stories on Tiles at the St. Mane Theatre Parking Lot
- Tuesday, June 4, 5 – 7 pm: Capstone Potluck & Tapestry Reveal at Sylvan Park Picnic Shelter
About Z Kaplan
Z Kaplan (they/them) is a queer, trans, Jewish ceramic artist based in Minneapolis. As a community-oriented person who works for the betterment of their world through organizing and takes on the role of a teacher in various contexts, they are motivated by bringing joy, justice, and comfort to others. Recently, Z has been incorporating their value of doikayt, Yiddish meaning “hereness,” to invoke pieces that connect to their roots and to others in a way that explores desires for grounding and play in a reality that is deeply diasporic.
Their work is primarily created through atmospheric firings – soda and wood firings. In these firings, the end result of the pieces is unpredictable, because the pieces become vulnerable to their atmosphere. In highlighting the unpredictable nature within the habitual, Z is able to create work that reflects the unpredictability of building a home far away from their ancestors. Z’s recent creative and organizing work aims to re-imagine Jewish ritual objects in order to support their community in becoming agents in their own traditions. As Z explores new techniques and firing methods, they plan to continue to offer recipes toward home-building.
About the Lanesboro Artist Residency Program
Supported through 2024 by the Jerome Foundation, the Lanesboro Artist Residency Program awards two to three residencies per year to emerging artists with projects that activate the people and places of Lanesboro while instigating positive change. The program’s place-based and community-engaged focus is geared toward emerging artists that are driven to explore ways in which their work can be applied to the community and how Lanesboro’s rural community can inform their work. For more information, visit lanesboroarts.org or call 507-467-2446.
The Lanesboro Artist Residency Program is supported by the Jerome Foundation.
