Nick Vest: Report from Jingdezhen

In this presentation by former AMOCA Artist-in-Residence Nick Vest , the artist shares a virtual talk about ceramic life in Jingdezhen, China. Vest discusses the historic and contemporary importance of Jingdezhen porcelain, created in the Jiangxi Province in southern China where Vest lives. Vest will also talks about his current practice, working as a ceramic artist and running the MenLo Gallery and Studio in Jingdezhen. This presentation, recorded during a live Zoom on June 22, 2023, was followed by a Q & A.

Nick Vest was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He received his MFA from Kansas State University and his BFA from Alfred University. Vest has been resident artist at Shangyu Celadon Modern International Ceramic Art Center; the Gaya Ceramic Art Center in Bali, Indonesia; and the Quiong Lai Ceramic Center in Sichuan, China. He established a personal studio in Jingdezhen, China, in 2016. In 2018, he opened the MenLo Gallery and Studio in Jingdezhen, which aims to celebrate the risk-taking and innovative work of young Chinese artists, as well as to offer non-traditional ceramic artists from abroad residency and exhibition opportunities. Vest was in residence at AMOCA July 2022–March 2023.

AMOCA’s Artist in Residence Program, established in 2012, is one of the few long-term fellowship opportunities for ceramic artists on the West Coast. This residency provides artists an opportunity to produce or develop a new body of work. The program is funded through generous support from Julianne and David Armstrong, Laguna Clay, and the Windgate Foundation.