Paul Lanier

Christa Assad?s earlier work is functional wheel thrown porcelain and stoneware, at times altered and assembled, with geometric shapes informed by industrial design and architecture. Later ceramic pieces are sculptural objects, executed in porcelain and unglazed stoneware, referencing tools of war and oppression.

Assad entered Pennsylvania State University with the intention of studying aerospace engineering, becoming serious about clay her senior year under the guidance of Chris Staley. This led her to a year of study with Walter Ostrom, a pivotal period of exploration. A six week trip to China after graduate school was also deeply influential, both as a ceramic history education and a cultural evolution. Another milestone in development was business partnerships with artists in galleries. Assad reports: ?My business with Mary Mar Keenan and Rae Dunn was called Verdigris Clay Studio + Gallery. The second business, also with Rae Dunn but this time with Josie Jurczenia as the founding partner, was called Fourth & Clay. Verdigris ran 1999-2007, Fourth & Clay was like 2007-2015. Both were fabulous business partnership/studio mate experiences.? Both galleries were in San Francisco, CA.

In 2014 Assad survived a house fire. She escaped with a badly broken back, and spent five months in a body cast. She rethought, reimagined, and reinvented her career. Always an artist who designs and crafts, she expanded her material base and process of fabrication. ?ReUpped,? in the 2016 issue of The Studio Potter, reflects upon this process of constant change and adaptation.