Sadie Olson
Sadie Olson’s practice is deeply rooted in the exploration of emotion and experience, using the tactile process of clay to process and express times of awe, joy, grief, and everything in between. She channels her past and present to connect with others in her teaching practice, with emphasis on the importance of collaboration in creating art. Olson has developed a practice that uses ceramics as a therapeutic and meditative outlet, and through teaching, she has been able to intertwine them as a learning process. Human experience and connection significantly impact her work and inform both her technical growth and her increasingly intuitive approach to art. Over time, Olson hopes to inspire others to use art as a means of coping and adapting to the world.
A Table Full of Women
A Table Full of Women honors the people who raised me. Growing up having two moms, I was born into a community that was built upon found family, love, and incredible gay women. They found each other during a time when it was not as socially acceptable to be openly gay, and spent most of their lives living in a world that did not celebrate them. They created what they did not have growing up, a family that loved each other deeply, no matter how the outside world saw them. Being raised in a space where people were fully embraced, celebrated, and radically loved shaped who I am today. This hand-thrown ceramic dinnerware set makes a scene that resembles our weekly dinners, and the people who were at the table and showed up throughout my life: Julie, Linda, Lynn, Maria, and Allie. Each individual table setting will be glazed differently to represent one of these five people who I call my aunties. This functional artwork is a personal celebration of a chosen family, especially a gay one, and the enduring love that made this table feel like home.