Sloan, Debra Evelyn
Item
Maker Name
Sloan, Debra Evelyn
Marks
Biography
Debra Sloan's first contact with clay was in 1958, at the UBC Ceramic Hut, as a model for her mother, student in Santo Mignosa's portraiture class. She remembers the intriguing scent of the studio. Debra took night classes, 1968/69, at the Ross Hughye School of Pottery with Barbara Baanders, and a month-long summer course with Lu (Louise) Buck in 1969 hosted by Saltspring Potters Guild (Emily Crosby). In 1969 she set up a basement studio, attended UBC-Arts One 1970/71, then traveled and lived n Europe 1972/73.
Debra returned in 1973 and started a six-year self-directed apprenticeship, as co-owner with Margaret Sloan, as manager/ teacher at Peg’s Place Pottery School - with teachers Mary Daniel, Ron Vallis, Sam Kwan, Suzu Speier (Matsuda , Elsa (Turner) Schamis, Elspeth Baird, Elise (Lisi) Seigel, Nancy Rawls, Daniel Maternal, and Hiro Urakami.
After closing down Peg's Place in 1979 (It became Almond Park Pottery - a collective) Debra enrolled at VSA (Tam Irving, Sally Michener, Ray Arnett) During the three school years she rented weekend spaces at Tanzar Crafts, using Hiro Urakami’s and Elise Seigle’s spaces, and Jeannie Mah’s at Backdoor Pottery, and she graduated, Honours, in 1982.
During the 1970/80s s she exhibited locally at House of Ceramics, (she considers Hiro Urakami to be her mentor) the Gallery of BC Ceramics, Craft House, Circle Craft Co-op, and the Canadian Craft Museum.
She set up a home studio in 1982, where she still works. From 1982 Debra dug and processed the local Haney earthenware, making functional slipware, until 1985 when she started her family.
From 1991-2013 Debra developed and taught a non-armature figurative course, with live models, for the Shadbolt Arts Centre. In 1993 the West Coast Clay Sculptural Association was founded by her sculpture students and is still active. (Santo Mignosa, a long-term member)
In 2004/05 Debra attained her BFA from ECUAD (Paul Mathieu).
Debra has adjudicated for the PGBC, CCBC, Circle Craft, and for the BC Arts Council, the Mayor’s Arts Awards and Filbert Festival. She has served on provincial craft boards and is President of the North-West Ceramics Foundation (ongoing from 2018) and her work has been selected, exhibited, collected, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
In 2007-09 she collaborated with Glenn Lewis and Phyllis Schwartz, on ‘Seeking the Nuance’, a book featuring glazes from Glenn’s Leach apprenticeship 1961, and his teaching at UBC, Faculty of Education in the early 1970s. Published first in 2009, (2nd Edition 2017) 'Seeking the Nuance ' was discovered online, by Alex Lambley, then a research fellow at the Leach Pottery and Falmouth University ,UK, and she turned her attention onto the Diaspora of the Leach /Mingei influence on the BC potters who studied with Bernard Leach (1958 - 1975.) (Alex stayed at Debra's in 2012 for research in BC and her Dissertation published 2020)
This connection lead to Debra's invitation, by Leach Pottery Director, Julia Twomlow, in 2014, to research and respond to 2 rare equestrian finials made by Bernard Leach in the mid-1920s. (According to potter/historian Peter Smith, of Bojewyan Pottery in Cornwall) Debra is the first artist to have worked solely as a clay sculptor at the Leach Pottery since 1920). (Julia also invited Glenn Lewis to return in 2013 for the 50th Anniversary of his apprenticeship). Debra returned to the Leach in 2017 and 2018, by invitation from new Director Libby Buckley, for residencies and teaching. "Up on the Roof - the Role of Equestrian Ridge Finials as Historical Narrative" was published 2017, 2nd edition 2018. (Peter Smith generously provided essential insights and research.)
Debra has published and presented talks about BC ceramics in the PGBC newsletters, and in national and international magazines.
From 2011 - 2013, collaborating with Jinny Whitehead, President of the PGBC and ceramicist Linda Lewis to digitize and make the PGBC newsletters re-searchable. They received a grant from the 'UBC BC History Digitization Project'. https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc%3Aroot
Residencies has been important to her practice - In 2010 she received a BC Arts Council grant to attend the International Ceramics studio in Hungary (returned in 2013,2017), CRETA- Rome (2015), the Leach Pottery (2014, 2017, 2018). In 2018/19 Debra took part in a year-long residency /Koerner Collection/ UBC, MOA, and in 2019 a residency in Shigaragki, Japan. (Canada Arts Council grant)
In 2015 Debra was recipient of Mayor's Arts Award and the Craft Council of BC's Hilda Gerson Award.
In 2017 Debra was invited by CCBC to work with JOE INK Dance company on a Dance/Craft performance, realized in 2022.
BCCMR
From 2005 Debra has been collecting BC ceramic history and BC ceramic marks (instigated by PGBC 50th anniversary). Working closely with collector John Lawrence, Canadian craft historian, Allan Collier, and CCBC, to publish the “BC Ceramic Mark Registry” BCCMR. This ceramic mark registry will cover a century in BC ceramic history.
Debra returned in 1973 and started a six-year self-directed apprenticeship, as co-owner with Margaret Sloan, as manager/ teacher at Peg’s Place Pottery School - with teachers Mary Daniel, Ron Vallis, Sam Kwan, Suzu Speier (Matsuda , Elsa (Turner) Schamis, Elspeth Baird, Elise (Lisi) Seigel, Nancy Rawls, Daniel Maternal, and Hiro Urakami.
After closing down Peg's Place in 1979 (It became Almond Park Pottery - a collective) Debra enrolled at VSA (Tam Irving, Sally Michener, Ray Arnett) During the three school years she rented weekend spaces at Tanzar Crafts, using Hiro Urakami’s and Elise Seigle’s spaces, and Jeannie Mah’s at Backdoor Pottery, and she graduated, Honours, in 1982.
During the 1970/80s s she exhibited locally at House of Ceramics, (she considers Hiro Urakami to be her mentor) the Gallery of BC Ceramics, Craft House, Circle Craft Co-op, and the Canadian Craft Museum.
She set up a home studio in 1982, where she still works. From 1982 Debra dug and processed the local Haney earthenware, making functional slipware, until 1985 when she started her family.
From 1991-2013 Debra developed and taught a non-armature figurative course, with live models, for the Shadbolt Arts Centre. In 1993 the West Coast Clay Sculptural Association was founded by her sculpture students and is still active. (Santo Mignosa, a long-term member)
In 2004/05 Debra attained her BFA from ECUAD (Paul Mathieu).
Debra has adjudicated for the PGBC, CCBC, Circle Craft, and for the BC Arts Council, the Mayor’s Arts Awards and Filbert Festival. She has served on provincial craft boards and is President of the North-West Ceramics Foundation (ongoing from 2018) and her work has been selected, exhibited, collected, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
In 2007-09 she collaborated with Glenn Lewis and Phyllis Schwartz, on ‘Seeking the Nuance’, a book featuring glazes from Glenn’s Leach apprenticeship 1961, and his teaching at UBC, Faculty of Education in the early 1970s. Published first in 2009, (2nd Edition 2017) 'Seeking the Nuance ' was discovered online, by Alex Lambley, then a research fellow at the Leach Pottery and Falmouth University ,UK, and she turned her attention onto the Diaspora of the Leach /Mingei influence on the BC potters who studied with Bernard Leach (1958 - 1975.) (Alex stayed at Debra's in 2012 for research in BC and her Dissertation published 2020)
This connection lead to Debra's invitation, by Leach Pottery Director, Julia Twomlow, in 2014, to research and respond to 2 rare equestrian finials made by Bernard Leach in the mid-1920s. (According to potter/historian Peter Smith, of Bojewyan Pottery in Cornwall) Debra is the first artist to have worked solely as a clay sculptor at the Leach Pottery since 1920). (Julia also invited Glenn Lewis to return in 2013 for the 50th Anniversary of his apprenticeship). Debra returned to the Leach in 2017 and 2018, by invitation from new Director Libby Buckley, for residencies and teaching. "Up on the Roof - the Role of Equestrian Ridge Finials as Historical Narrative" was published 2017, 2nd edition 2018. (Peter Smith generously provided essential insights and research.)
Debra has published and presented talks about BC ceramics in the PGBC newsletters, and in national and international magazines.
From 2011 - 2013, collaborating with Jinny Whitehead, President of the PGBC and ceramicist Linda Lewis to digitize and make the PGBC newsletters re-searchable. They received a grant from the 'UBC BC History Digitization Project'. https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc%3Aroot
Residencies has been important to her practice - In 2010 she received a BC Arts Council grant to attend the International Ceramics studio in Hungary (returned in 2013,2017), CRETA- Rome (2015), the Leach Pottery (2014, 2017, 2018). In 2018/19 Debra took part in a year-long residency /Koerner Collection/ UBC, MOA, and in 2019 a residency in Shigaragki, Japan. (Canada Arts Council grant)
In 2015 Debra was recipient of Mayor's Arts Award and the Craft Council of BC's Hilda Gerson Award.
In 2017 Debra was invited by CCBC to work with JOE INK Dance company on a Dance/Craft performance, realized in 2022.
BCCMR
From 2005 Debra has been collecting BC ceramic history and BC ceramic marks (instigated by PGBC 50th anniversary). Working closely with collector John Lawrence, Canadian craft historian, Allan Collier, and CCBC, to publish the “BC Ceramic Mark Registry” BCCMR. This ceramic mark registry will cover a century in BC ceramic history.
First name
Debra
Last name
Sloan
Career dates (start and end)
1973
Date of Birth
1952
Place of Birth
Nelson, British Columbia
Studio location
Formal Education
Major Exhibitions
See DES CV for complete exhibition record; www.debrasloan.com
Selected Regional exhibits only;
Selected Regional exhibits only;
2022 Dance Craft - Joe Ink Dance, CCBC. Fie and Milton Wong Theatre, performance
2020/21 Playing With Fire, Ceramics of the Extraordinary, MOA, curated, catalogue, Dr. Carol E. Mayer
2017 43th Anniversary Circle Craft Co-Op
2013 10,000 Hours CCBC 40th Anniversary, Museum of Vancouver
2013 40th Anniversary Circle Craft Co-op, Pendulum Gallery
2005 Transformations PGBC 50th Anniversary, Burnaby Art Gallery
2005 80th Anniversary ECUAD
1986 /1995/1996/1998/ 200/ 2004 /2005/2017 Gallery of BC Ceramics
2003 30th Anniversary Circle Craft Co-Op
1997 Unexpected Collaborations Canadian Craft Museum
1993 The Pleasures of Making , Canadian Craft Museum
1985 Made by Hand, Charles Scott Gallery, ECUAD, CCBC
1983 Made by Hand, Cartwright Street Gallery CCBC
1983 Images and Objects BC Arts Council
Ceramics 81 PGBC,
Ceramics 82, PGBC
1984 Clay Sculpture, PGBC
Ceramics 82, PGBC
1984 Clay Sculpture, PGBC
1980 Retrospect Ceramics 80, PGBC 25th Anniversary
1976/77/78 House of Ceramics
Collections
UBC, Museum of Anthropology
Chanchung Museum, China
Shigaraki Culture Park Collection, Japan
Ceramart Foundation and Ceramics Now Association, Romania
International Ceramic Studio Collection, Kecskemet Hungary
Leach Pottery and Museum, St Ives, UK
C.R.E.T.A Collection, Rome, Italy
Nardoni Muzje Slovenie, Slovenia
Kenyan Sculpture Society
Craft Council of BC
City of Port Coquitlam
City of Port Moody
University of British Columbia Library
Affiliated organizations
Personal Website
Links to Further Resources
2021 Catalogue - “Playing with Fire” The exhibition awarded for Social Impact - Honourable Mention - BCMA
2020 Foreword for "Sea Salt Lizards and Clay" by Santo Mignosa,
2019 Interlinked Themes, Multiple Meaning – the Oeuvre of the Canadian Ceramicist Debra Sloan.
Featured profile by Ronnie Watt, Ceramics of South Africa, Vol 16.1
Featured profile by Ronnie Watt, Ceramics of South Africa, Vol 16.1
2019 Canada Council for the Arts Arts Abroad, Shigaraki, Japan
2017 The Art of Thomas Kakinuma , Exhibition and catalogue, Museum of West Vancouver (Essays Dr. Carol E Mayer, Darrin Morrison, Debra Sloan)
2017/18, author
Thomas Kakinuma, 1908 - 1982
Thomas Kakinuma, 1908 - 1982
Artist profile, and guest writer;
www.studioceramicscanada.com
www.studioceramicscanada.com
LARK BOOKS;
500 figures/ 500 Teapots/500 Animals/
500 Pitchers / The Best of 500 Ceramics
500 figures/ 500 Teapots/500 Animals/
500 Pitchers / The Best of 500 Ceramics
Digitized PGBC newsletters;
https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc
https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc
www.nwcf.ca
Source
Debra E. Sloan
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 2012 |
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 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 1984 |
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 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 2003 |
Maker | Image |
 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 1994 |
Maker | Image |
 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 1996 |
Maker | Image |
 Sloan, Debra Evelyn mark 2009 |
Maker | Image |