Rice-Jones, Keith

Item

Maker Name

Rice-Jones, Keith

Studio name

Wild Rice Studio

Biography

Keith Rice-Jones was trained in the UK in the Arts and Crafts Tradition, first in wood, attending the Longborough Training College in the UK. Principles from the Arts and Crafts can be found combined with influences from Bauhaus and Modernism in his work.
In the 1970s Keith relocated to Vancouver and discovered clay. He became involved with the Potters Guild of BC , and became a long-time member of the Gallery Committee, a Board member, and later acted as President. He also served on the NWCF Board. During those years, Keith achieved his Degree in Education at UBC, and later a Masters of Education from the Western Washington University, and began a long career as educator as well.
Keith taught 'Designs for Learning Art' at SFU from 1996 - 2009. He has held many workshops, curated and juried exhibitions around the province.
Both Keith and Celia Rice-Jones have been exemplary practitioners and volunteers, supporting crafts in BC and in 2018 they jointly received the 'Hilda Gerson Award' from the Craft Council of BC.
Since 1976 Keith's work has been exhibited at the House of Ceramics, the Canadian Craft Museum, the Gallery of BC Ceramics, the Surrey Art Gallery, and the Evergreen Cultural Centre, and he has exhibited in Japan and Australia.
In 1988 Keith and Celia Rice-Jones established their impressive Wildrice Studio in New Westminster, where they hold bi-annual shows and sales.
In 2004 Keith's work was included in the important exhibition, 'Hot Clay, Sixteen West Coast Clay Artists,' at the Surrey Art Gallery, curated by Liane Davison. Also in 2004 he was a presenter at the Canadian Clay Symposium - Abstract Sculptures.
Keith attended several residencies in Japan. In 2005 he and Celia organized the Tajimi/BC exhibition exchange between the Gallery of BC Ceramics and Tajimi in Japan, as part of teh PGBC 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Keith was a resident, exhibited and presented at the famed Sturt Craft Centre in Australia in 2006 , and 2008, he returned as a presenter at an International Wood firing Conference.
Keith and Celia both have worked on several public art projects. In 2001 they made a large grouping of tall ceramic poles with the assistance of school kids in Burnaby. The Burnaby Millennium Sculpture Poles are located in the gardens at the Shadbolt Art Centre. Other works can be seen in the Michael J fox Theatre lobby, the Lindau Mural, and the Shabolt floor mural at the Loheed Mall . Keith's work is held in private collections worldwide.
In 2013 Keith was honoured with a retrospective exhibition at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in the City of Coquitlam.
In 2017/18 he had fun imagining and creating "Ape Ware" for the movie set - Planet of the Apes, and in 2020, the Surrey Art Gallery held an magnificent outdoor exhibition of his 'Monumental Sculptures.'
A superb and rigorous technician, Keith is renowned for his powerful and large-scale geometric clay sculptures that can be found in many gardens around BC.
See his website for more information.

Place of Birth

UK

Studio location

Major Exhibitions

See website for complete exhibition record.
2020 Monumental Sculptures, Keith Rice Jones, Surrey Art Gallery
2013 Evergreen Cultural Centre, City of Coquitlam - Working the Edge - a Mostly Ceramic Journey, a 37-year retrospective
2013 Maple Rige Art Gallery - A Life in the Day, a joint show with Celia, wife and studio partner - 25 years of Wildrice Studio
2010 Museum of Vancouver and Craft Council of BC – By Hand : Contemporary Craft from BC and Yukon
2008 Sturt Craft Centre, Australia – Far Flung Woodfired Work
2006 Sturt Craft Centre, Australia – Geometric and Organic Sculpture
2005 TransFormations, PGBC 50th Anniversary Show, Burnaby Art Gallery, juried
2004 Hot Clay, Sixteen West Coast Ceramic Artists, Surrey Art Gallery, Liane Davison.

Collections

Surrey Art Gallery

Personal Website

http://www.wildricestudio.com

Links to Further Resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfodDpEensk
2018 - With Celia,
Awarded;
The Hilde Gerson Award - Craft Council of BC,
Exemplary volunteer and artistic contributions to craft in BC
https://craftedvancouver.com/craftspeople/wildrice-studio/
ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS;
https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2013/12/04/keith-rice-jones/
2011 Gogarty, Amy. Size Matters (review), Cahiers métiers d’art/Craft Journal, 4.2 (Spring
2010 March, Ian & Robison, Jim. Slab Techniques. London: Bloomsbury.
2009 Waggoner, Dianna. “Keith Rice-Jones” Ceramics Technical, No. 28, May 2009: 86-89.
2009 Rice-Jones, Keith. “Size Matters” BC Potters Newsletter. 46.6 (July/August): 5.
2000 Baird, Daryl E. The Extruder Book. Westerville, OH: American Ceramic Society.
1998 Made of Clay. PGBC, Mayer & Doherty , Douglas and McIntyre
1997 Triplett, Kathy. Handbuilt Ceramics: pinching, coiling, extruding, molding, slip casting, slab work, Asheville, NC: Lark Books.
Regular contributor of practical and philosophical articles or BC Potters Guild Newsletter
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mmh6KdCtmY

Source

Debra Sloan

Item sets