Creating Art During COVID with Local Ceramicist Juanita Marshall
Juanita Marshall, a ceramics artist at CreatePC, sat down today in the gallery to make a “bodacious bowl of some sort” from a gritty dark clay. The gallery space is quiet this morning after a busy weekend of chalk murals on Main Street and live painting on the patio spaces. But after months of being at home, Juanita says, “it is such a joy to get my hands dirty again.”
Juanita moved to Park City in 1982, and worked full time for many years before going back to school in 2010 to get a degree in ceramics. She’s found ways to support the Park City community by teaching at the Kimball Art Center and by participating in Arts Council shows and the Park City Kimball Arts Festival. She is grateful to the Arts Council, Kimball Art Center, and the Park City Artists Association because as an emerging artist, “the three groups provided opportunities for people who weren’t well known professionals to grow in their art and learn what it takes to put yourself out there.”
The last few months and next few months will continue to bring change for artists like Juanita. As the Covid19 pandemic hit, the round-the-clock news and information overload led her to “retreat a bit” from the things she normally does. Instead of setting up a studio in her kitchen and making work-arounds, Juanita chose to weather the storm. She says, “its gone on much longer than anyone initially expected, but I’ve had a chance to explore and participate in some online art classes in the meantime.” A fellow CreatePC artist, Emily Loughlin, did a virtual series on using recycled materials. Other artists hosted series on color hues, color exploration, and painting techniques, which will inevitably change Juanita’s art. She says, “ceramics can involve drawing and painting and so every different type of art I see, I think, how can I apply this to pottery?” As she looks down at her workspace, Juanita comments, “on my palette here, I have a lot of earth tones, blues, and grays. Recently, I got my color wheel out and thought about revisiting some palettes that I’ve done in the past.” Juanita then decided to teach virtually herself. A few weeks ago the Kimball Art Center invited her to teach a class for the National Ability Center, using flour clay and play-dough, “because nobody has clay at home right now, anyways.”
Grateful to be back in the studio space, Juanita takes some time to reflect on her experience at home. She says, “I really appreciated being in my house itself, but I also looked at ways to minimize all of the gear, ceramic materials, and tools that I use to create. I think as I move back into my workspace, that I’ll try to put everything away and just use the smallest, simplest tools. I think this will have a different impact on the work I do.” Ultimately, she believes, she will be creating things more for herself, on a smaller scale, and objects that relate to the recent movements in society. This is what Juanita needs to keep her “mental, emotional, and physical health going.”
The Arts Council prepares to move out of the CreatePC gallery space on Main Street at the end of July. Upon reflecting, Juanita says, “first, I have to say that the CreatePC space is something I’ve always dreamed of being involved in. Forever, it has seemed like such a good idea. There has not been anything that measures up to this intentional and creative endeavor that I’ve ever experienced. Spending time in the gallery, I have been able to see how each artist has a different way of working and what motivates them to make the work they do.” Onto the next adventure!