Helen Weisz

"In any situation where some sort of decoration is desirable - fabrics, carpets, baskets, utensils, weapons, wall coverings - patterns are inevitably used. It is not surprising that similar patterns are apparent in widely diverse and separated cultures and sites, this is not accidental, but the result of basic geometric considerations."
-Helen Weisz

Helen Weisz's ceramic pieces are made from low fired colored clay. The colored clay and tiles are made by hand, textured, shaped and then fired. Using earth pigments, images, and patterns, she incorporates references to architecture and, at times, views of aerial landscape in her work. Because of the slightly raised surfaces of her tiles, the work is considered bas relief. The quiet quality of each piece creates a warm matte surface. Educated at the Philadelphia College of Art and Tyler School of Art, she is presently the Chairperson of the Ceramics Department at Bucks County Community College in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Weisz has exhibited her work at many prestigious craft venues, including the Delaware Art Museum, the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in Texas, and the Faenza International Ceramics Museum in Italy. She has earned several prestigious prizes and awards, including Best Tile Award at the 10th Annual San Angelo Ceramic Competition in 1995.

Education and Training
B.F.A., Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
M.F.A., Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Teachers and Influences
Studied with Rudy Staffel
Influenced by Medardo Rosso and Morandi

Connection to Bucks County
Professor and Chairperson, Ceramics Department, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, Pennsylvania

Colleagues and Affiliations
Robert Dodge, Alan Goldstein, Marlene Miller

Major Solo Exhibitions
Small Craft Warnings, Gallery 500, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1988
Owen Patrick Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1991

Major Group Exhibitions
Sculpture of the Sixties, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, 1970
Arts Festival, Chestnut Hill College, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, 1970
Contemporary Crafts, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, 1971
Annual Art Exhibition, Philadelphia Council of Professional Craftsmen, Civic Center Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1971
M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, American Institute of Architects, Philadelphia Chapter, Pennsylvania, 1972
The Tyler Show, Samuel Paley Library Gallery, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1974
Philadelphia 1974: Fiber, Clay and Metal, Focus, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1974
Annual Craft Show, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, 1984
Guest Artist at Glassworks, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1984
25th Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, 1985
Feet of Clay, Lill Street Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 1985
American Clay Artists 1989, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1989
Two Westlakes Art Show, Trammel Crow Corporation, Berwyn, Pennsylvania, 1989
Ariel Gallery, New York, New York, 1989
Wyoming Clay Show, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, Wyoming, 1989
4th and 6th Annual Monarch Tile National, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas, 1989, 1991
46th International Ceramic Art Exhibition, Faenza International Ceramics Museum, Faenza, Italy, 1990
Lotsa Clay, the Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1990
Design 91, The Delaware River Mill Society, Stockton, New Jersey, 1991
Clay USA, Flossie Martin Gallery, Radford University, Radford, Virginia, 1991
Lotsa Clay II, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1991
Philadelphia Clay Consortium, Traveling Exhibition, NCECA Society for Contemporary Crafts, Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania, 1992
Philadelphia Clay Regional, The Painted Bride, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1992
10th Annual San Angelo Ceramic Competition, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas, 1995

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Instructor, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1970
Chairperson, Ceramics Department, Bucks County Community College, Newtown, Pennsylvania, 1975-present

Major Awards
First Prize, Best of Show, American Clay Artists: Philadelphia