George McCauley joins forces with David Hiltner and Koichi Yamako in group exhibitions this summer.
Helena potter George McCauley joins forces with David Hiltner, executive director of the Red Lodge Clay Center, and Japanese potter Koichi Yamako in two collaborative exhibits: “Tomadachi Too,” June 5-26 at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, with a reception June 5; and “Three Potters,” June 12-Aug. 16 at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, with a reception June 12.
The three ceramists were brought together through recent residencies in Japan and at the Red Lodge Clay Center.
McCauley is considered a “cultural ambassador,” bringing art-makers together across geographic and cultural spans to create a unique melting pot. That role is reflected in the title of the Red Lodge show, “tomodachi,” meaning friends, and the ways in which the ties of friendship forged among potters are strong, regardless of locale.
McCauley, a Greek/American potter, has had 23 solo shows and his work has been included in 186 exhibitions. He has taught and conducted workshops internationally, and made two films, “Archie C. Bray Jr.: Life at the Brickyard” and “Ron Meyers and the Usual Suspects.”
The recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts grants and the prestigious Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence for the Arts at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, TN, his pottery and sculpture are included in international collections in 11 countries, and myriad books and periodicals.
In 2007 he was invited as a guest of the Chinese government to lecture and exhibit in conjunction with the International Teapot Exhibition in Zhugiagiao; in 2009 he was chosen as one of nine ceramic artists from around the world to participate in the Kohila Wood Fire Symposium in Estonia; and in 2012 he traveled to Japan to complete work for exhibitions of his wood-fired ceramics and conduct workshops.
McCauley maintains a studio at his home in Helena, where he makes colorful earthenware pots and narrative sculpture. Along the way he has worked as a chef in a Greek restaurant, horse trainer, fulltime cowboy, concrete inspector, aluminum-siding salesman, western catalog model, lifeguard and carpenter. Learn more at www.georgemccauley.com.