About

 

Artist Bio:

Chelsea Bastoky is a ceramics artist living and working just south of Nashville, Tennessee. In 2015 she is a  graduate of Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Chelsea’s work has been featured in a variety of exhibitions. Her body of work explores ideas about function, storage, nature, community, and food for the table and home.

 

Artist Statement:

I have spent the majority of my life in middle Tennessee. A child of the suburbs with wide-eyed wonder for grand urban hubs, I find rest in retreating into the stillness of the country. My grandparents affectionately own Robbins Wonderland Farm; spending time there throughout the years has kept me grounded in my southern heritage, part of which includes a rich appreciation for food and community. Learning “secret” family recipes- secret in the sense that ingredients are not measured, they're just known- farming, going to the creek, visiting the Amish, food-filled family gatherings, sitting still, going to church, singing, playing, reading; all these activities have influenced my work by subconscious feeling. I am inspired by the landscape that stretches from my home to my family’s; Hwy-96, I-840, I-65, and Hwy-43, tales and lessons spouted off endlessly and repeatedly, and the vague patterns, shapes, and colors that are embedded into my memory. My own narrative shapes my work to tell a story about familiar places, times, or locations. This form of storytelling enables a rich conversation of sentiments and heritage between the work, the artist and the viewer.