Kristina Batiste, a minimalist potter and ceramic artist from Tacoma, was recently named Tacoma Art Museum’s 2023 The Current, An Artist Award recipient. The Current is an annual award providing financial and institutional support to a Black artist living and working in the Tacoma area.
“I have to say I was shocked and delighted,” said Batiste when asked about her reaction to her selection. She was on a road trip with her husband in San Francisco and had just walked out from a visit into another potter’s studio when she read the email. “They picked me… they picked a potter… I was over the moon.”
In recognition of her artistic excellence, Batiste received a $15,000 unrestricted gift. She also has the option of receiving available institutional resources. In tandem, the two elements strengthen networks that make creating art easier for Black artists.
Batiste is the second local artist to be named The Current, an Artist Award recipient with Darrell McKinney being selected in 2022. Selected from three nominees, the final juror, Ms. Jas Keimig said of Batiste, “She forges new paths in crafting her exquisite, minimalist work in such a way that makes the viewers think about how we imbue our own histories in the objects we use to eat, drink, and entertain.”
According to Batiste, “I do a lot of narrative storytelling with my clay and there is meaning that I’m putting into the work. I’m not an unusual potter . . . I work with stoneware and porcelain in common and accessible ways including wheel thrown and handbuilt… but I do it in a really tactical and mindful way.”
Batiste’s pieces reference the lived experiences of African diasporic peoples in the form of water jars, abstracted oyster shell-shaped sharing bowls, and cups as protest ware. “I fell in love working with clay. I hope to work with this material for the rest of my life.”
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Tacoma Art Museum
tacomaartmuseum.org
BY LYNN CASTLE