Interesting Facts
• Initiated contact with Emery Lane to secure his photography collection.
• Coordinated an internship program with Speed
Museum for 6 years with DuPont Manual students.
• Secured traveling exhibition with Kansas City Art Institute, U of L.
• Started first Computer Lab in Southeast (1985) for High School students (Featured in four computer magazines and one book).
• Hosted Kentucky Art Educators Association conference at DuPont Manual H.S.
• Attended over one hundred Manual Art Gallery Openings.
• Formed committee to name Manual’s gallery after Norma E. Brown.
• Coordinated an internship program with Speed Museum for 6 years
• Rescued items from all over the county for the art magnet. Examples: a “ton” (literally) of silver paper, truckloads of furniture, and scrap metal and glass.
• Sometimes called Mother Art and at other times Sister Wendy
• This will be the fifteenth year for Art@the Beach, including the two tons of sand to make an actual "beach."
• Planned and chaperoned five student trips to Europe, one to Chicago, one to Columbus, OH, one to St. Louis, MO, and one to New York City.
• Developed many in-service opportunities at Manual and county-wide, the most fun being “Survivor” and “Manualopoly.”
• Watched Manual art students earn $2,000 dollars our first year in scholarships to over a $1 million annually for the past fifteen years.
• My former students are now teachers, college professors, professional artists, graphic designers, a medical illustrator, a toy designer, photographers, animators, and many own their own art-related businesses. The artists exhibit their work locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
• I felt like I had finally “arrived” when one of my former students, Matt Ronay was featured in the Whitney Museum of Art Biennium Exhibition. This student was the second Kentuckian to be honored in the twenty years since the exhibition's existence.
• Have a student that is working as exhibition coordinator for MOMA in New York and a student that designs shoes for Nike.
Suzanne Sidebottom
As an undergraduate I started working with clay primarily as a sculptural form. These clay works were Trompe l’oeil pieces, but they were also pop art.
After graduation, I focused on art education, and the next 25 years were spent becoming more proficient at wheel-throwing and making functional ceramics. The functional pieces were exhibited in craft fairs and galleries (25 years at St. James Art Fair). The exception to this was a foray into hand-building, resulting in a series of over a hundred imaginary architectural and castle-like forms which were fun to build.
I went through a period of not producing any art, but I did produce a wonderful daughter, and did not pick up any clay again for a few years. I am now once again immersed in that wonderful squishy stuff I love to play with.
Earning a Surdna fellowship and attending the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts also helped renew my interest in clay. I have returned to my first love—hand-building, and Trompe l’oeil. I have switched from stoneware clay to porcelain and am incorporating printing and stamping techniques to enhance the mystery that is Trompe l’oeil. I’m excited every time I enter my studio, and can’t wait to see what the clay will transform into next.
Exhibitions
2019
Sidebottom Flying Solo, Nashville International Airport, TN, (Solo Exhibition)
2018
Jokes on You, The Foundry, MO
Off the Table! Clay on the Wall, Missouri Western University,
St. Joseph, MO
America's Clayfest III, Blueline Arts, Roseville, CA
8th Annual Clay International, Workhouse Arts Center,
Lorton, VA
2018 Ceramics Calendar, ICAN (International Ceramics Artists Network)
Louisville Clay Invitational, Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville, KY
Using Art to Explore Emotion in the Medical Field, Kavier Forge Gallery, Louisville, KY
2017
45th Mid States Craft Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art and Science, IN
Coming Home, All Fired Up, Sarratt Gallery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, (Solo Exhibition)
Artists in Our Midst 2, Kavier Forge Gallery, Louisville, KY
Tell Me a Story, The Foundry, St. Charles, MO
Image and Word, Kavier Forge Art Gallery, Louisville, KY
Louisville Clay, Artists, KY Mudworks, KY
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Utah Arts Alliance, UT
Squared, Pyro Art Gallery, Louisville, KY
Constructed Visions II, St. Louis Artist Guild, St. Louis, MO,
(Third Place Award)
Images on Clay, Clay Arts Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
Adams Clay Invitational, Alex Adams Gallery, Louisville, KY
Art in the Park, St. Louis, MO
Louisville Clay Artists, Mellwood Art Center, KY
2016
Shapes of Influence 2016, MG Nelson Gallery, Springfield Art Association, IL
International Juried Show of Contemporary Trompe l’oeil,
John Peto Studio Museum, Island Heights, NJ
2016 SAAC Annual Juried Art Competition, South Arkansas Arts Center, El Dorado, AK
Touched With Fire, Kavier Forge Gallery, Louisville, KY
America’s Clay Fest IV, Blue Line Arts Gallery, Roseville, CA
DownEast National Sculpture Exhibition, Emerge Gallery, Greenville, NC
Waysides, Kohler Art Center, Sheboygan, WI
Miniatures and Jewelry, Clay Arts Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
44th Mid-States Craft Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art
& Science, IN
Something Old, Something New, Potters Council, 2016 Juried Show, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts , NCECA Conference, MO
2016 Potters Council poster
Art From the Heartland 2016, Indianapolis Art Center, IN
Impact, The Foundry, St. Charles, MO
Maker Moxie: the Impact of the Craft School Experience,
Peter’s Valley School of Craft, Layton, NJ
29th Women’s Works, Celebrating Women’s Creativity, Old Courthouse Arts Center, Woodstock, IL
Alex Adams Clay Invitational, Alex Adams Gallery, Louisville, KY
Southern Indiana Arts Council Members Show, New Albany, IN
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Utah Arts, UT
2015
Artists in Our Midst, Kavier Forge Gallery, Louisville, KY
National Invitational Contemporary Trompe l’oeil ,
John Peto Art Studio Museum, Island Heights, NJ
Graphic Clay, Baltimore Clayworks, MD
America’s 2015 All Media, Northwest Art Center, Minot, ND
28th Annual September Juried Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, LA
Still Life’s: Perception of Inanimate Objects, Evelyn Jorgenson Gallery, Moberly, MO
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Utah Arts, UT
2015 Potter’s Council calendar, cover and one month
All Star Exhibition, Malton Art Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
Inside Out, Pyro Art Gallery, Louisville, KY
Art in the Park, St. Louis, MO
2014
Transcending Clay, Potter’s Council Juried, NCECA, WI
Constructed Visions Sculpture and Fine Craft Exhibition,
St. Louis Artist Guild, MO
Clay Biennial, New Hampshire School of Art, Manchester, NH
12 X 12, Riverside Art Center, Ypsilanti, MI (Third Place)
National Juried Show, Contemporary Trompe L’Oeil,
John Peto Museum,Island Heights, NJ (Honorable Mention)
2014 Potters Council, poster
New Works in Fine Crafts, The Foundry, St. Charles, MO
Big Ideas 1950-1970: Influences in Modern Ceramics,
Sebastapol Center for the Arts, CA
Take Another Look….A Selection of Clay That looks Like Anything But Clay, Studio 550 Arts Center, Manchester, NH,
(Honorable Mention)
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Utah Arts, UT
Art in the Park, St. Louis, MO
2013
500 Prints on Clay, Lark Books, 3 artworks
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Gittins Gallery, UT
Art in the Park, St. Louis, MO
2012
Louisville Clay, 10-Year Anniversary, Weber Gallery, Louisville, KY
KY Museum of Art and Craft Members Juried Exhibition,
Louisville, KY
Advanced Placement Art Educators Invitational, Gittins Gallery, UT
2011
Sidebottom, It's Clay, Gallery on Pearl, IN, (Solo Exhibition)
Louisville Clay Juried Exhibition, KY Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
Women Imaging Women, Pyro Art Gallery, Louisville, KY
2010
Group Exhibition, KY Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
SURDNA Foundation Fellowship Show, NYC
2009
Group Exhibition, KY Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, KY
SURDNA Foundation Fellowship Show, Norma Brown Gallery, Louisville, KY
2008
SURDNA Foundation Fellowship, Haystack School of Crafts,
Deer Isle, ME
2001
National Scholastics Portfolio Art Educator of the Year, NY
1997
Gallapolooza, a Sidewalk Derby Exhibition, Louisville, KY
1972-1997
St. James Art Show, Louisville, KY, (Exhibited for 25 years)
1994
Ashland Oil Teacher of the Year, monetary award
1989
Dinner Works, Louisville Visual Art Association, KY
1988
Walk, Talk, and Gawk, Banner Exhibition, Louisville Visual Art Association, KY
Louisville Art Education Invitational Exhibition, Morris B.
Belknap Jr. Gallery, KY
Functional Ceramics and Glass Fantasies: Sidebottom and Shaffstall, Jubilee Gallery, Jeffersonville, IN
Savannah College of Art and Design National Art Teachers invitational, GA
Louisville Craftsmans' Guild Annual Juried Exhibition, Liberty Gallery, KY
1986
Louisville Art Education Invitational Exhibition, Liberty Gallery, KY
1985
Invitational Group Exhibition, Jubilee Gallery, Jeffersonville, IN
Coca Cola Art Show, Elizabethtown, KY
Holiday Invitational Exhibition, Fred Merida Gallery, Louisville, KY, (Merit Award)
1984
Brownsboro Road Juried Art Fair, Louisville, KY,
(First Place Crafts Division)
Coca Cola Art Show, Elizabethtown, KY,
(Jurors Special Merit Award)
Invitational Group Exhibition, Jubilee Gallery, Jeffersonville, IN
Holiday Invitational Exhibition, Fred Merida Gallery, Louisville,KY, (Merit Award)
1983
Designers Showcase, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY
Invitational Group Exhibition, Jubilee Gallery, Jeffersonville, IN
Holiday Invitational Exhibition, Fred Merida Gallery, Louisville, KY, (Merit Award)
1982
Womens' Bowl Invitational, American Accents, Louisville, KY
1981
Functional and Fanciful Clay Pieces, Jubilee Gallery, Jeffersonville, IN, (Solo Exhibition)
1980
Potpourri for the Arts, Louisville, KY
Floyd County Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, New Albany, IN, (Merit Award)
Eight States Annual: Crafts, J.B. Speed Art Museum,
Louisville, KY
1979
Floyd County Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, New Albany,IN, (Merit Award)
1975
Mid States Annual Juried Crafts Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art and Science, IN
1974
Art Teachers Invitational”, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
1973
Eight States Annual: Crafts, J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Mid States Annual Crafts Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art & Science, IN
1971
Crafts Invitational, Cheekwood Fine Arts Center, Nashville, TN
Group Exhibition, Cohen Art Gallery, Nashville, TN
1970
Group Exhibition, Cohen Art Gallery, Nashville, TN
1969
Eight States Annual: Crafts, J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
Group Exhibition, Cohen Art Gallery, Nashville, TN
Art Awards
2015
Third Place
"Small Works Invitational," Riverside Art Center, Ypsilanti, MI
Honorable Mention
“National Juried Show, Contemporary Trompe L’Oeil,”
John Peto Museum, Island Heights, NJ
2014
Printed Poster
“Potters Council”
2013
Published
“500 Prints on Clay,” Lark Books, 3 artworks
2008
SURDNA Fellow
$6,000 grant
1984
Merit Award Each Year Exhibited
Fred Merida Gallery, Holiday Invitational Exhibition”, KY
Jurors Special Merit Award
“Coca Cola Art Show, Elizabethtown, KY
1980, 1979
First Place Crafts Division
“Old Brownsboro Road Juried Art Fair, KY
Merit Awards
Floyd County Art Museum, “Annual Juried exhibition,” IN
Education
Vanderbilt University, George Peabody College, B.A.
Art Education, Ceramics Major
Studied with Sylvia Hyman
Indiana University, M.A.
Secondary education, emphasis art
Studied with John Guenther
Additional Post Graduate Hours:
College for Creative Studies, ceramics and glass,
Indiana University
University of Louisville
Studio Workshops:
Haystack (Ellen Shankin)
Savannah College of Art and Design
American Art Clay Company (Don Reitz, Susan Kempfany, Paul Wandless, David Gamble, Deb Weinstein, and Scott Rench)
Art Educator Experience
Visual Arts Magnet Chairperson
DuPont Manual Visual Art Magnet, KY
Administered an art magnet program for 200 art majors, including six art faculty, two art galleries, and seven studios. Facilitated tuition-based summer art program, Art@the Beach for 100 students. Secured funding through local budget monies, fundraising, and grant procurement. Determined admissions and course offerings., scheduling and extended programming.
Art Instructor
Ceramics/Sculpture, Computer Graphics, and AP 3-D
DuPont Manual Visual Art Magnet, KY
Planned, organized and delivered high level studio based art program; evaluated and communicated student progress: maintained records and made reports; supervised instruction, and secured and maintained school property and materials; responsible for exhibiting student artwork and preparation of AP portfolio.
Art Instructor
JeffersonCounty Middle Schools, KY
Louisville Board of Education, KY
Jefferson County Adult Education Program, KY (Clay)
Jewish Community Center, TN (Crafts Director)
Cheekwood Fine Arts Center, TN (Art)
Art Presentations
International Network of Schools
for the Advancement of Arts Education (2 presentations)
KY Art Education Conference
Maryland College of Art and Design
Art Teachers Forum (2 years)
Center for Creative Studies Art Teachers Forum
Washington University Teachers Art Forum
Columbus College of Art and Design Art Teachers Forum
KY Penniryle Art Education Conference
Davidson County Art Teachers
Conducted over 40 professional development seminars in clay, sculpture, computer graphics, and art education for Jefferson County Schools
Awards
2008
SURDNA Fellow, $6,000 Grant
2005
DuPont Manual High School Alumni Teacher Achievement Award
2002
Rotary Club Teachers Grant
2001
National Scholastics Portfolio Art Educator of the Year
1994
Ashland Oil Teacher of the Year, (Monetary Award)
Derby Region, KAEA Art Teacher of the Year
1993
Jefferson County, KY Secondary Teacher of the Year
1992
ExCEL Teacher Award
National Scholastics Art Education Award (10 Years)