About the artist
Robin Stark has made ceramic vessels and sculpture for over 35 years. From the time spent in her first ceramic class in college to now, the material continues to engage her with its versatile and aesthetic qualities. Her passion for the material has lead her through a series of creative occupations and to the current position she holds as a ceramic arts instructor at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.
Robin Stark received her Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of California, Davis and her Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University with an emphasis in ceramic sculpture. Upon graduation, Robin established the Studio of Dreams in 1987 and for eight years designed and produced a line of brightly glazed terra-cotta vases, bowls, platters, and candle holders. Themes in the work ranged from an interpretation of fanciful fish to images of blissful dancing figures. Most of this production craftwork was marketed through large wholesale trade shows on the east coast, USA.
Robin moved to the southern Nevada desert in 1993. The desert environment had a profound effect on her designs and she returned to creating unique one-of-a-kind sculptural vessels. The somber yet whimsical sculptural vessels examine the juxtaposition of seemingly contrasting issues, which are reflected in various shapes, a palette of colors and surface texture. Her work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the country and is represented in many private collections.
In 1996 the Nevada Arts Council awarded her a Jackpot Grant for her body of work titled “City Series - Desert Forms”. She also received a 2001 Project of the Year Award from the National Recreation and Parks Society for the City of Henderson Commission “The Whitney Ranch Tile Together Project”. Robin has also been involved with several other large-scale public tile projects including: the McCarran International Airport “City Skyline Children’s Art Walls” at the D gates; the Nevada Association of the Handicapped “Monkey Playhouse” window panels; the Clark County Department of Parks & Recreation “Peace Wall” at the Cambridge Recreation Center; and the “The Shining Stars Art Wall” at the William E. Snyder Elementary School.
In 2006 Robin was awarded a Nevada Arts Council Artist Fellowship Honorable Mention Grant in addition to a 2004 Nevada Arts Council Jackpot Grant for her body of work titled "Nine Faces". The work is a contemplation of the feminine spirit and examine's its transformation over time. She was also selected to be included on the FY2005-2006 Artist is Residence Roster for the Nevada Arts Council. The panel review is a rigorous process and only the most qualified artist are recommended.
Every art piece or project is an expression of a personal experience or vision. Robin shares her work with others believing that art provokes new ways of looking at our surroundings, our values, our relationships, and our future.