Tour Leaders - JRA "Insiders" Craft Tour: July 7 - 14, 2018
Robert J. Devers
Robert Devers is an artist with a multi-faceted practice that includes ceramics, sculpture, painting, and photography. Ceramics remains his essential focus and provides the lens through which the other mediums are engaged and ultimately brought back into play in ceramic practice. He is the owner and founder of Blue Fire Studio in Mt. Rainier, MD., where he holds exhibitions and workshops, as well as serving as his primary studio.
Robert Devers received his MFA degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, majoring in ceramics at both institutions. He is currently Professor of Art at NOVA in Annandale, VA.
Previous teaching experience includes: The George Washington University, The Corcoran College of Arts + Design, American University, Montgomery College, and VisArts, among others.
Since 2004 he has served as the Visual Arts Coordinator and co-founder of the Visual Arts Program of the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, based in Maiori, Italy, where he also leads ceramics workshops in maiolica glaze painting.
Mr. Devers exhibits his work and teaches workshops internationally.
Recent exhibitions include venues such as Grattacielo Pirelli, Milan Italy, VisArts At Rockville, Katzen Art Center, Washington, DC, and Fabrica La Aurora in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Works in public collections include: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, American University Art Gallery, Katzen Art Center, Museo Artistico Industrial Manuel Cargaliero, Vietri sul Mare, Italy, Museo Manuel Cargaliero, Castelo Branco, Portugal, International Monetary Fund, and the Washington Brain and Spine Institute.
Rebecca Ravenal
Rebecca Ravenal has been a studio artist for over 20 years, working in ceramics and mosaics. She is an Associate Artist at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia and teaches classes for adults and children in the DC area.
In her ceramics, she uses a traditional Italian “maiolica” technique which showcases her love for color and fanciful design, while her most recent mosaic work brings together bright bits of stained glass, beads, jewelry and found objects to create intricate, elegant designs. As in her ceramics, she tries to give a new twist to time-honored techniques to create beautiful and useful objects for everyday enjoyment.
Her work has been juried into numerous shows and sold in stores and galleries across the country. She received a degree in English Literature from Bryn Mawr College, then studied at The Corcoran College of Art and Design, and several of the country's top crafts centers, including Haystack, Anderson Ranch, Penland and Arrowmont.
As a board member of the James Renwick Alliance, Rebecca organizes workshops and lectures and other events to increase education and appreciation for craft and art.