Neil tetkowski biography

Neil Tetkowski grew up in Western New York, with the exception of several formative years in Siena, Italy (1961-64).
Neil Tetkowski holds degrees from Alfred University and Illinois State University.
Neil Tetkowski creates art that communicates beyond cultural barriers.

•

ABOUT

Neil Tetkowski’s artwork and creative projects are often a means to express his relationship to the natural environment and the interconnection of all people. He has received many awards including a Ford Foundation grant. Tetkowski has had solo shows in Japan, Italy, China, Sweden, Germany, Canada and the Netherlands. Tetkowski’s artwork is widely published and represented internationally in 50 museum collections. Neil Tetkowski lives in Manhattan.

ARTWORK

Neil Tetkowski creates art that communicates beyond cultural barriers. It is with this global perspective that his artwork is embraced throughout the world. Tetkowski’ projects reflect his conviction that art can be a vital community process accessible to a broad audience. His material of choice comes directly from the Earth, and most often he uses clay, which he believes is the perfect medium to express his relationship to the environment.

UNITED NATIONS COMMON GROUND

WORLD PROJECT

At the heart of Neil Tetkowski’s multi-faceted artistic undertaking is a singularly fasci

•

Neil Tetkowski

Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, New York

American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California

Ariana Museum of Ceramic and Glass Art, Geneva, Switzerland

Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona

Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, New York

Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Canton Art Institute, Canton, Ohio

Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Castellani Art Museum, Niagara University, New York

Charles H. MacNider Art Museum, Mason City, Iowa

Daum Museum Of contemporary Art, Sedalia, Missouri

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York

Foundation Keramion, Centre of Modern + Historical Ceramics Frechen, Frechen, Germany

Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia

Hetjens Museum, Dusseldorf, Germany

Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i

Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia

Icheon World Ceramic Center, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Illinois

International Museum

•

Neil Tetkowski creates art that communicates beyond cultural barriers. It is with this global perspective that his artwork is embraced throughout the world. Tetkowski has led many public art performances with community participation. These events and installations reflect his conviction that art can be a vital community process accessible to a broad audience. His material of choice comes directly from the Earth, and most often he uses clay, which he believes is the perfect medium to express his relationship to the natural environment.

Some of Tetkowski’s projects have evolved into cultural, ecological and geopolitical exploration. In 2000, the artist conceived and built a sculpture at the United Nations using a blend of earth materials from every nation. There he physically involved people from every country of the world. The Common Ground World Project was officially endorsed at the United Nations as an environmental project and was exhibited in its completed form in 2002 at the Visitor’s Lobby in New York.

Neil Tetkowski spent his early years in Sie