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Laura Wee Lay Laq
Laura Wee Lay Laq had an exhibition at the Grunt
Gallery on February 10 - 28, 1998. The flyer reads: This performance and installation by
the Salish ceramist is based on the historical forced burning of religious artifacts as a
sign of First Nations' conversion to Christianity. "I decided to look to my
ancestors' journey through time and evidence kept pointing me towards these events. I in
no way intend my project to be sacrilegious and I have placed no political regard toward
this initiative and hope others can see beyond that as well. The public burning is
intended as a healing ritual. "Filmmaker David Rimmer will work with the artist on the
video elements. Opening Tuesday, February 10th at 8 pm.
Education:
1979-81 Studied with Tony Hunt, Northwest
Coast Design and Carving. Victoria, British Columbia.
1973-77 Vancouver School of Arts, Graduated
with Honors in Ceramics.
1970-73 Douglas College, Majoring in Fine
Arts.
Artist's Statement:
JUST AS I TAKE BACK FROM THE EARTH, SO MUST I GIVE BACK I am fortunate to have both time
and space to enable me in discovering a channel of communication which allows an otherwise
intangible part of my being to be touched. Working with clay transforms and visualizes in
three dimensional form, expressions ordinarily buried deep within. I have heard it said
that Art can be an expression of hopes and fears. For me clay not only allows me to
express my hopes and fears but also gives me an opportunity to feel at one with nature.
'No Mind' is a common Buddhist expression which helps to describe the feeling that I attain
while working with clay. Clay gives me a sense of harmony and peace. For working with clay
stops my internal dialogue. To take earth, give it personal expression, smooth it with a
stone, give it to the fire, changing it from earth to stone, then embedding the clay into
the dust of trees and making it vulnerable to the natural elements, completes a cycle, a
cycle in which I am proud to play a part. Laura is currently teaching Foundation Ceramics
at the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design. She has taught at the Kamehameha School
in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has also given lectures at the Bishop Museum and Planetarium in
Honolulu, Hawaii as well as at the Simon University in Burnaby, BC. She has also given
lectures and workshops in Oaklahoma, Japan, and Australia.
contact info: weelaylaq@shaw.ca, weelaylaq@shaw.ca
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