DAVID S EAST

David S East currently serves as the Executive Director of the Watershed Center for the Ceramics Arts. With over 20 years experience as an artist and educator, East is engaged in administration, advocacy, arts practice, education, curatorial work and writing. East was previously Faculty Advisor/ Chair of Ceramics at the Maryland Institute College of Art for 17 years. He has taught and been a visiting artist at numerous locations including University of Missouri-Columbia (Assistant Professor 2001-2007), Alfred University, Kansas City Art Institute, and the Tainan National College of Art, Tainan, Taiwan. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including in the GICBiennale 2011, 2015 and 2017 Icheon, Korea, solo exhibitions at the Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, NY, NY and Schulman Project, Baltimore, MD and many others. He has received numerous awards including, Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Lighton Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation.

David’s recent work focuses on ceramics, sculpture, installation, and digital fabrication technologies. Recently his research has focused on architectural and design references revolving around issues of urban planning, architectural ornament and design as signifiers of our cultural history. He has been exhibited nationally and internationally in juried and curated exhibitions, including the GICBiennale 2011, 2015 and 2017 Icheon, Korea, solo exhibitions at the Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, NY, NY and Schulman Project, Baltimore, MD. He has received numerous awards including, Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Lighton Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation. David received his B.F.A in Ceramics from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls (1997) and his M.F.A from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2000).