TED LOTT •   Grand Rapids, MI

"Architecture is the environment inside which we spend much of our lives; it also inhabits the landscapes we travel through. It is the built environment that we are so accustomed to, it becomes almost invisible. Like architecture, the material objects we use daily are designed around the space of the human body, to serve human needs and desires. The difference is one of scale. My work creates bridges between the objects that surround us, and the space and form of architecture, enlivening our awareness of the environments where we live and re-examining the objects we associate with.

Objects tell stories, about those who build and use them. My work integrates itself with furniture and other found domestic items, adopting their stories with references to vernacular architecture, dollhouses, model making, sheds, tree houses, bridges and other structures. I have been influenced by architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, who pioneered the idea of architecture integrated with the landscape. Each intervention draws a measure of its design from the object itself. Through my training in Woodworking & Furniture Design I draw on the history of studio furniture, influenced by makers such as Wendell Castle, Jere Osgood, and Wharton Eschrick, artists who blurred the lines between sculpture and furniture, alongside exhibiting masterful skill and innovative techniques in their craft.

In the Migration Series, I build structures into and around suitcases and trunks. This series reflects on how North Americans have migrated from all corners of the globe to make this place home, often arriving with nothing more than the what they can carry, and hopeful to make new and better lives for themselves and their family. As a sculptor, my interest in stick-frame, or balloon frame housing grows out of my previous training. Viewed through a broad lens, housing remains the most widespread use of wood throughout the modern world. Today, stick-frame construction is a primary means by which shelter is created.

In my process, I begin with rough sawn lumber, locally sourced or salvaged. This material choice is an important reflection of the reality of the stick framing process, which uses almost exclusively softwoods, due to its ability to be easily cut and nailed without excessive cracking or splitting. Each individual board is then milled, by hand on the bandsaw, allowing me to make scale replicas of common lumber sizes, such as 2x4’s. This scale modeling is an important part of the process. I am not just attempting to create the image of a structure, but to replicate the processes, designs and methods used in its construction. The work reveals and celebrates the logic of stick-frame construction. Through change of scale, the works separate themselves from the world of functional buildings. Based on the vernacular architecture of early 20th century America, they reference iconic types of dwellings found in rural, urban, and suburban areas. This method of construction; ubiquitous but often hidden, so common as to be all but completely overlooked, simple, yet requiring its own set of skills and knowledge to execute successfully, is emblematic of the human condition."

Ted Lott is a craftsperson, designer, and artist whose work revolves around the history of wood in Material Culture and Architecture. Lott received his BFA from the Maine College of Art, and his MFA from the University of Wisconsin Madison. His solo exhibitions include: Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Muskegon Museum of Art, Swarthmore College, and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte College of Art & Architecture. He has received grants from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Joan Mitchell Foundation, and the Belvedere Fund for Professional Development in Crafts. Lott has been an Artist-In-Residence at Anderson Ranch Art Center, Kohler Arts/Industry Program, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Center for Turning & Furniture Design, and the Vermont Studio Center. He has taught Woodworking & Furniture Design at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Murray State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and teaches workshops throughout the country. His work resides in the collections of the Museum of Art & Design, The State of Hawaii and John Michael Kohler Art Center, among others. Lott’s home and studio are located outside Grand Rapids Michigan.

 

 

 

 


ASSOCIATED EXHIBITIONS

MAIN LEVEL GALLERY

Opening Reception: Friday, March 1st (5-7pm)

March 1 - April 24, 2024
LOWER LEVEL GALLERY

Opening Reception: November 3rd (5-7pm)

November 3 - December 27, 2023
Bill Killebrew - Bear Hollow with Sculptures by Vi
LOWER LEVEL GALLERY
November 6, 2020 - January 8, 2021