Guillermo Cuellar
Minnesota
Ceramic Artist
Active since 1980
Born in Venezuela, Guillermo has been making utilitarian wheel-thrown stoneware pots since 1980. For 25 years he ran his studio and sales events at his home in the countryside southeast of Caracas. He was a founding member of Grupo Turgua, an association of like-minded artisans working to support quality, local, handwork. He established a pottery in Minnesota in 2005 and is currently a host on the annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour.
Forever captivated by the sensual flow and rhythm of hands and clay on the spinning potter’s wheel, Guillermo believes that functional pottery made for the home can also be breathtakingly beautiful.
The best of these pieces go beyond representing a single maker, time, and place and contain the best of human values: community, joy, celebration.
Education/Training
BA in Art (Honors), French and Geology from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA, 1976
Workshops: Linda Christianson; Clary Illian; David Leach; Warren MacKenzie; Randy & Jan McKeachie-Johnston; Mark Pharis, 1981-1991
Shared workshop experience: Warren MacKenzie, summers 1984-2006
Grants and Awards
2012 Artist Initiative Grant in Visual Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
2011 East Central Arts Council/McKnight Individual Artist Grant, Mora, MN
2006 Artist initiative Grant in Visual Arts, Minnesota State Arts Board, St. Paul, MN
1997 Vicente Emilio Sojo Silver Medal for Influence in Advancement of Culture in the State of Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela
1981 Carabobo University Prize for Utilitarian Ceramics, IX National Salon of the Arts of Fire, Valencia, Venezuela
Collections
The Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN
Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Mashiko Municipal Pottery Art Museum, Mashiko, Japan
Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, IA
Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN
Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN
Banco Mercantil, Caracas, Venezuela
Galería Nacional de Arte, Caracas, Venezuela
A complete copy of Guillermo’s curriculum vitae available upon request.
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ALL pottery currently offered for purchase