ZAK HELENSKE

EDUCATION

2014 MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology, School for American Crafts, Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture, Rochester, NY

2009 BFA, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021 HYPER STILL, Vetri Gallery, Seattle, WA

2019 As a Guest Pt. II, Eutectic Gallery, Portland, OR

2019 As a Guest Pt. I, Chin Chin Pottery, Tainan City, Taiwan

2018 Medicine Jars + Other Useful Objects, Vetri Gallery, Seattle, WA

2017 Slipware, Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, WA

2017 Proximity: Assembled Pots, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2013 Records of Resistance and Vulnerability, Powerhouse Gallery, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, AL

2012 Verse, Gallery 311, Hungerford Heights, Rochester, NY

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021 Reconect:Alumni Invitational, Memorial Union Gallery, NDSU, Fargo, ND

2020 The Table, Signature Gallery, NCECA, Richmond, VA

2020 Yunomi Invitational, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2020 Small Favors, Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2019 Solo Feature, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2019 Reimagined Vessel, Lacoste Keane, Concord, MA

2019 Dallas Pottery Invitational, Empire Room, Dallas, TX

2019 Small Favors, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2018 ClayFest NW, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA (invited auction Artist)

2018 Featured Artist, Asher Gallery, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX

2018 Yunomi Invitational, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2018 Annual Group Exhibition, Gallery IMA, Seattle, WA

2017 Clay Fest NW, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2107 National IV, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT (Juror: Sunshine Cobb)

2017 Ceramic Innovations, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA (Juror: Chris Gustin)

2017 Yunomi Invitational, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, IA

2017 Small Favors, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2017 Last Call II, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN

2017 50 Years of Pottery Northwest, NCECA, Portland, OR

2016 UnWedged Juried National, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA (Juror: Sandy Simon)

2016 Lillstreet Holiday Show, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, IL

2016 Mugshot Monday, Lillstreet Art Center, Chigago, IL

2016 Pottery Northwest Retrospective, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2016 ClayFest Northwest, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2016 Irons in the Fire, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN (Juror: Justin Rothshank)

2016 Strictly Functional Pottery National, Market House Craft Center, Lancaster, PA (Juror: Simon Leach)

2016 CHEERS, Medalta, Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA

2016 Coffee and Clay, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2016 Clay? VI, Kirkland Arts Center, Kirkland, WA (Jurors: Jaimie Walker, Doug Jeck, Michael Swaine)

2016 Working Pots, James May Gallery, Alagoma, WI (Juror: Simon Levin)

2016 Resident 8x8, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2015 Mugen/Infinity, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2015 Steering Committee Exhibition, Trim Tab, Birmingham, AL

2014 XIV International Casting Exhibition, Akademia Sztuk Pienknych, Gdansk, Poland

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2015-2022 Board Member, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2015-2021 Instructor, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2020 Adjunct Professor, Lecturer, North Seattle College

2019 Visiting Resident Artist, Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan City, Taiwan

2017-2019 Co-Curator, Clayfest NW, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2018 Artist in Residence, Pentaculum, Arrowmont School for Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

2017 Committee Member, National Clay Week: North West Open Studios

2015 Visiting Artist/Visiting Lecturer, School of Art, 3D4M, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

2015-2017 Artist in Residence, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2015 Steering Committee Member: Demonstrations, National Conference on Cast Iron Art, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, AL

2014 Visiting Artist, XIV International Casting Workshop, Akademia Sztuk Pienknych, Gdansk, Poland

2013-2014 Artist in Residence, Foundry Manager, Ceramics Studio Manager, Sloss Arts, Birmingham, AL

2013 Artist in Residence, Assistant Foundry Manager, Sloss Metal Arts, Birmingham, AL

2013 Steering Committee Member: Demonstrations, National Conference on Cast Iron Art, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, AL

2012 Resident Artist/Instructor, Redbird Studio and Gallery, Columbia, SC

2011-2012 Instructor, Ceramics, School for American Crafts, RIT, Rochester, NY (Instructor of Record)

2010-2012 Studio Assistant to Rick Hirsch, Rochester, NY

2011-2012 Crucible Projects: Mobile, AL, Rochester, NY, Lake Charles, LA, Montevallo, AL

2011-2012 “Mano” Project, School for American Crafts, RIT, Rochester, NY

2010-2012 Studio Manager/Technician Clay Department, School for American Crafts, RIT, Rochester, NY

2011 Visiting Artist, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC

PANELS/LECTURES

2019 Lecture: Artist Talk, Critique, Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan City, Taiwan

2017 Lecture: Artist Talk, Workshop, Shoreline Community College, Shoreline, WA

2016 Lecture: Artist Talk, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2015 Lecture: Artist Talk, School of Art, 3D4M, University of Washington, Seattle WA

2015 Lecture: Artist Talk, Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

2014 Lecture: Artist Talk, Akademia Sztuk Peinknych, Lodz, Poland

2014 Lecture: Artist Talk, Akademia Sztuk Peinknych, Gdansk, Poland

2013 Lecture: Glaze Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham,AL

2013 Moderator/Panelist, Heat + Alchemy = Transformation, Sloss Arts

2012 Panelist, Mano Project, School for American Crafts, RIT

2012 Lecture: Artist Talk, State University of New York Geneseo, Geneseo, NY

2011 Lecture: Artist Talk, Mcneese State University, Lake Charles, LA

AWARDS

2025 CEAP Grant, Berks Arts Council + Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Berks County, PA

2017 Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist

2015 Pottery Northwest Wally Bivins Resident Artist Project Grant

2015 NICHE Awards finalist: Functional Ceramics

COLLECTIONS

Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY

The Rosenfield Collection, Dallas, TX

TNNUA Foundation, Tainan National University of the Arts, Tainan City, Taiwan

Pottery Northwest, Seattle, WA

Sloss Metal Arts Foundation, Birmingham, AL

North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND