Joel Cherrico

Paramount Arts Center

St. Cloud, Minnesota

 

joel@cherricopottery.com
www.cherricopottery.com

Additional Contact Information:
Mailing Address:  PO Box 583, St. Joseph, MN 56374
Phone: 319-389-8679

Studio Description:
My name is Joel Cherrico and I make functional pottery and abstract sculpture. I started a small business after graduating college in 2010, called Cherrico Pottery, LLC. I’ve been a full time artist for about 2 years now, with a goal of continually making and selling enough pottery to support my career.

 

I studied as an Art major for 4 years at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. My mentors were professor Sam Johnson and local potter JD Jorgenson. Both JD and Sam studied with Richard Bresnahan at the St. John’s Pottery. Here, they learned a Japanese style of pottery making that stemmed from Richard’s 4 year apprenticing in Karatsu, Japan. They have passed down a rich tradition of pottery production. The result is a Minnesota style of pottery that is highly in tune with the natural world and the local community.

 

I currently work as a Resident Artist at the Paramount Arts Center in St. Cloud, MN. I also make pottery for the Local Blend coffee shop in downtown St. Joseph, MN. Stop in for a meal served entirely off of my pottery!

 

At the Local Blend coffee shop customers can eat and drink from my pottery everyday. I filled this small shop with over 300 pots to use as serving vessels at no cost, and the pottery is also available for sale. The Local Blend takes 25% of sales, while paying for any breakage. This has been a sustainable business model, as well as an interactive art installation.

Potters Mark:
My signature shows a line drawing of a mountain landscape. Since I was young, my family has traveled to the Rocky Mountains at least once every year. I love this huge landscape, and I yearn to live and work in this setting some day.