Robert Archambeau: One Leads to the Next
The University of Manitoba School of Art, Collections Gallery is pleased to present Robert Archambeau: One Leads to the Next. An exhibition of works featuring a selection of key pieces in clay and on paper that capture Archambeau’s exceptional career as an artist and his time as professor and professor emeritus at the School of Art.
Working in clay for more than 60 years, Robert Archambeau has been a principal figure in Canadian Ceramics. His artistic output is recognized for its highly developed sensibility, depth, personal voice, and consistent innovation. The exhibition of groupings and variations provides an overview of the artist’s focus on the vessel and reflect his making process and style.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Robert Archambeau enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1949, serving in the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Turkey. After his military service, he lived in Mexico and California before returning to Ohio to complete a BFA at Bowling Green State University. He went on to earn an MFA from Alfred University in New York in 1964 and taught for four years at the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 1968, Archambeau moved to Winnipeg to teach ceramics at the University of Manitoba’s School of Art, where he remained until his retirement in 1991. Deeply inspired by the ceramic traditions of Japan, Korea, and China, he developed a practice renowned for its refinement, restraint, and technical mastery. His influence on Canadian ceramics was profound, shaping generations of artists and expanding the critical discourse around the medium.
His achievements were widely recognized: he was named Professor Emeritus in 2004, received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2003, a lifetime achievement award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts in 2008, and the Manitoba Arts Council Award of Distinction in 2014.
Robert Archambeau passed away in Winnipeg on April 25, 2022.
About the Keynote: Robert Harrison is a practicing artist who lives and works in Helena, Montana, USA. He has built his 40+ year career in the site-specific large-scale architectural sculpture realm along with smaller-scale studio activity. He holds BFA from the University of Manitoba and MFA from University of Denver in Ceramics and is a member of the IAC (International Academy of Ceramics, Geneva), WABA (World Association of Brick Artists), RCA (Royal Canadian Academy of Arts) and is a Fellow of NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts). His exhibition and installation record is extensive and global. His book, Sustainable Ceramics: A Practical Guide, was co-published by Bloomsbury (London) and the American Ceramic Society (Ohio) in the fall of 2013. Robert is currently working on several large-scale site-specific projects both nationally and internationally along with his ongoing exploration of studio work.
Robert is currently working on several large-scale site-specific projects both nationally and internationally along with his ongoing exploration of studio work.
About the Curator: Candice Ring is a studio potter from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is inspired by her sense of nostalgia for home, coupled with an interest in history and decoration, and uses them as building blocks for her creative process.
She has made work and exhibited in North America, and in Australia and China. Ring holds a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Manitoba and an MFA in Studio Art from Arizona State University. She is currently the Studio Technician in Ceramics at the University of Manitoba.
Candice Ring was Robert Archambeau’s first Studio Assistant and maintained a friendship with him thereafter. She brings this unique and personal perspective to the presentation of his work at the School of Art Gallery.