Sharif Bey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sharif Bey
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With bead-inspired sculpture "Louie Bones: Omega"
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| Born | 1974 (age 50–51) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Known for | Ceramics |
Sharif Bey (born in 1974 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is a talented African American artist. He is also a ceramicist, which means he works with clay to create art. Besides that, he is a professor, teaching others about art.
Sharif Bey makes many kinds of art. He creates useful pottery, like bowls or plates. He also makes sculptures from clay and other materials. His art often shows his interest in the history and art styles of Africa and Oceania. He also explores modern African American culture.
A special part of his work is his large, colorful sculptures made with beads. Through these, he looks at why people use decorations and jewelry. He shows how these items can be important in different cultures and even have political meaning.
Sharif Bey's Education Journey
When Sharif Bey was in high school, he learned a lot about ceramics. He did an apprenticeship at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. This place was very important for him as a teenager.
The Guild helped him build strong skills in working with clay. He also met many important artists there. Some famous artists he met included Jun Kaneko and Karen Karnes.
After the Soviet Union broke apart, Bey went to study sculpture. He studied at The Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava in the Slovak Republic. Later, he earned his first art degree (BFA) in ceramics from Slippery Rock University.
He then got his master's degree (MFA) in studio art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Finally, he earned his PhD in art education from Pennsylvania State University.
Sharif Bey's Teaching and Art Career
Sharif Bey has taught art at several universities. These include Winston Salem State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Syracuse University.
He has also been an artist-in-residence at different art centers. This means he spent time creating art and sharing his skills at places like the McColl Center for Art + Innovation and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Since 2018, Sharif Bey's art has been shown in many important places. The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum featured his work. After that, other museums held special shows just for his art.
Some of these museums include The Carnegie Museum of Art and the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto. His sculptures, made from clay, glass, and other materials, are now in public collections. This means you can find his art in museums for everyone to see.
His art is in places like the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Dallas Museum of Art. You can even find his work in United States Embassies in countries like Indonesia and Uganda!
Exhibitions of Sharif Bey's Art
Sharif Bey's artwork has been part of many exciting exhibitions:
- Sharif Bey: Colonial Ruptures (2022) at the Gardiner Museum
- Sharif Bey: Facets (2022) at the Everson Museum of Art
- Sharif Bey: Excavations (2021–2022) at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
- Objects USA 2020 (2020) at R & Company
- Adorned (2020) at the McColl Center for Art and Innovation
- Pittsburgh Anthology (2019–2020) at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
- Disrupting Craft: Renwick Invitational (2018–2019) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery
- Sharif Bey: Dialogues in Clay and Glass (2018) at the Pittsburgh Glass Center
