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Art faculty member Todd Shanafelt is guest artist at Viterbo University

Uses found objects in his ceramic pieces

Art allows faculty member and ceramicist Todd Shanafelt to return to his roots, and he's transferring that enthusiasm to Wisconsin students as this semester's guest artist at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis.

2007-02-21
By Kate Schott, Tribune staff writer [published in the La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, Wis., 2/21/2007]

Art allows Todd Shanafelt to return to his roots.And by that, he means it allows him to pursue his interests with the same enthusiasm children show with just about everything.“It allows me to do creative thinking when others say, ‘Why?’ or ‘What’s the use?’” Shanafelt told about 30 Viterbo University students Tuesday morning during a demonstration of his work.Viterbo’s art department invites a professional artist from outside the Coulee Region to display his or her works in the gallery each semester, said Gerard Ferrari, an assistant professor of art at Viterbo.Shanafelt, a ceramic arts professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, is the invited artist this semester. His work has been in the school’s gallery in the Fine Arts Center since Jan. 24, and he did a demonstration and held a slide presentation Tuesday.He is known for combining found objects, such as metal or nails, with clay to create unique art pieces that have familiar shapes. Tuesday, for instance, he created what looked like an espresso machine.He picks up items at various places, including thrift stores, to use in his artwork. He considers it an investment to have materials on hand and ready for when inspiration strikes.He calls his work “three-dimensional drawing,” a phrase borrowed from a professor he knew in graduate school. Shanafelt said he “tries to embrace the surprise in my work,” often working quickly to transfer an idea from his head to the clay in his hands. He continues to refine the idea though future projects.The journey from start to finish of a project often is more educational than just looking at the piece created in the end, Shanafelt told the students. He encouraged them to take risks in their art work.“This isn’t working at all,” he said about an hour into his two-hour session Tuesday morning. “I would definitely dive back into my treasure chest (if I was) in my studio.”Shanafelt knew his work might lack a bit of magic Tuesday: Since he had just a few hours with the students, he created a project similar to one he has made before.“The real magic happens when you are all by yourself in your own studio,” he said. “That’s what you get when you are all by yourself in the middle of the night.”

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