A small group of six advanced ceramics students, under the direction of Lone Star College-CyFair’s Professor Kelley Eggert, have collaborated for more than two years in an art project of gratitude, sublime beauty and a journey of resilience as a way to give back to the college and the community.
LSC-CyFair officially celebrated the artists - Charlotte Donner, Lou Higdon, Patti Lozano, twin sisters Heather and Sarah Silver, and Vicky Suarez - and the recently installed ceramic art project titled “BuoyantSea” in an April 21 dedication.
This new permanent outdoor public art installation features more than 100 ceramic fish and orbs displayed outside the Center for Academic and Student Engagement (CASE) on the LSC-CyFair campus. The large school of vividly colored fish swim upstream through spherical obstacles representing the resilience of humans who endure hardships and are transformed by the experience.
“BuoyantSea is a labor of love inspired by the unforgettable time of COVID-19 that we all experienced with a hope to commemorate the era in a meaningful way that is relatable to the viewers and passersby,” said Eggert. “These artists, with uniquely different artistic styles, combined their talents to create one cohesive display that would evoke sentiments of struggle, despair, perseverance and hope for all.”
These passionate artists represent women of diverse ages, backgrounds and levels of ceramics experience. They are a mix of award-winning artists, young professionals and retired lifelong learners with their own inspirational stories and perspective on the “BuoyantSea” project.
“We imagined ‘BuoyantSea’ as an inspiration, testament and memorial to the COVID years,” said Lozano. “Hopefully, those who were able to overcome the hurdles will be stronger as they swim on in life. The school of fish swims on with a common memory of the deterrents conquered …. It will have a different meaning for each person who stops to muse upon it.”
Lozano, a former music and Spanish teacher as well as composer and author, began painting classes at age 60 at LSC-CyFair, a campus she said created a new life and home for her after retirement, divorce and an empty nest. Her ceramic art style is raw, intuitive and features a mixture of vibrant colors.
Donner believes learning and education is a lifelong process and enjoys the creative process in ceramics class, where nature is a constant theme in her pieces. She said clay became her therapy when she retired in 2018 from a career in social work after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
“We were excited about the idea of creating artwork that would both beautify the campus and leave a lasting statement about the struggles that we, as artists, students and citizens had experienced and witnessed,” said Donner. “I hope if a viewer is struggling themselves, they look at this artwork and say to themselves, I will get through this and be a stronger person for it.”
Twin sisters Heather and Sarah are polymer clay and ceramic artists who run a sculpture business together. They earned associate degrees at LSC-CyFair in 2019 and continue taking ceramic classes to explore techniques and add skills to their tool belt. Both have won awards in LSC-CyFair Bosque Gallery exhibitions.
“Though the overall themes (of “BuoyantSea”) are of struggle and perseverance, how we inevitably cope and overcome our struggles are subjective and individualistic,” said Sarah, whose artwork looks at fantastical aspects of myths and folklore, notably Celtic, and how they relate to real-world lives. “I do hope the viewer can see that there are others also struggling and sometimes it is through help from others that we are able to stay afloat.”
Heather, whose sculptures of unusual hybrid creatures explore emotions with reflections of the natural world and a bit of magic, said “It was a challenge to come up with an art installation concept that would universally read in a positive light. It has been interesting coming to understand that other people’s life experiences can vastly change the impact and what they take away from our installation."
Higdon earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Studio Arts, primarily ceramics, and worked at the University Club while raising a family. Now this artist is known for the intricate detail in her pieces which have been admired in the art community and won awards in Bosque Gallery exhibitions.
“The idea of working with five other people with diverse backgrounds, ideas and styles seemed a daunting task,” Higdon admitted. “However, I believed when this work was finished, it would be a full embodiment of all our combined skills, talents and ideas.”
Suarez added “With very different styles and personalities, each one of us was able to give up individualism to unify the artwork. Art brought us together to create an amazing installation that reminds us obstacles are there for us to grow and persevere.”
Suarez discovered art was her true passion while earning an LSC-CyFair degree in 2019 for a career in graphic design. Her artwork reflects a love of nature and has won multiples awards in Bosque Gallery exhibitions. She was also one of only six college students in Houston to participate in 50th annual Bayou City Art Festival.
Stop by the campus to not only view “BuoyantSea” anytime, but to see the LSC-CyFair “Student Art showcase” in the Bosque Gallery through May 9 as well as the “Bridgeland High School Senior Show” May 18-31. Go to LoneStar.edu/BosqueGallery for details.
For information on LSC-CyFair’s art program and scholarship opportunities, go to LoneStar.edu/art-dept-cyfair or call 281.290.5273.
Registration is under way for May mini-mester classes that begin May 15, summer sessions starting June 5 and July 13 or the fall semester which begins Aug. 28. For information, go to LoneStar.edu/cf-mini-mester or LoneStar.edu/regcyfair.