Portland Wall
Select Biography
Born in 1951 in San Jose, California, Geoffrey grew up in Palo Alto, California, and Santa Cruz, California and studied Ceramics at Palo Alto High School with Cramer Owen. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with Honors and a BFA in Studio Art in 1973, then attended graduate school at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, graduating in 1975 with a MFA in Ceramics.
Geoffrey Pagen was a recipient of a Fellowship Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982, and a Fellowship Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission in 1986.
His studio work spans a global context, having finished over 100 site specific commissioned ceramic projects throughout the United States and abroad, and has had 39 solo exhibitions and 80 group shows since 1975.
Concurrent with the growth and execution of his studio work, Geoffrey was the Head of the Ceramics Program at Reed College in Portland, Oregon from 1979–2014.
Selected Exhibitions
2017, 2014, 2011, 2008, 2004 Laura Russo Gallery, Portland, OR
2012, 2009 Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle, WA
2006, 1988, 1982 Vollum Gallery, Reed College, Portland, OR
2005 Calvin Charles Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2004 Nancy Margolis Gallery, New York, NY
2003 Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR
2001, 1995, 1994, 1991, 1988 Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR
1999 Brendan Walter Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1990 Jamison Thomas Gallery, New York, NY
Selected Collections
Reed College, Portland, OR
Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Oslo, Norway
SAFECO Insurance, Cincinnati, OH
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
Timet Corporation, Denver, CO
University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA
US Embassy, Bujumbura, Burundi, Africa
Xerox Corporation, New York, NY
“Geoffrey Pagen's wall reliefs and works on paper synthesize his fascination with the physical properties of glazed, fired clay, and his interest in the formal properties of the two dimensional surface.
Created with many types of glazes, on large slabs of clay, Pagen's reliefs evoke archeological ruins and the natural forces which wear them down. Art historically, his moody, layered textures and serial geometric compositions fuse Abstract Expressionism and Minimalist concerns. Yet always Pagen's work possesses a direct, unapologetic sensuousness which transcends all references.”
John Weber, Portland, OR