Biography
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Carly “Car” Riegger (they/them) is a chronically ill and disabled artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since finding clay, they have been able to express their illness in ways that words could not. Their artwork naturally merged with their experiences with disability. Car received a BFA in Ceramics from Bowling Green State University in 2020. They completed a Post-Baccalaureate at Indiana University-Southeast in Ceramics in 2023. Their biggest project included a panel and exhibition called #CripClay which was featured at NCECA in Cincinnati, OH in 2023. This exhibition included all artists with disabilities, which was one of the first of its kind at the conference. Currently, they are pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Car’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the ceramics and arts communities work with artists with disabilities.
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Artist Statement
My work is a direct response to my life with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), an inherited disorder that causes pain in the connective tissues throughout the body. My experience is grounded in many hospitals stays, surgeries, and being constantly unsure of the cause of pain in my body. My work documents, preserves, and expresses my inner turmoil and disability, as it is not always visible to others. Many people have denied me care, made judgements or decisions based on my physical appearance, therefore, I create work that documents my internal state as an undeniable physical expression of my pain. These situations are common among people with disabilities, so I aim to bring this important topic to light through honoring true representations of my own disabled experience. I use various materials to convey both the tenuous state of an ill body and the way it is perceived. With many inaccurate and ableist historical and societal interpretations of the disabled body, I choose to speak about my own experience through the disabled lens as a reclamation of my identity.
Education
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2026
2024
2023
2020
2018
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI The City University of New York (CUNY)
New York, NY Indiana University Southeast
New Albany, IN Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH Studio Arts College International (SACI)
Florence, Italy |
Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics
Master of Arts in Disability Studies
Post-Baccalaureate in Ceramics
BFA in Studio Art focused in Ceramics
Fall Semester Abroad
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Organizations
Disability and Access Coalition Club at CUNY
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The Dirt Bags Ceramics Club at IUS
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Exhibitions, Shows & Professional Experience
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2024
2023
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2023
2022
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2022
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2022
2021
2021
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2021
2020
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2018
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2017
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As Much As Humanly Possible
Current MFA First-Year Student Exhibition Main Gallery, Art Lofts, Madison, WI Transmogrify
Current MFA Ceramic Student Exhibition Main Gallery, Art Lofts, Madison, WI #CripClay, Concurrent Exhibition
Co-Organizers: Victoria Walton and Amanda Barr 57th Annual NCECA Conference, Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH #CripClay: Taking Imitative for Accessibility
Presentation Panel at 57th Annual NCECA Conference, Cincinnati, OH All In: Expanding Our Disability Advocacy, Common Experience
Disability Panel at Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN Annual Juried Fine Arts Student Exhibition
Juror: Kat Cox, Ronald L. Barr Gallery, IUS, New Albany, IN Ephemera, Group Exhibition with Molly Otremba
Art Alliance of Southern Indiana, New Albany, IN Shaping Our Experience, Body of Work Podcast Episode
Conversations with Disabled Artists Bodies: Celebrating All Bodies, Online Exhibition
The Ikouii Creative Organization, Curated by Aleatha Linsay Inside Their Studio: Deaf & Disabled Artists Reshaping the Arts
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Accomplishments
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2024
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2022
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2021
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2020
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2019
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2017
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2016
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Midwest Award for Artists with Disabilities, Arts Midwest, Minneapolis, MN
Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Artists & Craftsman 1st Place Award, IUS
Kentucky Mudworks Award, IUS
Executive Vice Chancellor's Purchase Award
IUS Annual Juried Student Exhibition, New Albany, IN Kentucky Mudworks Award
IUS Annual Juried Student Exhibition, New Albany, IN We’re Still Here Micro Grant, Suffering the Silence
James W. Strong Studio Achievement Award
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH James W. Strong Outstanding Senior Award
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH
Jules Maidoff Award for Best Student Artwork in Fall Semester
Honorable Mention in Painting Category
67th Annual Undergraduate Art Exhibition Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH First place in the First Year Program Category
66th Annual Undergraduate Art Exhibition Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH Freshman Bravo Talent Award
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH Incoming Freshman Bravo Talent Award
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH |
