Get to know the person behind the work
Artist Bio: Allie Benoit
Allie Benoit is an interdisciplinary artist born in Albany, New York and currently lives and works in metro Atlanta, Georgia where she teaches ceramic classes and workshops in hand-building, mold-making and slip casting to all ages.
Allie graduated Cum Laude from Kennesaw State University with a BFA in Ceramics and Sculpture with a minor in Italian Language. While at Kennesaw State University Benoit was awarded the Global Learning scholarship, the Visual Arts Study Abroad scholarship, and an Honorable Runner Up for the Benjamin Gilman International scholarship to fund a five-week residency with the University of Georgia System to study art and culture in Montepulciano, Italy.
Her work has been exhibited at the Zuckerman Museum Fine Arts Gallery, Mable House Arts Center, Sewell Mill Cultural Center, Savannah Clay Community and Mint Gallery. Allie’s work has also been presented in national juried exhibitions with Wildfire Ceramic Studio (partnered with The Last Prisoner's Project) in Montana, James May Gallery in Wisconsin, The Clay Center of New Orleans, and the Amelia Center Gallery in Florida.
Along with exhibitions, her work, process and teaching has been featured in publications from The Sentinel newspaper, Peachtree Corners Magazine, and for Shoutout-Voyage Denver Colorado Magazine.
Allie Benoit is the Founder of Rainy-Day Studio established in 2020.
Artist Bio:
Artist Statement:
I find solace from riding horses and spending time at the barn. Training horses has taught me more about life than just horsemanship. It also taught me how to accept blame for my own actions and that in order to survive, you must find humor in everything. I aim to capture my connection with this magnificent animal by channeling my equine experiences into my works of art.
With mold-making and slip-casting ceramics I can demonstrate the life of a worn in cowboy boot to encompass the story behind the boots, because working with horses teaches more than just hard work, it shows you how to bend without breaking. Clay embodies that same concept. My compositions are a home for finding the same relief I find in a barn, during a thunderstorm, and the pleasures of sitting in a stall, while horses munch on hay. I want to visualize the feeling I get breathing in the smell of leather, fresh shavings, and sounds of rain falling on the tin roof. My work symbolizes elements that soothe the soul and bring light into darkness. I aim to construct an experience for the viewers where everyone gets off their “High Horse”. My creations inhabit a representation of feeling the darkness inside all of us and still finding lightness within yourself.