Some of us may not have been born here, but Memphis drew us in for a reason. Some of us may not know the reason yet, but C.A. Traen does and she’s been diving into it head-first in Memphis for almost two years now. Previously living in Las Vegas, Traen followed her passion of teaching to a city over 1,500 miles away.
Specializing in pottery and sculpture, she has been teaching workshops and actively exhibiting in the U.S., Europe, and Asia since 2012. Traen eventually found herself settled in Memphis and currently teaches Ceramics at the University of Memphis. I guess she just couldn’t help herself from joining the “renaissance of creativity and vitality” that Memphis is experiencing. Not only does she teach at U of M and on three continents, she’s currently working on multiple initiatives to offer a wider perspective of international art to the artist community in town.
Her personal style of sculpture reflects body image and societal expectations. The way that society tells us to always be on the move and multitasking has held us back as a creative species. In her Multillusion series, we see multi-limbed figures reaching in every direction. This is a metaphor for constantly being pulled in ways we don’t want to go, being held back because of expectations of us, and the fast-pace we have to keep up with. Challenging society’s expectations of us is an artform in and of itself. Not having time for anything but productivity and multitasking has become all too normalized. To show your soul, you need to make time for personal growth and pleasure, or you’re going to need that many limbs to make it happen. So Memphis, don’t forget to relax for a bit or even take up some clay classes with Traen.
Click on the link below to learn more about C.A. Traen and her works!
