Renowned ceramicist Dr. Sharif Bey to speak at APSU Oct. 15
By: Dr. Andrea Spofford October 2, 2026
Dr. Sharif Bey, an award-winning ceramicist whose work has been exhibited in venues from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the Carnegie Museum of Art. | Contributed photo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Art + Design, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, will host sculptor and ceramicist Dr. Sharif Bey for a free, public lecture, Awakening in Contemporary Craft, at 6 p.m. on Oct. 15 in Heydel Hall, Art + Design Room 120.
Bey's discussion will explore how contemporary craft serves as a catalyst for personal expression, cultural connection, and storytelling. His work as a ceramicist examines the evolving role of ceramics as a medium that bridges tradition and experimentation.
“We’re very excited to have Sharif Bey share his experience, expertise, and insight into his practice,” said Scott Raymond, chair of APSU's Department of Art + Design. “With Bey recently being awarded the inaugural Spector Craft Prize, this is an amazing opportunity to once again bring nationally recognized artists to our students and the Clarksville community.”
“Raptor:Quilt II,” a vitreous china/mixed media piece created by Dr. Sharif Bey. | Contributed photo
About the Artist
Sharif Bey is a Syracuse-based artist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Bey studied sculpture at The Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia. Later, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Slippery Rock University, his Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and his Ph.D. from Penn State University. Inspired by modernism, functional pottery, Oceanic art and the art of the African diaspora, Bey’s works investigate the cultural and political significance of adornment and the symbolic and formal properties of archetypal motifs, while questioning how the meaning of icons and function transform across cultures and time.
Bey's awards include: The 2026 inaugural Spector Craft Prize, The United States Artist Fellowship, The Fulbright Scholarship, The Eben Demarest Award, The Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, and The New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. His works are featured in numerous public collections including: The Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Learn more about Bey by visiting his website: https://www.sharifbeyceramics.com/.
About the Department of Art + Design
Established in 1927, the Department of Art + Design is one of the original departments at Austin Peay State University. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the department offers studies in animation, art education, art history, ceramics, drawing, digital media, graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture. The department is housed in the College of Arts and Letters and consists of 19 full-time faculty for approximately 350 students. Three on-campus galleries also support the art and design programs. In 2017, the department moved into a state-of-the-art building. The Department of Art + Design also houses the Goldsmith Press and Rare Type Collection, a remarkable collection of antique and vintage wooden letterforms. To learn more about the department, contact Scott Raymond, department chair, at raymonds@apsu.edu.
About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists. To learn more about the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu.