Humor, Storytelling, and Craftsmanship in the Work of Visiting Artist George Rodriguez

Visual arts faculty member and gallery coordinator Nicole Winters introduced Rodriguez at the assembly in Kraft Dining Hall. “Our visiting artist program brings working artists to campus so you can see what a real creative practice looks like, how ideas become objects, how culture and identity shape art, and how artists build lives around making things that matter. It’s a chance to learn directly from someone who’s out in the world doing the work. George is an incredible example of that,” Winters said. “His work blends humor, storytelling, and meticulous craftsmanship in a way that’s completely his own.” 

Rodriguez grew up in El Paso, Texas, studied ceramics at the University of Texas El Paso, and earned his M.F.A. from the University of Washington. His work has been displayed and collected by museums across the country, and his recent projects include a large-scale installation commissioned by the Kansas City International Airport. Rodriguez is an assistant professor at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia and a co-organizer of The Color Network, an organization that aims to help artists of color advance in ceramic arts. This winter, Rivers displayed a collection of Rodriguez’s sculptures in the Bell Gallery and El Zodíaco Familiar, a series of wall-mounted animal heads, in the Baldwin Family Art Commons. 

El Zodíaco Familiar is one project in a series of Mexican zodiac projects by Rodriguez, in which he reinterprets the animals of the Chinese zodiac narrative into animals from Mexico: chapulín, or grasshopper, in place of the rat, the mythical Quetzalcoatl in place of the dragon, and so on. “I’m Mexican American, so I wanted to bring [the story] a little closer to home,” he explained during the assembly. 

El Zodíaco Familiar is distinct for its collaborative nature: Rodriguez invited 13 artists of Mexican descent to work with him on the animal that corresponds to their birth year in the Chinese zodiac. Rodriguez sculpted the animal forms, which his collaborators adorned based on their own artistic mediums and styles. “This has been one of my favorite projects, because it’s not only about the artwork that I make. I get to teach a little bit of my practice,” Rodriguez reflected. “But then I get to learn from all these other artists and what they do.” Rodriguez’s collaborators worked in a variety of mediums, such as photography, fiber arts, metalworking, and even poetry. 

“We made objects, but we also made friendships. I can call these people and have conversations or collaborate in the future,” Rodriguez said. “And that’s really, I think, what art [does] best as a function: You make connections with people, you affect people’s lives, and you get to share what you love.”

Collaborative spirit was put into practice during Rodriguez’s time with Rivers ceramics students. Providing insight into some of the more logistical aspects of his practice, Rodriguez shared molds he’s created for the ornamental details on his sculptures, which students borrowed to make their own decorative pieces. 

In Intermediate Ceramics with Tim Clark P’29, Rodriguez asked students to name an animal for him to make as a demonstration and then prompted them to pick what kind of hat and shoes it should have on. The result was truly one-of-a-kind: a salmon wearing a top hat and flip flops. “If my objects make me laugh, it’s a good sign,” Rodriguez told the students. It usually means the piece has good energy and that he’s having fun making it, he said.

At the assembly, Rodriguez talked about seeing the Rivers facilities for the first time during the installation of his exhibition. “There’s amazing creative energy that you have at your disposal. So, I just want to say, please tap into it,” he said. “And that doesn’t necessarily just mean visual arts, which is what I do—make artwork in the way that you know how to present that to the world. Because we need more creativity; we need more positivity.”