Teresa Bergen’s ceramic work explores the intricacies of relationships through movement, myth and folklore. Animated by the turn of a crank, human and animal figures take flight, perform banjo solos or spin in helpless circles surrounded by chaotic toddlers. Detailed pattern, colour and narrative scenes adorn interior and exterior surfaces of her functional pottery.
Born in Vancouver, Bergen started her art education at Langara College and completed a BFA at NSCAD University. Post graduation she cycled to Dawson City Yukon for an artist residency through the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture. On a rock pile outside town she built a kiln and converted a school bus to pottery workshop. Upon returning to Nova Scotia she worked tirelessly at Turnstile Pottery Cooperative. In 2005 she established her own studio and, more recently, a small shop near Chester NS where she now lives with her husband, musician Old Man Luedecke, and their three children.
Bergen was selected for the Nova Scotia Art Bank purchase award 2020 and a recipient of the Arts Nova Scotia Creation Grant. Major commissions include a piece for Cinderella’s Castle at a Tokyo theme park and the Founder’s Tree 2010. Her work is included in the AGNS permanent collection as well as private collections around the world including the USA, Japan, Australia, Germany and Singapore. She has exhibited in galleries across Canada, Los Angeles, Pittsburg and at SOFA Chicago.