Bio:

I am an artist, industrial designer and potter. A native of Vietnam, I immigrated as a teenager with my family to Orange County, California. I studied at Cal State Long Beach and later at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design. I was a design intern at Arnell Group Inc. in New York and a design exchange student at Art Center College of Design in Switzerland. I have subsequently worked on staff for two leading design consultants, Hauser Inc., in West Lake Village and at Designworks/USA, a subsidary of BMW. In addition to this work, I have completed a number of free-lance design projects. Several of my product designs have been recognized in the annual Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) design competitions and featured in the press. In 2006, I received a Gold Crown Award from The Pasadena Arts Council for promotion of the Arts and Cultire in Pasadena.

While I have always been an artist, I didn't start my career as a ceramic artist until 1999 well after college. Following a trip through Scandinavia in 2002 where I visited with many ceramic artists, I was intrigued and inspired by their energy, creativity, and devotion as an artist, and determined to invest a significant portion of my time and energy to ceramics.

Soon after my trip, I worked as a teaching assistant at Santa Monica College to gain a better understanding of firing and to develop skills in assisting others in the creative process. Simultaneously, I started planning for the Clay Center in the Fall of 2002 by visiting similar facilities across the United States. Construction began in December of 2002 and the Xiem Clay Center opened officially to members on October 11, 2003 with classes following in January of 2004. In August of 2004, Suzette Munnik joined the Center as full time Director and serves also as adjunct faculty for the Center's program with Occidental College -- Suzette has been a major force in shaping the Center and its success.  In addition to Suzette, we have been fortunate to recruit Junzo Mori as our full-time studio technician and a great teaching faculty. 

My ceramic work has been featured in Ceramics Monthly (cover and feature article May 2007), C Magazine (June 2007), Pasadena Living Magazine,  Los Angeles Times Magazine (feature article November 2003).  I have shown at Charles E. Borman Gallery-Montrose, Burbank Municipal Gallery and Creative Arts Center, The Folk Tree Collection-Pasadena, Naked Clay Gallery-Culver City, Pete and Susan Barret Art Gallery-Santa Monica, The Contemporary Craft Market-San Francisco, American Art Festival-San Diego, Clay House-Santa Monica, The Affaire in the Garden-Beverly Hills, and various ceramic shows sponsored by The American Ceramics Society-Design Chapter of Southern California.

My pieces appear regularly in magazines and on TV as set features -- in August 2007, a number of my pieces were added to the new set NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno and appear nightly on the set. My work is in numerous private collections throughout the United States and is available exclusively at the Xiem Gallery in Pasadena.

(Drew Carey, Richard Roeper, Jay Leno, Tonight Show, August 27,2007)

My ceramic pieces reflect my passion for design. Each piece of work is unique, one of a kind with its own character. You will find aesthetic characteristics of Eastern, Western and European countries all integrated into a contemporary work. Working with clay has given me great freedom and the opportunity to express myself in a very tangible way.

Current Work

Contact Info:

Kevin X. Nguyen
Xiem Clay Center

Kevin maintains a private studio at the Center and is available by appointment, please contact the Center.

1563 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91104

kevin@xiemclaycenter.com
Phone: 626.794.5833