First Friday: Pat Hoban & Geoff Taylor
This month we feature our newest Potter-in-Residence, Pat Hoban. His tea ware is well-designed and wood-fired. Joining him is local musical talent Geoff Taylor and his crew. Try a couple of delicious teas for free as well! Event goes from 5-8 pm, Oct 4th at our tea bar in Missoula, Montana.
Pat Hoban’s Artist Statement
Using a suggested force, separation or compression of accumulated and fabricated objects, I am able to express the relationship between human and natural fragility. Orchestrating forceful action on accumulating materials and allowing them to evolve on their own opens discussions about forces colliding and affecting one another. The moment when a plant breaks the surface of concrete and continues to grow is a forceful moment with which I relate. Being rooted from Philadelphia exposed me to the extremes of the natural world and how they interact with the spaces of an inner city. Childhood memories spent on beaches and by rivers, observing, experiencing, collecting and documenting the extreme forces of nature has allowed me to connect personal struggles to those of the natural world. There will always be barriers to deal with, but much like nature, I must find a way to survive.
Geoff Taylor’s Biography
Geoffrey Paul Taylor is a Missoula-based professional violinist with eight years of experience teaching violin, viola and mandolin. Geoff plays first violin with the Helena Symphony Orchestra and is the violinist in Night Blooming Jasmine, Missoula’s premier gypsy jazz ensemble. He has played alongside world-class acts, including the Tim Kliphuis and Alfonso Ponticelli Duo, Carlo Alonzo Trio and Gaelynn Lea.
Geoff is passionate about the transformative power of music education for students of all ages. He has worked with diverse institutions including the Zootown Arts Community Center, Missoula County Public Schools, Billings Public School District, Arts without boundaries and the Salvation Army.
Geoff grew up in Billings in a family of musicians and music educators. He studied voice and piano with his mother, who learned piano from her grandmother. At age 8, Geoff began studying violin with Diane Fossen. He later worked with Julliard graduate Ruth E. Morrow. In 2006, Geoff was awarded the Young Artist Scholarship at Stephen F. Austin State University, where he trained under Jennifer Dalmas. In 2008, he transferred to the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Music to study with renowned pedagog Richard Fuchs. Geoff is an alumnus of several world-class music festivals, including Montana Fiddle Camp, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Brevard Summer Music Festival, Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival and Open Space Festival of New Music.
