A revered artist and educator with 50 years of experience as a professional potter, Vincent Sansone joined the Crealdé faculty in the early 1970s and is the longstanding Ceramics Studio and Program Manager. Sansone also teaches at Valencia College, where he is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics Art. Sansone was awarded his MFA in Ceramics and his BFA in Painting at Southern Illinois University, and he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Sansone’s whimsical creations have been exhibited throughout the United States as well as internationally, and are held in numerous private and public collections, including the Pine Castle Folk Art Center, SunTrust Bank, Orange County Public Library, and the City of Orlando. He conducts workshops throughout the Southeast, and regular exhibits in galleries and art festivals.
He is a recipient of multiple United Arts of Central Florida Individual Artist Recognition Awards as well as Individual Artist Fellowship Awards from the State of Florida. Sansone conducts workshops throughout the Southeast, and regular exhibits in galleries and art festivals. He continues to receive top awards and recognitions, and serves as a judge at local and regional art exhibitions.
Sansone established the popular Cup-A-Thon fundraising sale, which is now a more than 30-year-old tradition at the school and is held in August.
Recently, Sansone was interviewed for the32789.com. The full interview was published on March 7, 2022 can be read here.
Artist's Statement
Personal Website“There is an orchid cactus in front of my house in a large pot. It has long ago outgrown the pot but still flourishes. Three or four times a year it blooms, sometimes only a couple of blooms or as many as a dozen. It is a night-blooming cactus and once the flower opens it withers and dies by mid-morning. The big white blossoms remind me of fireworks bursting and it comes and goes almost as quickly. Yet, it is always beautiful, always glorious.
As a craftsman, I have had to be very prolific and work many years to achieve the beautiful pieces no matter how few there may have been, while the orchid cactus produced a beautiful blossom effortlessly each time. I have thought that it would be great if I could produce a beautiful piece each time I touch the clay, but then I remind myself that if that were the case it might also disappear as quickly as the flower. Over the years, the work progresses and hopefully the exceptional pieces will come with more frequency, more regularity. It is for this that I work and as I open the kiln each time, I hope.”
Selected Awards
- 2010, Ceramic Workshop Presenter, John C Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina
- 2010, Granted!! United Arts Award Recipients 2006-2008, Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
- 2003, 2006, 2007, Best of Show, Fiesta in the Park, Orlando Florida
- 2001, Artworks, Award of Distinction, Jacksonville, Florida
- 2001, Craft Art, Award of Distinction, Tampa, Florida
- 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, Artist’s Recognition Award, Art Services Council, Orlando, Florida
- 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, Honorable Mention, Florida Individual Artist Fellowship Award, Orlando, Florida
Selected Exhibitions
- 2017, Director’s Choice VI, Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
- 2016, Art Legends of Orange County, Orange County Administration Center, Orlando, Florida
- 2014, Comic Relief, Cabarrus Art Gallery, Concord, North Carolina
- 2011, Pumpkins & Pies, The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida
- 2011, Selected Fine Art Faculty Show, Valencia College, Orlando, Florida
- 2011, Art in the Square: Director’s Choice, Tavares, Florida
- 2010, Fresh from The Kiln, Winter Park Ladies Guild, Winter Park, Florida
- 2010, Showcase Central Florida Artists, Claybodies Gallery, Orlando, Florida
- 2010, Orlando Folk Festival, The Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida
- 2009, Faculty Holiday Show, Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
- 2006, 2007, 2008, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
- 2007, The Maquette, Ideas & Process, Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
- 2006, Forms & Shapes, The Useful Teapot, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, Iowa
- 2004, Plates & Platters, Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, Florida
- 2004, First Taiwan Ceramics Biennale Exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan
- 2004, group exhibition, River Gallery, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- 2003, solo exhibition, Museum of Art & Science, Melbourne, Florida
- 2001, For the Birds, Blue Spiral 1 Fine Art Gallery, Asheville, North Carolina
- 2001, Imaginings, River Gallery, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Permanent Collections
- Maitland Art Center, Maitland, Florida
- Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida
- Prince of Peace, Orlando, Florida
- Orange County Library System, Ocoee, Florida
- Orange Street Bridge, Lakeland, Florida
- Raymond, James & Assoc., Clearwater, Florida
- SunTrust of Florida, Orlando, Floirda
- State of Illinois, Historical Preservation Society, Springfield, Illinois
- City of Orlando, Florida Artists Collection, Orlando, Floirda
- Orange County Public Library, Orlando, Floirda
- Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan