TAWA at 45
The Exhibition
James Colavita
Altare della Porca
smoked fired stoneware, 1995; 23″h x 22″w x 17″d; Courtesy of the Estate of Susan Kiley Colavita
Jim Colavita (1949-1996), a prolific and well-respected artist in the region, was an associate professor of ceramics/Sculpture (1986-96) and senior technical assistant & adjunct faculty (1977-86) in the Visual Arts Department at Mercer County Community College, and professor, by invitation, at the Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts at The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College) from 1984-1995. Colavita’s work has been included in 56 exhibitions, including 13 solo shows, and with the Eldridge Park Artists, he participated in ten collaborative art performances. A founding and long-time TAWA member, he served as the organization’s director of exhibits from 1982-84, and as an instructor of drawing workshops (1984). In 1990, he participated in the Soviet Exchange Fellowship in conjunction with TAWA. In 1981, Colavita was awarded a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship in sculpture. His work is in the collections of the New Jersey State Museum (Trenton, NJ) and Rider University (Lawrenceville, NJ), as well as many private collections.