What types of art do you specialize in?

We specialize in contemporary ceramics from the 1950s onward, including clay and porcelain sculptures.

Do you offer collection services?

Yes, we work with private collectors and artist archives to organize, document, and appraise ceramic art collections for deacquisition or placement.

Can you help with exhibition development?

Absolutely, we collaborate with museums and cultural institutions to develop and present ceramic art exhibitions.

Do you provide touring programs?

Yes, we curate and organize touring exhibitions for contemporary ceramic artists.

What are legacy projects?

Legacy projects include customized services for artists, such as retrospective catalogs, exhibitions, and museum acquisitions.

News

Press releases, coverage and blog

Oct

2024

What is New in the World of Contemporary Ceramic Art? October 19, 2024 | 10-11:30am EST

What is New in the World of Contemporary Ceramic Art?

October 19, 2024 | 10-11:30am EST

Virtual Talk & Tour with Gallerist Leslie Ferrin and Artist Sergei Isupov

REGISTER HERE

ABOUT THE EVENT

LEARN MORE ABOUT PARTNERS FOR ART & DESIGN

Leslie Ferrin knows…she is a rock star in the world of contemporary ceramic art as she has represented and supported a cadre of great artists for over 40 years. Now a leading specialist, her mission of supporting the creative practice of living artists, continues to guide her work on their behalf through numerous curated museum exhibitions and new opportunities for site responsive commissions. In partnership with a team of specialists, together they draw on Leslie’s extensive network and decades of experience to offer services including cataloging private collections, artist archives and estates. Fostering connections between artists, collectors and art professionals to the global marketplace has paved the way. Join us as we visit with Leslie at Ferrin Contemporary’s newest location at Project Art in Cummington, Massachusetts. We will go on a virtual tour to see works on view by artists represented by the gallery Mara Superior, Chris Antemann, Cristina Cordova, Sergei Isupov, Peter Pincus, Raymon Elozua, Russell Biles, Paul Scott … to name a few. She will be joined by sculptor Sergei Isupov from his studio at Project Art, the ceramic art center he founded with Leslie in 2006 … register today!

Thank you to Abbey Chase and Partners for Art + Design for organizing this event

REGISTER HERE

Aug

2024

CRISTINA CÓRDOVA | 5-Day Virtual Live Course: Full Standing Figure | Oct 8-12 Nov 8th – 10, 2024

CRISTINA CÓRDOVA | 5-Day Virtual Live Course: Full Standing Figure

October 9-12 (Wednesday-Saturday) and November 10, 2024 (SUNDAY)

10 am – 2 pm / All levels

Limited spaces available

LEARN MORE

ABOUT THE EVENT

I am excited to share this new cycle of my classic full-figure program. Throughout 4 days of live demonstrations and daily feedback reinforced by prerecorded material, students will create a clay figure out of slabs using a simple armature and patterns.

Students will then work independently throughout the rest of the month with ongoing e-mail support before reconvening for an online show and tell.

The full set of videos is yours to keep forever. All patterns and diagrams will be available to download through 2024. All live demos will be pre-recorded if you can’t make the class.

What you’ll get: encouragement, guidance and accountability

You will receive a virtual kit with scaled photographic views, patterns for the entire body, additional references, and diagrams to support your sculpting for three different female figures.
More than 25 concise, pre-recorded video tutorials on the entire figure to reinforce live demonstrations, yours to keep forever.
14 hours of live demonstrations and co-sculpting via Zoom (Wednesday-Saturday)
Daily personalized feedback from Cristina on your progress to troubleshoot and answer any questions.
Additional feedback via photos (see below) during the independent work period (October 12- November 10).

How this will work

Upon enrollment, you will have access to a list of tools and supplies needed to build your armature, prepare your patterns and references and get ready for the first day of class.

Although we include tiled versions of the reference posters we recommend taking the references folder to your local print shop to have the posters printed in large format printers without the need for tiling. Use the measurement keys in each image to make sure all are printed at the right size!

*Tiled images are PDF documents that break down a large image into standard printer size units, allowing you to print and puzzle them together at home.

BONUS MATERIAL!

In addition to the original set of patterns for Figure A (see right), I will be offering patterns and reference materials to sculpt 2 additional models (B & C). All of these are yours to keep and try as you grasp the technique. Please note that although the pre-recorded material and written instructions reflect the construction of different (yet similar) standing figure the techniques and construction protocols are exactly the same for the development of all the figures utilizing the different sets of patterns and photographic references.

I will be demonstrating the construction of FIGURE C throughout our live Zoom meetings. You are free to sculpt and receive live feedback on any of the three model options you choose to work on throughout our time together.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORKSHOP HERE

MORE ON CRISTINA CÓRDOVA

Puerto Rican, b. 1976, Boston, MA
lives and works in Penland, NC

Native to Puerto Rico, Cristina Córdova creates figurative compositions that explore the boundary between the materiality of an object and our involuntary dialogues with the self-referential. Images captured through the lens of a Latin American upbringing question socio-cultural notions of gender, race, beauty, and power. Córdova has received numerous grants including the North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship Grant, a Virginia Groot Foundation Recognition Grant, several International Association of Art Critics of Puerto Rico awards, and a prestigious United States Artist Fellowship award in 2015.

Córdova has had solo exhibitions at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, (Alfred, NY), and her work is included in the collections of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, (Washington, DC), Colección Acosta de San Juan Puerto Rico, (San Juan, PR), the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, (Charlotte, NC), and Museum of Contemporary Art, (San Juan, PR). In 1998, Córdova completed her BA at the University of Puerto Rico, and she received her MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2002. Córdova is represented by Ferrin Contemporary.

Aug

2024

SERGEI ISUPOV | Workshop & Demonstration | NOV 8th – 10th, 2024

SERGEI ISUPOV | Workshop & Demonstration

November 8th – 10th, 2024

During the 2024 Hilltown 6 Open Studio Tour

ABOUT THE EVENT

Sergei Isupov will present a 3-day demonstration and hands-on workshop at Project Art. Isupov’s ceramic sculptures on view in the gallery at Project Art trace his career with works made in studios throughout the world (Estonia, Hungary, and in the USA) and date from 1990 – present.

$400 per person
Limited to 20 participants

Registration opens September 15th, 2024

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PROJECT ART NEWSLETTER

The Ferrin Contemporary Showroom will also be open for guests with ceramic works from represented artists.

For more information about HOST, visit the Hilltown Arts Alliance website.

MORE ON SERGEI ISUPOV

$400 per person
Limited to 20 participants

Registration opens September 15th, 2024

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PROJECT ART NEWSLETTER

The Ferrin Contemporary Showroom will also be open for guests with ceramic works from represented artists.

For more information about HOST, visit the Hilltown Arts Alliance website.

Aug

2024

VISIT US | FALL 2024 SEASON ANNOUNCE

Project Art, Cummington, MA

ON VIEW AT FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
FALL 2024

A year ago, Ferrin Contemporary left behind our white-box gallery on the MASS MoCA campus to co-locate the gallery with our offices, library and archives all in one location. Well into our fifth decade working with contemporary ceramic art, Ferrin Contemporary is building on a foundation of curated exhibitions and ongoing projects that were incubated during the nine years we were embedded in the Northern Berkshire museum community. We are now settled in and open to the public at Project Art in Cummington, MA for regularly scheduled events and by appointment. When we left North Adams we turned our attention to focus on projects involving artists, collectors and collections using our new found flexibility to travel and work remotely, something we could not do only a few short years ago.

Established in 2006, Project Art began as a live-work center for ceramic arts in a renovated 19th century former Mill building.

Our offices have coexisted with the studios where resident and visiting artists produce work, offer in person and virtual workshops and private instruction. Grant funding from the Cummington Cultural District, Massachusetts Cultural Council and Hilltown CDC provided financial and technical support to expand our programs and create public sculpture visible to all from Main Street. Our community classes are offered to the general public as well as master level workshops offered to artists and educators. Short term residencies are available for artists, scholars, authors, curators, and critics focused on ceramics.

Located in a rural small town on the banks of the Westfield River, Project Art is also home to gallery director Leslie Ferrin and Project Art co-founders and artists Sergei Isupov and Kadri Pärnaments. In 2024, June Ferrin’s cozy house and artist studio was added to the compound and made available for short term projects. Now combined, the buildings are surrounded by beautiful gardens June designed and home to eight chickens and active wildlife along the river.

The decision to leave the satellite gallery provided Ferrin Contemporary with newfound flexibility to adapt and focus on our primary mission and priority: to support artists to make new works. Without a traditional gallery space to manage, Ferrin Contemporary extended its reach to the wider world through curated exhibitions and specific projects on behalf of a core group of artists. Not only could our team attend and support more events and openings for our represented artists, but we were also able to offer and update the many curated group exhibitions in collaboration with institutions and commercial galleries. This past March, we brought our 2022 exhibition, Our America/Whose America?, to the Valentine Museum in Richmond, VA. The exhibition, installed in the Museum’s historic Wickham House on period furniture, overlapped with the NCECA Conference, ushering in a new wave of support and context for our gallery artists on view. Paul Scott’s New American Scenery traveled north to Shelburne Museum in Vermont where Paul was commissioned to create a new work. This piece was based on ideas developed during on-site research in the first of Shelburne Museum’s artist-activated “interventions” series.

We look forward to the opportunities currently in development at institutions in the USA and abroad, and invite you to visit us to see selected works from various projects. On view in our Summer gallery, we currently have Mara Superior’s newest works addressing pressing social and environmental issues, Jacqueline Bishop’s The Narratives of Migration and The Keeper of All The Secrets, and new work from Sergei Isupov’s recent solo exhibition, Alliances.

As you make your Fall plans, we invite you to visit Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art to tour our exhibition spaces and gardens, plan an itinerary to visit nearby studios, attend a workshop at Project Art, and explore possibilities for ceramic based projects. Email info@ferrincontemporary.com to schedule a day/time to tour, and read on to learn more about our artists currently on view.

We look forward to seeing you soon,

The Ferrin Contemporary Team

Current installations from Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art

MORE ABOUT WHAT'S ON VIEW

MORE ABOUT PROJECT ART

ARTIST NEWS

Ferrin Contemporary’s newsletters connect artists, collectors, art professionals and the media with exhibitions and opportunities to learn more about artist practices, works on view and new work taking place in the studios.

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
now located at ProjectArt at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MAOpen by appointment Winter – Spring.
Contact us to arrange a visit in person or by zoom
info@ferrincontemporary.com

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54 Main Street

Cummington, MA 01026

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Jul

2024

MARA SUPERIOR | Notes on Political & Environmental Series

Mara Superior, “Wake Up! America/Save Democracy”, 2024, high fired English porcelain, ceramic underglaze and oxides, Cornwall stone glaze, gold leaf, 18 x 13 x 1.75″, John Polak Photography

“Wake up America !! The house is on fire: A Porlcelain Wake Up Call”

Notes from Mara Superior, Ferrin Contemporary, & Managing Director Alex Renee

Mara Superior is an American visual artist who works in porcelain. Superior’s Political & Environmental Artworks Series, showcase her profound engagement with contemporary social and environmental issues through the medium of ceramics. Superior’s works blend traditional craftsmanship with modern thematic concerns, creating pieces that are not only visually striking but also thought-provoking. Intricate designs and detailed compositions reflect a deep concern for the state of the world, addressing topics such as social, political, and climate change issues.

Superior has produced masterworks of her career in this series making complex works that are in major private and public collections across the US. Beginning with “Bushwacked” (2008) (Private Collection) and “The Great Recession of 2008 — Piggy Bankers” (2008) (The Chipstone Foundation), these works were produced during and coinciding with political elections, revelations about the environmental impact of global warming and societal movements that resonated with collectors and curators:

“Bushwacked” (2008) (Private Collection), “The Great Recession of 2008 — Piggy Bankers” (2008) (The Chipstone Foundation), “Tulipomania” (2009) (Philadelphia Museum of Art), “Smart Planet” (2009) (Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Museum of Art), “Obama White House” (2010) (RISD Museum), “Black Swan Platter, A Rarity” (2010) (Racine Art Museum).

A mix of private and public interest in the works across the US was bolstered in 2012-2015 with the commission of “The Pursuit of Happiness” (2012-2015) (Collection of Barry & Merle Ginsburg).

This American tribute to the founding fathers and the best of 18th-century American democratic ideals was completed in 2015, the architectural stacked porcelain commemorative sculpture uses symbols and references drawn from history and decorative arts including miniature presidential portraits, busts, The Declaration of Independence, and an apple pie.

“The sculpture is not political, but historical and patriotic,
and reflective of early American history,” Barry Ginsburg.

“We’re far from being solely ‘political,’” Merle added. “The activities we engage in are to support people to be able to grow and live where they want to, and to work against the sense of inequality in the way women, and people in general, are treated.” The signs of true modernism could not be better described.

ㅡ Slesin, Suzanne. “Patriotic Passions.” Galerie Magazine, Sept. 2016, p. 176.

Linked HERE is an article “Patriotic Passions” about the Ginsburgs

Mara Superior, “The Pursuit of Happiness”, 2012–2015, porcelain, glaze, wood, gold leaf, brass, bone, paper, 27.5 x 25 x 20″.

Mara returned to the series next in 2018-2019. New works as well as pieces made in the preceding decade, were purchased by independent collectors, and through 2019, gifted to institutions across the US through the Kohler Art Foundation’s generous support.

Sixteen museums throughout the USA increased the public holdings of Superior’s artworks.

(Click to See More on the acquisitions through this Gift, here).

View Mara’s Museum Collections, here.

“2020/USA/Vote/America”(2019), “Who is in Charge, America?” (2019), “Only One Planet Earth” (2019), “Le DoDo” (2019), “Polar Distress” (2021), selected for exhibition at Bernardaud in “HEY! CÉRAMIQUE.S” will return from their France Tour to the US this Fall.

“I’m Concerned About You America – All American Turkey” (2020) (Private Collection), “The Ice is Melting, (Five-finger Vase)” (2022), would all follow in singular works, adding to the artist’s queue of current works available for acquisition.

Now, over two decades since she began work in this vein, Mara continues to feel compelled to craft objects that draw attention to the chapters of our nation’s history. “Last Salmon” (2023) and “Presidential Cups” (2010-2023) were recently featured in Our America/Whose America?, and with the upcoming Presidential election on the horizon in 2024, Mara has produced her newest pieces in her Political & Environmental Series.

MORE ABOUT “HEY! CÉRAMIQUE.S”

MORE ABOUT OUR AMERICA/WHOSE AMERICA?

MORE ABOUT MARA SUPERIOR

These pieces position iconic figures and monuments from US history against contemporary candidates and their policies, bridging the gap between the foundations of our nation and the future of democracy. As the nation faces changes to its branches and powers, Superior faces the news and current events and chooses to participate rather than inactively watching as the decisions come to pass:

“Being fully aware of the difference between art and propaganda… as an artist, my work is my narrative, the totality of who I am is channeled through my work. I follow my instincts and go with what rises to the top of my priority list for making. Political themes seem most pressing right at this moment. This work enables me to feel as if I am participating in something very important and contributing to the national dialogue. I will be very happy to get back to my passion for the history of art ASAP~ after we save American Democracy!

American Democracy was a brilliant “idea”, crafted together by our founding fathers in the 18th century during the “Age of Enlightenment”. They were inspired by “Athenian Democracy” from 507 B.C. “Rule by the people” = power of the people. The work of a democracy is to educate its population to make informed decisions while voting. We the people, discuss, debate, compromise, vote, and move forward.

The radical and most brilliant part that the founders decided to add to the “Declaration of Independence” in 1796 is that; “All men are created equal” have inalienable rights and are entitled to “Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness”. Because of these words, America has been a beacon to the world ever since representing the best of humanity’s values championing human rights justice for all, freedom, the rule of law, and a Western civilization continuum.”

Using her art to comment on the pressing issues of our time, Superior invites viewers to reflect on their roles in global challenges. Her work serves as a powerful reminder of the potential for art to inspire change and provoke meaningful dialogue. Each piece is a testament to her commitment to using her creative talents to address the most urgent issues facing humanity today.

Ferrin Contemporary

Copy by Mara Superior, Ferrin Contemporary, and Alex Renee, 2024

SEE MARA SUPERIOR IN PERSON:

PROJECT ART & AMERICAN CERAMIC CIRCLE LUNCH

Ferrin Contemporary Open during the Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour

SATURDAY, July 27

12:30 – 2:00 ACC LUNCH at Project Art, Cummington, MA

American Ceramics Circle and their guests are invited to gather at Project Art to enjoy a casual lunch with friends, meet other members, compare notes and explore the former mill building, now the home of Ferrin Contemporary, gallery, library and archives.

Ferrin Contemporary offers works for sale and study by resident & visiting artists including:

ARTISTS ON VIEW: Russell Biles, Sergei Isupov, Kadri Parnamets, Peter Pincus, Linda Sikora, Paul Scott and Mara Superior. Also on view are selected works from Ferrin’s collection of souvenir plates, figurines and commemorative ceramics recently featured in Our America/Whose America?

Mara Superior, Artist Portrait, 2020, Photo by John Polak Photography

MARA SUPERIOR STUDIO & HOME

4:30 – 6:00 Williamsburg, MA

ACC is invited to gather for light snacks and cool drinks at the home/studio of Mara Superior. Mara’s home is filled with collections, spanning the history of her own work, antique ceramics, and library. In addition, tour the sculpture studio of her late husband, Roy Superior. Mara is an American visual artist who works in porcelain. Her ceramic high relief platters and sculptural objects reflect the artist’s passion for art history and the decorative arts, and her painterly motifs range from the pleasures of the domestic to serious political and environmental issues as points of departure to comment on contemporary culture and its relationship to history.Directions: Park at the Meekins Library 2 Williams St, Williamsburg and walk a short distance to the house – 8 Williams Street (Rte 9), Williamsburg, MA contact phone is 413.268.7904

4:30 – 6:00 Williamsburg, MA

About Mara Superior

About Roy Superior

MARA SUPERIOR ON VIEW & UPCOMING | 2024

HEY! CERAMIQUE.S Exhibition Installation featuring Mara Superior Installation, Musee de la Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France, September 20, 2023 to August 14, 2024

Hey! Ceramique.s
group exhibition
on view now through August 14, 2024

featuring Chris Antemann, Crystal Morey, Mara Superior

Museum of La Halle Saint Pierre
Paris, France

HEY! CERAMIQUE.S Exhibition Installation featuring Mara Superior, Musee de la Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France. Photo Courtesy of Musee de la Halle Saint Pierre

Mara Superior, "Teapot of Survival (Portland Vase)", 2023, high-fired English porcelain, painted with ceramic underglazes, ground oxides, Cornwallstone glaze, wood, gold, leaf, bone and ink, 19 x 14.5 x 6.5", John Polak Photography

Portland Vase: Mania and Muse
group exhibition
on view now through September 8, 2024

Featuring Chris Antemann, Peter Pincus, & Mara Superior

Crocker Art Museum
Sacramento, California

Portland Vase: Mania and Muse Exhibition Installation featuring Mara Superior’s Teapot of Survival (Portland Vase), 2023, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA. Photo Courtesy of Crocker Art Museum.

ARTIST NEWS

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
now located at ProjectArt at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MAOpen by appointment Winter – Spring.
Contact us to arrange a visit in person or by zoom
info@ferrincontemporary.com

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Ferrin Contemporary

54 Main Street

Cummington, MA 01026

Add us to your address book

Jul

2024

Project Art & ACC Lunch | Open during the Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour

Images of Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art in Cummington, MA. Featuring Artwork by Mara Superior, including “Wake Up! America/Save Democracy”, 2024, high-fired English porcelain, ceramic underglaze and oxides, Cornwall stone glaze, gold leaf, 18 x 13 x 1.75″, John Polak Photography

PROJECT ART & AMERICAN CERAMIC CIRCLE LUNCH

Ferrin Contemporary Open during the Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour

Inviting special guests to join us for lunch with the American Ceramics Circle on Saturday, July 27, 12:30 – 2:00. Hosted by Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art in Cummington, MA this lunch is held in conjunction with the annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour and brings together curators, collectors, scholars and artists who all share a common interest in ceramics. Our rural location is centrally located between the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. The lunch and the tour provide an opportunity to explore the area, visit studios, and enjoy in-person opportunities with artists and their work.

If you’d like to reserve a spot for lunch and learn more about the American Ceramic Circle special events – here is a link to the RSVP via Eventbrite (we’ll follow up with a sandwich selection).

Ferrin Contemporary, located in Western Massachusetts for 40+ years, was founded in Northampton, MA. The gallery moved to the Berkshires in 2002 and until 2023, it was located adjacent to MASS MoCA in North Adams. Last fall we moved (a final time) to Project Art, a renovated Mill building on the East Branch of the Westfield River, surrounded by gardens in the newly designated Cummington Cultural District.

Of course, you are invited to visit anytime (by appointment) but if you’re available on the 27th, we’d love to have you join us and the ACC for the day.

TOUR INFO:

HILLTOWN 6 – Saturday – Sunday, July 26-27, 2024
Use the links to create your self guided itinerary for the two day tour.

map of studios

About the tour

About the guest artists

About the demo schedule

ACC INFO:

In addition to visiting the potters and attending scheduled public demonstrations on the H6 Pottery tour, guests of the American Ceramic Circle and the lunch are invited to attend three special events throughout the weekend via RSVP.

SATURDAY, July 27

12:30 – 2:00 ACC LUNCH at Project Art, Cummington, MA

Ferrin Contemporary offers works for sale and study by resident & visiting artists including:

Sandwiches, beverage and dessert can be selected in advance from the Old Creamery’s menu.

HISTORIC CUMMINGTON

2:00 – 3:00

Continue to explore the beautiful gardens at Project Art and wander across the street to Historic Cummington’s Kingman Tavern for a docent-led tour of collections open Saturday 2-5 pm. Free – donations are welcome.

Hours

The Kingman Tavern Museum is open Saturdays July 13, 2024 through August, 24, 2024 from 2-5 pm. Tours are free and ongoing during these times. Donations are welcome but not required. Parking is available at the barn.

The museum will also participate in the Hilltown History Trail.

Special tours are available by appointment at historical@cummington-ma.gov

Directions

Address: 41 Main Street, Cummington, MA 01026

MARA SUPERIOR STUDIO & HOME

4:30 – 6:00 Williamsburg, MA

About Mara Superior

About Roy Superior

POTTER’S BARBEQUE

6:00 Westhampton, MA

The ACC is invited to join the potters’ barbeque with all participating artists – please bring a beverage of choice, food contribution is optional. A pre-made dessert or appetizer is always welcome. There are plenty of options in the small towns to pick something up between studios.

Sam Taylor’s Dog Bar Pottery

ARTIST NEWS

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
now located at ProjectArt at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MAOpen by appointment Winter – Spring.
Contact us to arrange a visit in person or by zoom
info@ferrincontemporary.com

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Ferrin Contemporary

54 Main Street

Cummington, MA 01026

Add us to your address book

Jul

2024

Renowned British artist Paul Scott on view at Shelburne Museum

Shelburne Museum

July 20, 2024

Shelburne Museum presents the work of renowned British artist Paul Scott in the exhibition Confected, Borrowed & Blue: Transferware by Paul Scott that includes provocative reinterpretations of 19th-century transferware from Shelburne Museum’s permanent collection along with a work commissioned for the exhibition.

“Exhibiting contemporary work that is inspired or influenced by the collections is a longstanding tradition at Shelburne,” said Kory Rogers, Francie and John Downing Senior Curator of American Art. “Paul Scott’s wry way of using transferware, a major part of Shelburne’s decorative arts collection, as a medium for social commentary often delivered with a sense of humor, is ingenious, and picks up on a thread seen throughout Shelburne’s collections.”

Scott transforms his medium, commercially produced English and American ceramic plates, with his signature subversive imagery and insightful, and often ironic, commentary on both historic and contemporary issues. His work references traditional porcelain designs developed by late 18th-century English artisans, such as the Willow pattern or Spode’s Blue Italian.

Inquire about Available Works HERE

May

2024

PAUL SCOTT | Notes from Director Leslie Ferrin

Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, (Sampler Jug No:10), Shelburne & Sugar. Transfer print collage on pearlware jug with platinum lustre. Paul Scott 2024. 360mm x 390mm x 290mm. Shelburne Museum Collection.

PAUL SCOTT in the US
Notes from Director Leslie Ferrin

In fall 2012, Leslie Ferrin and Paul Scott met for the first time in Adelaide, Australia as presenters at the Australian Ceramics Triennale Subversive Clay. It was their shared interest in printed ceramics, and one particular plate that brought them together. Paul, well established, internationally known as an artist, educator, scholar and author of several books (including Ceramics and Print ) was introduced by artist Stephen Bowers to Leslie, dealer and specialist in contemporary ceramics. Paul was holding a proof copy of his book Horizon: Transferware And Contemporary Ceramics, developed from an exhibition at National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, Norway. Within it was an image of a souvenir plate featuring V iews of the Mohawk Trail and Hairpin Turn(detail below). Leslie, also a collector of souvenir plates, promptly invited him to visit the site, close to Ferrin Contemporary and Project Art in Western Massachusetts.

A year after that serendipitous meeting, Paul was to be a visiting artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. They began planning an itinerary to meet with museum curators exploring museum collections of 19th century transferware, and to visit Project Art, later to become his part time US studio. The work he created in 2013 reflected this new American research and featured images from Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. This American Scenery series debuted at the New York Ceramics Fair, immediately attracting the attention of a number of museums that acquired his work for their permanent collections. The Alturas Foundation also bought works and later provided funding for a multi year artist residency in the US. Initially guided by the images depicted in the historic transferware, Paul traveled to cities, explored natural landscapes, met collaborators and produced a substantive body of work New American Scenery. First shown in 2019 in the newly renovated porcelain room at RISD Museum, the exhibition traveled next to Albany Institute of History & Art in 2022. Selected works were featured in exhibitions at other locations in the US and UK, with four iterations open now in the USA.

In 2024, we are pleased to share Paul Scott’s newest commissioned work “Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, (Sampler Jug No:10), Shelburne & Sugar”, featured above as the centerpiece of his solo exhibition at the Shelburne Museum curated by Kory Rogers – CONFECTED, BORROWED & BLUE: TRANSFERWARE BY PAUL SCOTT.

Leslie Ferrin, director, Ferrin Contemporary

MORE ABOUT "CONFECTED, BORROWED, & BLUE"

MORE ABOUT PAUL SCOTT

“You can roam where fancy leads you Over hill and dale
But you haven’t seen America
‘Till you’ve seen the Mohawk Trail.”

SEE PAUL SCOTT IN PERSON:

Public Artist Talk

June 7th, 2024 | 3pm
Free with Museum Admission
Shelburne Museum
Auditorium, Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education

Join Shelburne Museum as artist, author, curator, and gardener Paul Scott discusses his artistic practice, which includes provocative reinterpretations of 19th-century transferware. Scott will pay special attention to the work he produced for the 2024 Shelburne Museum exhibition Confected, Borrowed & Blue: Transferware by Paul Scott.

Talk will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes, followed by an audience Q & A. The Museum will remain open until 7:30 p.m., allowing attendees time to visit the exhibition after the talk.

Study Day with American Ceramics Circle

June 7, 2024 | 10 – 5pm
Fees: $50 for members; $60 for guests
(admission and lunch are included)
Limited to 20

Join the American Ceramics Circle for a day of private, curator-led tours and programs at Shelburne Museum to explore the ceramic collections and a private tour of “Confected, Borrowed & Blue: Transferware” with the artist Paul Scott.

PAUL SCOTT ON VIEW & UPCOMING IN THE US | 2024

RIVERS FLOW / ARTISTS CONNECT

Group Exhibition

featuring PAUL SCOTT & COURTNEY M. LEONARD, JASON WALKER

American artists from the 1820s to the present day explore and illuminate our profound, symbiotic relationship with significant waterways, such as the Hudson River, the Susquehanna, and the Missouri, as well as symbolic representations.

on view through September 1, 2024
Hudson River Museum
Yonkers, NY

CLAYSCAPES

Group Exhibition

featuring PAUL SCOTT, RAYMON ELOZUA, CAROLINE SLOTTE, & CRISTINA CÓRDOVA

Clayscapes is a tribute to clay’s ubiquitous presence in our lives, and to the powerful metaphorical and spiritual role that it can play.

on view now through October 20, 2024
Everson Museum of Art
Syracuse, NY

PAUL SCOTT AT THE ALBANY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT GALLERY

Solo Installation

on view now through December 31, 2024
Albany International Airport Gallery
Terminal A
737 Albany Shaker Rd
Albany, NY

50 YEARS IN THE MAKING – ALUMNI E XHIBITION

Group Exhibition

Featuring Paul Scott & Sergei Isupov

This Alumni Exhibition showcases artwork to reflect the current practice of the over 150 artist who have participated in The Clay Studio’s Resident Artist Program, Guest Artist Program, and Associate Artist Program over the 50 years since its founding.

on view June 13th through Sep 1st, 2024
The Clay Studio
Philadelphia, PA

ARTIST NEWS

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY
now located at ProjectArt at 54 Main Street in Cummington, MAOpen by appointment Winter – Spring.
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info@ferrincontemporary.com

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Ferrin Contemporary

54 Main Street

Cummington, MA 01026

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May

2024

Cristina Córdova Awarded The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation 2024 Award in Craft

Cristina Córdova Awarded The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation
2024 Award in Craft

Five visionary artists and craftspeople receive $100,000 each in unrestricted funding

VIEW ANNOUNCEMENT

In the Maxwell/Hanrahan Awards in Craft, we recognize award winners for their unique and visionary approach to material-based practice, stewardship of cultural traditions, and craft’s potential to connect people, places and ideas.

Exploration and insight require time and commitment. Through this award, the Foundation seeks to make both possible for devoted craftspeople and artists who strive to express what they see and experience in the world through their engagement with material. We provide groundbreaking support for practitioners who are challenging and reimagining our collective understanding of craft as a medium and practice — and doing so at critical junctures in their careers. These are one-time, unrestricted awards intended to amplify the voices and work of each craftsperson and give them time and funding as they grow in their careers and propel their work forward. We recognize that arts funding, especially for craftspeople, is lacking in the US, and we encourage others to commit to these fields.

The award’s newest cohort features recipients whose work spans clay, glass, stone and wood, among other media. Their practices draw upon a range of artistic traditions as well as ecological, personal and social influences, representing the multifaceted realities of contemporary craft. The awards committee selected winners for their visionary approaches to material-based practice, their potential to make significant contributions to their craft in the future and the potential for this award to provide momentum at a critical junctures in their work. We aim to recognize the vibrancy of the field and the importance of these artists’ varied, hands-on explorations of cultural heritage, emerging technologies, materials and trades, and the intersections between them.

The Foundation partnered with United States Artists to administer the program. Award-winner selection panelists included Sarah Darro, curator and exhibitions director of Houston Center for Contemporary Craft; Leslie Noell, creative director at Penland School of Craft; Phillip Smith, assistant professor of architecture at the American College of the Building Arts; and Leo Tecosky, glass blower and 2023 Maxwell/Hanrahan Award in Craft awardee.

Cristina Córdova is a ceramic sculptor whose work is influenced by the rich creative heritage of the Caribbean. Using clay to give voice to regional stories and aesthetic inquiries, Córdova strives to honor and innovate within this ceramic lineage, expanding collective creative language.

More about Cristina Córdova HERE

View the Press Release HERE

May

2024

ARTIST NEWS | PAUL SCOTT

PAUL SCOTT
on view in the US

PAUL SCOTT IN MUSEUMS & GALLERIES

Leslie Ferrin, director, Ferrin Contemporary

“You can roam where fancy leads you Over hill and dale
But you haven’t seen America
‘Till you’ve seen the Mohawk Trail.”

Public Artist Talk

June 7th, 2024 | 3pm
Free with Museum Admission
Shelburne Museum
Auditorium, Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education

Join us as artist, author, curator, and gardener Paul Scott discusses his artistic practice, which includes provocative reinterpretations of 19th-century transferware. Scott will pay special attention to the work he produced for the 2024 Shelburne Museum exhibition Confected, Borrowed & Blue: Transferware by Paul Scott.

Talk will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes, followed by an audience Q & A. The Museum will remain open until 7:30 p.m., allowing attendees time to visit the exhibition after the talk.