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.

Online Artist Talk | Linda Sikora: DARKENING GROUND

ONLINE ARTIST TALK:
Linda Sikora in conversation with Mark Shapiro

Wednesday May 24, 12pm EST

Virtual lunch hour with exhibiting artist Linda Sikora, as she sits down with local potter Mark Shapiro and curator Leslie Ferrin, to discuss her exhibition DARKENING GROUND.

Linda Sikora: DARKENING GROUND
on view at Ferrin Contemporary
April 22 – June 11, 2023

WATCH THE RECORDING OF THE ONLINE ARTIST TALK

Linda Sikora Darkening Ground installation view at Ferrin Contemporary gallery, featuring teapots, jars, basins, cups, on a table with chairs and shelving

Linda Sikora, Artist Portrait with Faux Wood Group, 2021, John Polak Photography. Collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2021.

ABOUT LINDA SIKORA

Linda Sikora’s studio is anchored in the genre of functional ceramics. Sikora is interested in the philosophical and the agency of things. Complex, colorfully decorated, and often conceptualized in prototype groups or series, the work draws from the traditions of European 18 & 19th century industrial production porcelain and common crockery infused with a freedom and lightness that is innovative and contemporary. Her work explores the dual nature of ceramics—as objects of beauty and as objects of use—questioning the blurred line between visual art and functional subjects in cultured spaces.

Sikora is the recipient of a United States Artists Fellowship, an award for excellence in teaching and has been recognized for her mentorship as an educator. Her work was acquired by the Smithsonian in 2022 and featured at the Renwick in their 50th-anniversary exhibition “This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World”. She is a renowned ceramics professor at Alfred University where she maintains an active studio practice and lives with her husband Matthew Metz and daughter.

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ABOUT MARK SHAPIRO

Mark Shapiro makes wood-fired pots in Western Massachusetts. A 2018 Smithsonian Artist Resident Fellow, Mark received a 2020 Center for Craft Research Grant to continue his study of Thomas W. Commeraw, which led to his co-curating “Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter, Thomas W. Commeraw,” currently on view at the New-York Historical Society. His book on Karen Karnes, A Chosen Path, was published in 2010. He credits Karnes, Michael Simon, and his collaborators, Sam Taylor and Michael Kline, as well as early American stoneware, as his main influences. HIs pots are included in numerous public collections.

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More on the exhibition Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw, co-curated by Mark Shapiro.

Hilltown Six Pottery Tour

July 29th – 30th, 2023
10am-5pm both days

Find Linda Sikora and Mark Shapiro this summer at the Hilltown Six Pottery Tour, a weekend of tours and demonstrations coordinated by a group of nationally recognized potters based in the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts.

Lunch with Linda Sikora

Saturday, July 29
Project Art, Cummington, MA

ONLINE ARTIST TALK: Linda Sikora in conversation with Mark Shapiro