1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA
Last Exhibit at the North Adams, MA Location
Visit Ferrin Contemporary at Project Art after Sep. 30th
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
North Adams, MA —
NORTH ADAMS, MA – ARE WE THERE YET? is a celebration of Ferrin Contemporary’s 40+ years as leaders in the field of modern and contemporary ceramics. What began in 1979 as a woman-owned cooperative studio and gallery in Northampton, MA has flourished across the years and the locations to become the international ceramic experts and material champions known as Ferrin Contemporary.
During the course of four decades, the gallery has championed artists whose primary medium is clay. Beginning with a commitment to providing support for living artists, decades-long relationships grew with artists whose works explore traditions and history, deliver social commentary, experiment with the material, and use the medium to challenge themselves to produce new works.
As part of the exhibition, selected classic works will be presented directly from the artists’ archives or offered by private collectors, illustrating career highlights both in the gallery and online. The exhibition asks us, the artists, and the collectors to reflect on the road we’ve taken and invites the public to join the dialog while we speculate about the future.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
ANTEMANN 2003 - Present
- 2003 : Chris Antemann began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery at the SOFA, NY Art Fairs
- “Are We There Yet?” : Marks 20 years of showing with the gallery
- “An Occasion to Gather”, & “A Stage for Dessert” produced in 2021-2022 are major works currently on view in museum exhibitions
- “Lovers Vase in Blue” from a series produced in 2023 from her studio located in Joseph, OR
BILES 2003 - Present
- 2003 : Russell Biles began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery at the SOFA, NY Art Fairs
- “Are We There Yet?” : Marks 20 years of showing with the gallery
- 2020 : Exhibited works with Ferrin Contemporary in “About Face: Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture”
- 2022: “Canceled”, produced for “OUR AMERICA/WHOSE AMERICA?”
- “Gone Too”: made in 2014 from the Artists Archive, available here
CÓRDOVA 2013 - Present
- 2013 : Cristina Córdova began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in “Ceramic Top 40” touring exhibition
- “Are We There Yet?” : Marks 10 years of showing with the gallery
- Cristina’s solo show “CRISTINA CÓRDOVA: Del balcón” debuts at Ferrin in 2018
- “EVA XV”: Among over 60 Artworks Handled or Documented by the gallery
ELOZUA 2000 - Present
- (c. 2003) Raymon Elozua began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery at the SOFA, NY Art Fairs
- (2000) “Are We There Yet?” : Marks 23 years showing with the gallery first in “TEAPOTS TRANSFORMED”
- (2015) Raymon Elozua showed work from his “Digital Sculpture: Word” Series produced in 2001, in the group exhibition “GLAZED & DIFFUSED”
- (2023) Work on display in AWTY includes “Digital Sculpture: Hubris: IMF-02” from his HUBRIS (2010-2016) produced in his studio in Mountaindale, NY
SIN YING HO 2014 - Present
- (2014) Sin Ying Ho began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in “MADE IN CHINA: THE NEW EXPORT WARE”, at Independent Art Projects, North Adams, MA
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 9 years of showing with the gallery, on display is “Made in the Postmodern Era series No. 1”
- “In the Dream of Hope No. 1”, & “One World, Many Peoples, No. 2” are the largest works exhibited by Ferrin in US
- (2006-Present) Ho has taught and run workshops, lectures, and exhibitions all across North America & China and is Assistant Professor at Queens College, NY
ISUPOV 1996 - Present
- (1996) Sergei Isupov began exhibiting with Leslie Ferrin in Richmond, VA
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 27 years of showing with the gallery, on display is “Burden II”, “Puppeteer”, & “Game Changer” as well as works available from private collections including “Voice from Inside” (1997), “Complacency” (1998), & “Chain” (1999)
- Isupov speaks in depth about Ukrainian artist family in interviews : THE WORLD & Tales of a Red Clay Rambler
- (2022) “SERGEI ISUPOV: Past & Present” is Isupov’s 10th solo exhibition
LEE 2013 - Present
- (2013) Steven Young Lee began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in “CERAMIC TOP 40”
- (2014-2015) Lee exhibits “Vase with Peonies” in the group exhibition “GLAZED & DIFFUSED”
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 10 years of showing with the gallery
- Steven Young Lee is both an artist and arts administrator, serving as the Resident Artist Director of the Bray for 15 years and is currently the Director Emeritus and Special Projects Manager
- “Jar with Butterflies”, shown in AWTY, was originally shown in “Covet” in 2012 at the gallery’s location in Pittsfield, MA, and is available from a private collection.
LEONARD 2021 - Present
- (2021) Courtney M. Leonard began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in 2021 in “Melting Point”
- (2023) “Are We There Yet?” Marks 2 years showing with the gallery, work on display in AWTY includes pieces from Leonard’s CONVOKE Series produced in 2021
- (2023) COURTNEY M. LEONARD: Logbook 2004-2023 at The Heckscher Museum of Art, Huntington, NY is Leonard’s most recent solo exhibition paired with a public art installation at Planting Fields Foundation.
LIPMAN 2018 - Present
- (2018) Beth Lipman began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in 2018 in “Canary Syndrome”
- (2021) Lipman installed “Lapsed Concession” for “Melting Point”, a group exhibition presented by The Heller Gallery & Ferrin Contemporary
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 5 years showing with the gallery, with “Cluster (Black)”, representative of her glass sculptural work.
- 2023+) Lipman’s work includes site-specific installations and commissioned works like “Miles’ Law” presented in “GLASS: Art.Beauty.Design” at Hillwood Estate Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, D.C.
Mabry 2014 - Present
- (2014) Lauren Mabry began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in the “Ceramic Top 40”
- (2015) Mabry’s signature-glazed cylinders shown in the 2015 group exhibition “GLAZED & DIFFUSED”
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 9 years showing with the gallery, featuring the artist’s Glazescape Cave Bloom Series
- (2019) Lauren Mabry’s first solo show at the gallery, titled “LAUREN MABRY: Fused” debuted ‘dimensional paintings’ that explored the transformative nature of clay.
- (2023+) Mabry’s Scrap Yard series produced as part of a fundraiser for her new studio, under construction in the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA
MOREY 2014 - Present
- (2014) Crystal Morey began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in 2017 in “The Women”
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 6 years showing with the gallery, focusing on works depicting endangered or extinct creatures and the biodiversity found in their habitats.
- (2019) Crystal Morey’s first solo show at the gallery, titled “CRYSTAL MOREY: Venus on the Waves”, displayed sculptures that narrated the interdependence between humans, plants, and animals while cultivating empathy for our changing world.
- “Replanting: White Rhino Airlift” (2020), on display in AWTY, was produced in the artist’s Oakland, CA Studio
PÄRNAMETS 2008 - Present
- (2008) Kadri Pärnamets started exhibiting at Ferrin Contemporary in “ANDRODGYNY”, at the gallery’s Pittsfield location
- (2022-2023) Pärnamets’ latest solo with the gallery, “CHOREOGRAPHY OF WATER”, displays her signature biomorphic vases and hundreds of cups
- “Are We There Yet?” marks 15 years with the gallery. Work on display in AWTY includes hand-built cups and vases and her “Frame of Mind” series, a collection of small, thought-bubble-shaped figures.
- She shares a studio with her partner, Sergei Isupov, at Project Art in Cummington, MA where she produces her sculptural work and teaches clay classes to the community
Pincus 2015 - Present
- (2015) Peter Pincus started exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in the 2015 group exhibition “GLAZED & DIFFUSED”
- (2018) Pincus’s first solo exhibition with Ferrin, “Channeling Josiah Wedgwood” was a result of direct research into the extensive collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art that informed a series of complex forms based on urns and challices.
- (2020) Pincu’s second solo exhibition with Ferrin, “Art in the Age of Influence: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt” began with a series of premises based on the color theories and conceptual instructions of Sol LeWitt inspired by wall drawings
- (2023) “Are We There Yet?” marks 8 years with the gallery. Work on display in AWTY includes brand new work of vase forms: “Amphora (Blue & Yellow)”, “Pitcher (White)”, “Vase (Gray & Gold Rim)”, “Amphora Pitcher (Tall Gray & Brown Rim/Handle)”.
Scott 2013 - Present
- (2013) Paul Scott began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in the New York Ceramics and Glass Art Fairs
- (2013) Scott’s first piece shown was “Cumbrian Blue(s), Sellafield No: 9”, a transfer print collage on Royal Worcester bone china platter with gold luster
- “Are We There Yet?” marks 10 years with the gallery. Work on display in AWTY includes “Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, Posy Vases, Set of Five” which feature decal images from Paul’s 5 primary series which examine themes or ongoing crises in the United States.
- (2012-2019) With his primary studio in Cumbria, UK, Paul Scott was also a resident artist at Project Art in Cummington,MA
- (2023+) Scott’s extensive body of work called “New American Scenery”, currently touring in the US & England in multiple locations
SHAPIRO 2000 - Present
- (1986) Mark Shapiro moves to Western Massachusetts to begin Stonepool Pottery in Worthington, MA, creating artwork and presenting workshops in his studio and at Project Art in Cummington, MA.
- (2000) “Are We There Yet?” marks 23 years showing with the gallery, first in “TEAPOTS TRANSFORMED” & at Ferrin Gallery’s multiple locations
- (2006) Mark founded the Hilltown Six Pottery Tour with five other area potters. The pottery tour is in its 17th year, and runs the last week every July.
- Shapiro has been instrumental in mentorship and legacy projects, including working with apprentices (Apprenticelines), museums, and his local community in programs like POW (Pots on Wheels) a mobile gallery/project space
SIKORA 2000 - Present
- (2000) Linda Sikora began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery at the SOFA, NY Art Fairs
- (2020) Nature/Nurture group exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary presented her first conceptual artwork with Ferrin Contemporary: “Faux Wood Ground”, (produced in 2014-18)
- (2021) Selections from “Faux Wood Group”, 2021, are acquired by Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
- In addition to exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary for 23 years, Linda Sikora is a Professor of Ceramic Art at Alfred University in Alfred, NY.
- (2023) “Are We There Yet?” presents works from her Wood Grain, Blackware, & Redware series first shown in her recent solo exhibition “Linda Sikora: DARKENING GROUND”
SILVERMAN 2001 - Present
- (2001) Bobby Silverman began exhibiting with Ferrin Galley in the SOFA, New York Art Fairs
- (2014) Silverman exhibited in “MADE IN CHINA: THE NEW EXPORT WARE”, Ferrin Contemporary at Independent Art Projects, North Adams, MA
- In addition to exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary for 22 years, Bobby also serves as the head of the Ceramics Department at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, where he lives and works.
- (2021) Silverman presents his brilliantly-glazed, large-scale porcelain tiles which begin as raw clay in China, where ceramic tradition dates back hundreds of years in “Melting Point”, at Ferrin Contemporary (MA) & The Heller Gallery (NY)
- (2023) “Are We There Yet?”, includes Silverman’s new work & signature glazed tiles and vases
- In addition to exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary for 22 years, Bobby also serves as the head of the Ceramics Department at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, where he lives and works.
STERN 2014 - Present
- (2014) Rae Stern began exhibiting with Ferrin Contemporary in the “Ceramic Top 40”
- (2020) Stern presents “Steve Sherry: Not Old Friends But Good Friends”at Ferrin Contemporary in Nature/Nurture group exhibition
- (2023) “ARE WE THERE YET” marks 9 years with Ferrin Contemporary. Her work, “A Fugal Arrangement (set of 7 pieces of furniture & 14 lithophanes)” is currently being shown virtually in the exhibition.
- Stern’s recent porcelain objects light up from within upon touch and expose hidden lithophanes. The images depicted often portray daily scenes from both her personal archive and through community outreach to people who suffered persecution during WWII.
SUPERIOR 1979 - Present
- (1979) Mara Superior was a founding partner of Pinch Pottery with Barbara Walch, Leslie Ferrin in Northampton, MA
- (1980-93) “Are We There Yet?” Marks 43 years showing with the gallery, “A Tea Party” was among Superior’s first shows at Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA
- (2002) Superior’s first solo exhibition with Ferrin Gallery “Souvenirs D’Italia, Ferrin” opened at the gallery’s Lenox, MA location
- (2020) Nature/Nurture group exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary presented “Only One Planet Earth” & “2020/USA/Vote/America” from the artist’s Political & Environmental Series
- (2023) “Reproduction Rights” (2023) on display in AWTY was produced in the artist’s Hadley, MA studio
WALKER 2004 - Present
- (c. 2004) Jason Walker began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery at the SOFA Chicago Art Fairs
- (2005) Walker began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery in “The Navigators: Art + Science + History + Travel” exhibition at the gallery’s Lenox, MA location
- “Are We There Yet?” Marks 19 years showing with the gallery
- (2019) “JASON WALKER: Personal Encounters” solo exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary presented a body of work that questions our inter-dependent relationship to nature and technology
- (2023) “Double Vision” (2022) on display in AWTY was produced in the artist’s Cedar City, UT studio
WEISER 2000 - Present
- (2000) “Are We There Yet?” Marks 23 years showing with the gallery, first in “TEAPOTS TRANSFORMED”
- (2010) Kurt Weiser began exhibiting with Ferrin Gallery in “Re-Objectification”, an exhibition at the gallery’s Pittsfield, MA location
- (2016) Weiser’s “Fruit Story” exhibited in “EXPOSED: Heads, Busts, & Nudes”
- (2019-2020) “KURT WEISER: Insomnia” solo exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary featured ceramics as well as prints
- (2023) “Bug Lesson” (1994) on display in AWTY, showcases Weiser’s signature china painting on works produced in the artist’s Phoenix, AZ studio
PRESS
PROGRAMMING
• EXHIBITION OPENS •
Saturday, July 15th, 11 am – 5 pm
• LUNCH W/ LINDA SIKORA •
Saturday, July 29th, 12 pm – 5 pm
hosted at Project Art, Cummington, MA
during the Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour
• PUBLIC RECEPTION •
Thursday, August 3, 5 – 7 pm
ARE WE THERE YET? RECEPTION
THANK YOU to our friends, neighbors, collaborators, clients, artists, and family who traveled far and wide to attend the reception for our last exhibition in North Adams, ARE WE THERE YET? It was wonderful to celebrate with 70+ guests, many of whom have been a part of our Ferrin world throughout 40+ years.
FERRIN CONTEMPORARY TIMELINE
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