Project Tag: 2023

03
Jul
2023
COURTNEY M. LEONARD

COURTNEY M. LEONARD

The Heckscher Museum of Art and Planting Fields Foundation are pleased to present the work of artist Courtney M. Leonard (b. Shinnecock, 1980), on Long Island this summer, through COURTNEY M. LEONARD: Logbook 2004–2023 at The Heckscher Museum and BREACH: Logbook 23 | ROOT at Planting Fields Foundation. 

Visit Heckscher.org and Plantingfields.org for more information about these two dynamic exhibitions, including new commissioned work by Leonard, and related programming at each location.

Leonard’s powerful work in ceramics, painting, video, and installation engages with Long Island’s colonial history; celebrates Indigenous knowledge and resilience; and addresses urgent ecological issues. The exhibition debuts Contact, 2,023…, a new work that The Heckscher Museum has commissioned from Leonard. The large-scale work is a map of Long Island made up of thousands of individual porcelain thumbprints resembling shells. Leonard glazed them in colors and patterns that reference both wampum and delftware. The exhibition also features loans from the artist and from public and private collections.

Courtney M. Leonard: Logbook 2004–2023

The Heckscher Museum of Art | 2 Prime Avenue, Huntington, NY 11743
June 10, 2023 – November 12, 2023

BREACH: Logbook 23 | ROOT

Planting Field Foundation | 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771

Courtney M. Leonard, "BREACH | Logbook 23", 2023, installation at Planting Fields Foundation.
Courtney M. Leonard, "BREACH | Logbook 23", 2023, installation at Planting Fields Foundation.
Courtney M. Leonard, "BREACH | Logbook 23", 2023, installation at Planting Fields Foundation.

FEATURED ARTWORK: CONTACT 2,023

Courtney M. Leonard, “Contact, 2,023…”, 2023, porcelain, enamel and red iron oxide transfers, artificial sinew, canvas, brass, 4 x 8 x 2′.

The Heckscher Museum of Art. Museum Purchase: Partial Funding from the Town of Huntington Art Acquisition Fund. Photo courtesy of The Heckscher Museum Art.

EXHIBITION CATALOG

Courtney M. Leonard is an exhibition catalogue that documents Leonard’s site-specific commission at Planting Fields, as well as a mid-career retrospective at the Hecksher Museum of Art. It also features an interview with Courtney M. Leonard, new photography, and essays from various contributors. The book was designed by Jeffrey Jenkins, edited by Gina J. Wouters, and features contributions from Courtney M. Leonard, Shavonne Smith, Karli Wurzelbacher, Emily Leger, and more. New photography of the site-specific commission at Planting Fields and the exhibition at the Heckscher Museum of Art were captured by David Almeida.

Courtney M. Leonard is available for purchase ($25 plus tax) in-person at the Planting Fields Foundation Visitor Center. It it also available on the Ferrin Contemporary online shop.

PURCHASE THE CATALOG HERE

READ MORE ABOUT THE CATALOG HERE

PAST PROGRAMMING

Panel: Shinnecock Art & Activism

Saturday, October 21, 2023
10:30 – 11:30 am

Shinnecock artist Courtney M. Leonard and Full Spectrum Indigenous Birth Worker (doula), Ahna Red Fox, discuss how motherhood has informed their work as activists. Leonard’s powerful work in ceramics, painting, video, and installation addresses urgent ecological issues and explores historical ties to water, land, and material culture. Her first retrospective exhibition, COURTNEY M. LEONARD: Logbook 2004-2023, is currently on view at The Heckscher Museum.

Members Free; Shinnecock Nation Members Free; Non-Members $10

Space is limited, advance registration required.

LEARN MORE HERE

EVENT: Book Signing with Courtney M. Leonard

Saturday, October 21, 2023
11:30 – 12:30 pm

Meet Courtney M. Leonard as she signs copies of her exhibition catalogue, published by Planting Fields Foundation and The Heckscher Museum of Art. Books available for purchase, $20 Members and $25 Non-Members.

PRESS

“Loving whales, Shinnecock artist explores climate change through Indigenous knowledge” | WSHU Public Radio | 6.22.2023

VIDEO: “Shinnecock artist Courtney Leonard showcases work at Heckscher Museum of Art” | NewsdayTV | 6.2023

15 Art Shows to See in New York This September | Hyperallergic | 9.13.23 

ABOUT COURTNEY M. LEONARD

Courtney M. Leonard is an artist and filmmaker, who has contributed to the Offshore Art movement. Leonard’s current work embodies the multiple definitions of “breach”, an exploration and documentation of historical ties to water, whale and material sustainability.

In collaboration with national and international museums, cultural institutions, and indigenous communities in North America, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, and the United States Embassies, Leonard’s practice investigates narratives of cultural viability as a reflection of environmental record.

05
May
2023
2023 INTERNATIONAL CERAMIC ART FAIR (ICAF)

2023 INTERNATIONAL CERAMIC ART FAIR (ICAF)

2023 ICAF

June 8 – 18, 2023

At the Gardiner Museum
Toronto, Ontario

Featuring work by:
Judy Chartrand
Courtney M. Leonard
Crystal Morey

ABOUT THE FAIR

& Symposium

Ferrin Contemporary is returning to ICAF for the third year. We applaud the Gardiner for building this international program that takes over the museum with a fair, exhibition and symposium over 10 days in June. This year we are presenting recent works that address the theme FUTURE BODIES by three artists.

The International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) is a 10-day celebration of some of the most compelling recent ceramic art, featuring works by emerging and established artists from a wide range of backgrounds, as well as online and in-person programming by artists and curators.

Alongside the artworks presented in the fair, ICAF 2023 will include a symposium on June 9 and 10. Titled Toward Future Bodies, the symposium brings together artists, scholars, and other voices from Canada and internationally to explore the boundaries of our species and our connection to other life forms as expressed through ceramics and clay.

2023 INTERNATIONAL CERAMIC ART FAIR

Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Ontario | June 8 – 18, 2023

Courtney Leonard, BREACH: Logbook 21 | CONVOKE, 2021, multi-ply birch wood and acrylic, coiled and woven earthenware, coiled micaceous clay, oyster shells, various dimensions. Gardiner Museum, ICAF 2023
Judy Chartrand Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Courtney M. Leonard, “BREACH: Logbook 23, Carrier, Subsistence Container Study (set of 11)”, installation featured in ICAF 2023 at the Gardiner Museum, photo courtesy of Brittany Carmichael
Crystal Morey Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Gardiner Museum, ICAF 2023
Crystal Morey Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Judy Chartrand Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Judy Chartrand Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Courtney Leonard Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023
Courtney Leonard Installation at ICAF at the Gardiner Museum, 2023

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

& FEATURED WORK

Many artists are reconsidering how we define ourselves as a species and how these changing definitions can alter our relationships to each other, to other animals and life forms, and to the land we inhabit. The separation of the human and non-human is increasingly understood as porous or insignificant. Clay can be seen as a mediator between the human and non-human, blurring the boundaries with its life-giving properties, its capacity to record and hold human memory, its characteristic of absorption, and its capacity to connect us to the land.

How can we re-orient our relationship to the planet through a more nuanced understanding of our connection to other forms of life? How can emerging discourses of the human shift us toward new and generative understandings of our bodies place in the world?

Join us to view the works at ICAF and participate in the accompanying programs to explore these and other questions. Sponsored by the Raphael Yu Centre for Candaian Ceramics, Toward Future Bodies aims to foster a deeper appreciation for Canadian ceramics within a larger artistic ecosystem.

Featuring work by:

Judy Chartrand
Courtney M. Leonard
Crystal Morey

JUDY CHARTRAND

Judy Chartrand portrait 2022

b. 1959, Kamloops, BC, CAN
lives and works in Vancouver, CAN

Judy Chartrand, "The Tourist Toss", 2022, low fire paper clay, underglaze, glaze, 11.5 x 11.5 x 2”

COURTNEY M. LEONARD

b. Shinnecock, 1980
lives and works in Northfield, Minnesota

CRYSTAL MOREY

b. American, 1983, Nevada City, CA
lives and works in Oakland, CA

PROGRAMMING

Full event schedule for ICAF 2023

Toward Future Bodies Symposium

Friday June 9, 6 – 8 pm &
Saturday June 10, 9:30 am – 6 pm

The Gardiner Museum is pleased to host Toward Future Bodies, a symposium supported by the Raphael Yu Centre for Canadian Ceramics, and in collaboration with A-B Projects. The symposium takes place during the International Ceramic Art Fair (ICAF) and will feature a roster of local and international speakers, fostering a deeper appreciation for Canadian ceramics within a larger artistic ecosystem through discussions on the body in relation to the land, home, animals, the machine, and the future.

Online Artist Talk with Courtney M. Leonard and Judy Chartrand 

Friday June 16, 4 – 5 pm 

As part of the International Ceramic Art Fair, join exhibiting artists Courtney M. Leonard and Judy Chartrand, represented by Ferrin Contemporary, for an online discussion about their work and practice.

Watch the recording:

PRESS

HYPERALLERGIC | The International Ceramic Art Fair Returns to the Gardiner Museum | 06.16.2023

01
May
2023
CHRIS ANTEMANN: A Stage For Dessert

CHRIS ANTEMANN: A Stage For Dessert

INTERVENTIONS AT THE MINT MUSEUM

Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC

Interventions at Mint Museum Randolph

If you walk through the galleries at Mint Museum Randolph, the art is largely organized by region, type, or era. There are galleries for European art, African art, art of the Ancient Americas, Native American art, and decorative arts. However, within some of these galleries, there are works displayed that are “out of place” or “out of time.” Interventions seek to question the past against the present by placing contemporary artworks alongside works from other eras.

Interventions: Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675 – 1825

This exhibition presents over 200 examples of British ceramics. Visitors can learn about these pieces’ functions, styles, manufacturing techniques, and makers. Each region or manufacturer had a unique style and method of creating ceramics, which can be seen in the wide variety of works on display. Included in the exhibition are traditional styles like blue and white Delftware, vessels made to look like vegetables or fruits, commemorative teacups, allegorical figures, decorative figurines of animals, and many more. You can view an online version of this exhibition here.

This exhibition already invites the viewer to analyze our relationship to the past by means of its title. However, in bringing contemporary pieces to this gallery, we can find new ways of looking at a medium’s influence on our present-day society.

Antemann’s work proves that the art of ceramics is still relevant, but its function has changed. Her art focuses on how ceramics exist in the domestic lives of those who own them and what meanings are ascribed to them. Her style is based on that of 18th-century ceramics because she believes that recreating traditions allows us to find new interpretations in the present.

This meeting of past and present is clear in Antemann’s A Stage for Dessert. Numerous figures stand around at a dessert banquet in lively, lighthearted positions. However, Antemann is joking with the viewer to comment on the flirtatious, playful, or even risqué nature of the figures. What could once signify a deep meaning to a 19th-century owner, such as an allegory or a representation of a season, has been adapted into a less serious object.

Information courtesy of mint.wiko.pbworks.com

A Stage for Dessert

Interventions: Portals to the Past: British Ceramics 1675 – 1825 

Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, On View at The Mint Museum of Art, 2023, 30” x 24” x 24", photos courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art.

Images courtesy of The Mint Museum of Art & Ferrin Contemporary

WORKS ON VIEW

A Stage for Dessert

Previous Installation at Hillwood Estate & Gardens

“An Occasion to Gather Chris Antemann’s porcelain centerpiece, is filled with 18th-century style ceramic sweets, takes inspiration from the garden sculptures and eighteenth-century design of Hillwood’s French parterre. As with the dining room table display, here Antemann references eighteenth-century dining culture and the porcelain centerpieces commonly used as table decoration by European elites.“

“Antemann integrates porcelain figures into her reconception of the French parterre. “I imagined what lives were like in the eighteenth century, what these figures would have been doing, what the collectors of these figures would have been doing,” she said. “My centerpiece is a seductive playground for the porcelain figure; they are not static on the base, but in the world, playing and enjoying the environment.” The tableware from Hillwood’s collection on the breakfast room table includes porcelain from a dessert service made by the Jacob Petit manufactory in France around 1835 (acc. no. 24.120), French glassware dating to the 1700s (acc. nos. 23.312–315), and porcelain and silver-gilt flatware made in Russia in the 1800s (acc. no. 25.479).“

–Dr. Rebecca Tilles, associate curator of 18th-century French and Western European Fine and decorative arts, Hillwood Estate & Gardens

–Images courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, photographed by Erik Kvalsvik


Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, Hillwood Museum, 2021, 30” x 24” x 24″, photos courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, Hillwood Museum, 2021, 30” x 24” x 24″, photos courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, Hillwood Museum, 2021, 30” x 24” x 24″, photos courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Chris Antemann, A Stage for Dessert, Hillwood Museum, 2021, 30” x 24” x 24″, photos courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

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MORE ON CHRIS ANTEMANN

MORE ON CHRIS ANTEMANN

View More by Chris Antemann  •  HERE  •

Chris Antemann is known for work inspired by 18th-century porcelain figurines, employing a unity of design and concept to simultaneously examine and parody male and female relationship roles. Characters, themes, and incidents build upon each other, effectively forming their own language that speaks about domestic rites, social etiquette, and taboos. Themes from the classics and the romantics are given a contemporary edge; elaborate dinner parties, picnic luncheons, and ornamental gardens set the stage for her twisted tales to unfold.

Chris Antemann Portrait
20
Apr
2023
ARE WE THERE YET?

ARE WE THERE YET?

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.

Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Courtney M. Leonard, Sergei Isupov, Crystal Morey, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Steven Young Lee, Kadri Pärnamets, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Sin Ying Ho, Peter Pincus, Paul Scott Mark Shapiro, & Linda Sikora, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Russell Biles, Courtney M. Leonard, & Bobby Silverman. Photo by John Polak Photography
Raymon Elozua Installation for "Are We There Yet?", Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Sculpture: Raymon Elozua, "Digital Sculpture: Hubris: IMF-02", 04 terra cotta, whiteware, glaze, steel rod and plate, 2016, 26.5 x 16.5 x 20". Photos (top left to bottom right): "Enamelware Mirror (Refractile) #2792", "Enamelware Mirror (Refractile) #3217", "Enamelware Table (EWed-26-e-847)", "Enamelware Conversation (6&3+ExMir-11-14-1094)", "Enamelware Table (EWed-31-a-1328)", "Enamelware Mirror (Refractile) #1835", 2006-2007, Archival ink on archival rag paper, 17 x 22" (each). Photo by John Polak Photography
Lauren Mabry Installation for "Are We There Yet?", Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces (left to right: Lauren Mabry, "Scrapyard No.2, No.4, No.3, No.1", 2023, ceramic, glaze, 12 x 9.75 x 2". Sculpture (below): Lauren Mabry, "Glaze Flow Cylinder No.1", 2021, ceramic, glaze, 7.75 x 13.5 x13". Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Cristina Córdova, Steven Young Lee, Courtney M. Leonard, Lauren Mabry, Kadri Pärnamets, Bobby Silverman, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Portrait with Isabel Twanmo (Gallerist pictured left), Leslie Ferrin (Director pictured center), & Alexandra Jelleberg (Gallerist pictured right), Photo by John Polak Photography
Chris Antemann, "Lovers Vase in Blue", 2022, porcelain, 19.5 x 11 x 10"
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Cristina Córdova, "EVA XV", 2022, unlgazed earthenware, burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, oxides, 60 x 18 x 22". Photo by John Polak Photography
Sergei Isupov, "Game Changer", 2023, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 17.5 x 8 x 6.5".
Sergei Isupov, "Pupeteer", 2023, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 18.5 x 8 x 7".
Sergei Isupov, "Burden II", 2021, stoneware, slip, glaze, 15.5 x 15 x 6.5". Ceramic sculpture with human and animal forms.
Sergei Isupov, "Voice from Inside", 1997, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 8 x 6 x 4".
Rectangular ceramic artwork with multicolored drips of glaze pouring down the sides
Bobby Silverman, "Untitled (After Kline)", 2022, Commercial tile, glazed porcelain, autopaint, 22 x 19" (backdrop tile), 10.75 x 8.75 x 11.75" (vase & base tile).
Bobby Silverman, "Untitled", 2022, Econolite, commercial tile, glazed porcelain, autopaint, 24 x 24" (backdrop tile), 10.75 x 10.25 x 11.75" (vase & base tile)
Russell Biles, "Gone Too" 2015, hand built porcelain, 6 x 7 x 17".
Sergei Isupov, "Complacency", 1998, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 11 x 18 x 6.5".
Sergei Isupov, "Chain", 1999, porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 10.5 x 13.5 x 9".
Steven Young Lee, "Jar with Butterflies", 2012, porcelain, cobalt inlay, gold luster, 15 x 15 x 12".
Courtney M . Leonard, "BREACH | Logbook 21 | CONVOKE | Abundance Basket and Contour", 2021, multi-ply birch wood and acrylic, coiled and woven earthenware, coiled micaceous clay, oyster shells, ~ 6 x 15 x 15" (basket), 2.5 x 40 x 48" (wood contour form), John Polak Photography.
Lauren Mabry Installation for "Are We There Yet?", Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces (left to right: Lauren Mabry, "Scrapyard No.2, No.4, No.3, No.1", 2023, ceramic, glaze, 12 x 9.75 x 2". Sculpture (below): Lauren Mabry, "Glaze Flow Cylinder No.1", 2021, ceramic, glaze, 7.75 x 13.5 x13". Photo by John Polak Photography
Kadri Pärnamets Installation for "Are We There Yet?", Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA Wall Pieces: Kadri Pärnamets, "Cups", 2022-2023, ceramic, glaze, ~12 x 12 x 4" (each). Sculptures: Kadri Pärnamets, "Frame of Mind (#5, 6, 9, 10, 7 pictured top left to bottom right)", 2023, porcelain, slip, glaze, ~4.5 x 5 x 4" (each). Vases: Kadri Pärnamets, "Vase Yellow" & "Vase Blue", 2023, porcelain, slip, glaze, ~9 x 6 x 6" (each). Photo by John Polak Photography
Paul Scott, "Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, Broken Treaties, Standing Rock, After Ryan Vizzions, with Mega Mae Plenty Chief, Lakota Oyate on horseback, No. 3", 2022, transfer print collage on Wm Penn's Treaty transferware plate by Thomas Goodwin c.1835, 10.5 x 10.5 x 1.25". Red, blue, and white transferware plate, with updated decal imagery of Standing Rock, ND. The imagery is of Mega Mae Plenty Chief, a Lakota Oyate on horseback, posed in front of the police and military present and opposing. They are the single figure if front of the entire army presence, signifying the resistance to drilling for oil in the US on Native American Lands. Subject matter for the artwork includes the following artist series: New American Scenery, Native American, Antique, Energy, Environment, Race, Indigeneity
Mark Shapiro, "Barrel 3, Barrel 2, Barrel 3", 2021, wood and salt fired with slip markings, 20.5 x 12 x 12", 23 x 12.5 x 12.5", 20.75 x 11.5 x 11.5". Photo by John Polak Photography.
Linda Sikora, "Vase & Box", 2022, stoneware, polychrome glaze, salt fire, 10 x 6.25 x 6.25"
Mara Superior, "Reproduction Rights", 2023, english porcelain, cobalt oxide, 24kt gold leaf, glaze, 9.5 x 13.75 x 2". Photo by John Polak.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Chris Antemann

Russell Biles

Cristina Cordova

Raymon Elozua

Sin-ying Ho

Sergei Isupov

Steven Young Lee

Courtney M. Leonard

Beth Lipman

Lauren Mabry

Crystal Morey

Kadri Parnamets

Peter Pincus

Paul Scott

Mark Shapiro

Linda Sikora

Bobby Silverman

Rae Stern

Mara Superior

Jason Walker

Kurt Weiser

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

CHRIS ANTEMANN

BILES 2003 - Present

RUSSELL BILES

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

 

CRISTINA CÓRDOVA

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

 

 

RAYMON ELOZUA

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

SIN-YING HO

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

SERGEI ISUPOV

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.

STEVEN YOUNG LEE

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.

COURTNEY M. LEONARD

LIPMAN 2018 - Present

BETH LIPMAN

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

LAUREN MABRY

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

CRYSTAL MOREY

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

KADRI PÄRNAMETS

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)”.

PETER PINCUS

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

PAUL SCOTT

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

MARK SHAPIRO

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”

 

LINDA SIKORA

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.

BOBBY SILVERMAN

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.

RAE STERN

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

MARA SUPERIOR

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

 

JASON WALKER

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

 

KURT WEISER

PRESS

ARE WE THERE YET? | PRESS RELEASE | 6.29.2023

ARE WE THERE YET? | FEATURED IN RURAL INTELLIGENCE | 7.10.2023

ARE WE THERE YET? | FEATURED IN THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE | 7.29.2023

ARE WE THERE YET? | FEATURED IN CERAMICS NOW | 8.5.2023

PROGRAMMING

Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Cristina Córdova, Steven Young Lee, Courtney M. Leonard, Lauren Mabry, Kadri Pärnamets, Bobby Silverman, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography

• 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

Leslie Ferrin, Gallery Portrait with artwork by Chris Antemann, Sergei Isupov, Lauren Mabry, 2023

• 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

Click HERE to View
Ferrin Contemporary’s
developing Archive & Timeline

Are We There Yet? 2023, Chris Antemann, Sergei Isupov, Lauren Mabry
Ferrin Contemporary, "Are We There Yet?", 2023, Exhibition Installation View with work by Chris Antemann, Cristina Córdova, Steven Young Lee, Courtney M. Leonard, Lauren Mabry, Kadri Pärnamets, Bobby Silverman, & Kurt Weiser, Photo by John Polak Photography

INQUIRE

Send us a note to request:

  • a list of available artworks
  • copy of the press release
  • additional information about the artists
  • details on upcoming events

We would love to hear from you!

Please fill out the form below to inquire or
contact us for more details + lists of available artworks.

28
Dec
2022
FIGURING SPACE

FIGURING SPACE

JANUARY 12th to APRIL 16th 2023

Featuring work by Cristina Cordova and Sergei Isupov

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Clay Studio Presents FIGURING SPACE, an Exhibition of Full-scale Figurative Sculptures by a Dozen Top Ceramic Artists Based in America

The Clay Studio (1425 N. American St), Philadelphia’s preeminent ceramic arts and resident artist’s center, will present Figuring Space, a new exhibition comprised of full-scale, figurative sculptures by 12 leading ceramic artists based in the United States. Each of the artists explores their individual cultural identity and what it means to be human through their figurative sculptures. The powerful figures will serve as a body of evidence to lay bare the issues that permeate American art and social culture. Figuring Space will open on January 12, 2023, and will be on display in The Clay Studio’s Jill Bonovitz Gallery through April 16, 2023.

The body, as a concept, is intimately tied to ceramic art. Clay is often used as a proxy for the physicality of flesh and has the capacity to articulate cultural perspectives, social engagement, and artistic intention. Furthermore, figurative sculptures have been at the center of public debate as monuments honoring individuals with dark histories are being reexamined and sometimes removed. Figuring Space uses that conversation – who gets to be seen and celebrated – as the backdrop to present a collection of works used to usurp the painful history of bodies on display in American history. Together, the artists will assert their autonomy and subjectivity by presenting cultural critiques through lenses of their own choosing, including race, gender, class, and anti-war ideas as inspiration for their own powerful stories.

Each of the artists selected for Figuring Space is known for creating contemporary, representational work that incorporates concepts and designs inspired by their cultural heritage.

FIGURING SPACE

The Clay Studio | 1425 N American Street, Philadelphia, PA

Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.

Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″.

Upcoming

MAR & APR

Clay & Conversations: Season 5

bi-weekly zoom conversations (in person and on zoom) at 1 pm on Thursdays

MORE ON THE FEATURED ARTISTS

  • View More by Sergei Isupov HERE
  • View More by Cristina Cordova HERE
Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, detail, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.
Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.
Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″.
Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 59.5 x 26 x 16″.

CRISTINA CORDOVA

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.

EVA XV

Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, detail, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.
Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.
Cristina Córdova, “EVA XV”, detail, 2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides; 60 x 18 x 22″.

2022, unglazed: finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides
60 x 18 x 22″

ON EVA & MATERIAL EXPERIMENTATION

I have been sculpting my daughter since she was 9. This 15-year-old version of Eva is unglazed and finished with burnished earth pigments from the island of Puerto Rico mixed with casein, lime, and oxides. They came specifically from two areas, one in Fajardo near the coast, where the rainforest is, and one from Orocovis in the mountainous center. Written on her back are the words “de monte y mar” ( “from mountain and sea” ) in gold, a phrase from the song Verde luz by El Topo (Antonio Cabal Vale), which became a symbol of national Puerto Rican pride and an anti-colonialist anthem.

In my practice, the image of Eva is the embodiment of change and possibility. It speaks to the inevitability of transience and the inherited threads of code that perpetuate both genes and identity. This piece seeks to perform both as a symbol and a relic by holding in its materiality a part of the Island that has thematically bound this whole series through the years, exploring the riches and vulnerabilities of this small Caribbean nation that is my home.

DOWNLOAD STATEMENT PDF

SERGEI ISUPOV

Isupov is the son of a painter and sculptor. While born in Stravapole, Russia in 1963, Isupov was raised in Ukraine from 1964, educated in Kyiv and moved to attend the university of art in Tallinn, Estonia in 1984 at a time when these now separate countries were part of the USSR. Isupov’s family, his father, mother and brother, all established artists, currently reside in Kyiv, Ukraine. With the backdrop of the current war there and threats of Russian aggression in Estonia, Isupov’s studio work took on an urgency to counter the overwhelming anxiety and concern for his family facing down threats to their safety and the loss of their formerly peaceful lives. Now, with his wife, artist Kadri Pärnaments and their daughter Roosi, they divide their time between two studios/homes in the USA and Estonia.

ON THE WAY

Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″.
Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″.
Sergei Isupov, “On the Way”, 2020, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″.

2020, large-scale figure, porcelain, slip, glaze, 58.5 x 38 x 18″

ON THE WAY & IMPACT OF WORLD EXPERIENCE

On the Way is one of a pair of related, multi-figured, life-sized sculptures produced over several months in 2019-2020. These works strangely, foreshadow the present situation in Ukraine. “Most of my work depicts human relationships through contrasts and comparisons which makes it easy for anyone to find messages or meanings that may or may not be my original intention. Upon reflection, it is easy to connect the expressions, gestures and movements to current events but in reality, all my work comes out of my life experience – growing up during USSR, experiencing its breakup and the establishment of fifteen independent countries – followed by coming to America as a young artist in the 90’s.”

Isupov is a master of nonlinear narration. Combined with his unmatched, masterful skills as both painter and sculptor, the resulting works draw from the past and reflect on the present. Semiautobiographical, Isupov’s intimate narratives interweave poignant representations of men and women, parents and children, shown alongside one another, their pets pointing to the naive sense of security we hold in our daily lives. These works explore individual, interior landscapes and the continually expanding dualities of the self within complex psychological relationships. Intensely personal yet universal, these works in the context of the present day, remind and call upon us to value, protect and preserve the precarious balance we all stand to lose at any present moment.

DOWNLOAD STATEMENT PDF

PROGRAMMING

*Exhibition Catalog can be ordered HERE.

Figuring Space Exhibition Catalog

The Clay Studio: Figuring Space Publication Date: January 2023. This catalog features highlights on the artists in the exhibition and includes commentary by Jennifer Zwilling, Curator & Director of Artistic Programs at TCS, and Dr. Kelli Morgan, who are working together to make Figuring Space relevant to our audiences and the art historical record. Dr. Morgan is a curator, educator, and social justice activist who specializes in American art and visual culture has worked with TCS in the past. Her scholarly and activist work combine to make her incredibly qualified to examine the issues of racial politics and the artistic use of the figure in this exhibition. Morgan has developed and championed new curatorial methodologies that privilege the voices of museum audiences, breaking the misconception that museums should hold all the authority dictating how to experience art. Collaboration with colleagues of varied experiences produce expansive curatorial perspective. Together, we are endeavoring to create an exhibition that can offer truly meaningful experiences for every person who walks into the gallery at The Clay Studio.

  • 2023 Catalog
  • The exhibition catalog also includes color photography of select works in the exhibition.
  • 8 x 10 x .5
  • Available for purchase for $15.00
  • Item:TCS-2252

Upcoming | MAR & APR

Clay & Conversations: Season 5

bi-weekly zoom conversations (in person and on zoom) at 1 pm on Thursdays

Clay & Conversations: Season 5

Series of conversations and get-togethers with ceramic artists, curators, scholars, and friends.

Join The Clay Studio in person at their fourth-floor Conference Room or dial in on Zoom.

OPENING RECEPTION | Thursday, January 12

The Clay Studio will host a special opening reception to launch Figuring Space on Thursday, January 12, from 5 to 8 p.m.

RSVP HERE

Figuring Space Workshop Creating Expressive Facial Features | Friday, January 13, from 1 to 4 p.m.

For those looking for an in-depth look at Figuring Space, The Clay Studio will host the Figuring Space Workshop – Creating Expressive Facial Features, a special workshop led by featured artists Sergei Isupov and Jonathan Christensen Caballero. On Friday, January 13, from 1 to 4 p.m., participants of all skill levels will watch the two highly-acclaimed figurative artists give demonstrations as they explain their techniques for creating expressive facial features in clay. The Creating Facial Features in Clay workshop is an in-person-only event.

Tickets to attend are $100 each and available for purchase HERE.
Please contact Josie Bockelman (josie@theclaystudio.org) for discount information for this workshop.

Figuring Space Symposium | Friday, January 13, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To further expand on the ideas and themes of this exhibition, The Clay Studio will host a special Figuring Space symposium on January 13, where guests can hear lectures and panel discussions from the artists and curators. From 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., attendees will hear from the twelve featured artists about what making full-scale figurative sculptures means to their art practice. The co-curators, Dr. Morgan and Zwilling, will also share their ideas about figurative sculpture in contemporary art through the lens of social activism as well as the form’s evolution throughout American art history.

Both of these events are free and open to the public. Audiences can also register to participate in the Figuring Space symposium virtually by registering HERE .

VIDEO

Clay & Conversation with Tip Toland and Sergei Isupov | Youtube | April 18th, 2023

Tip Toland and Sergei Isupov are two of the dozen artists whose work appears in Figuring Space, an exhibition of life-size ceramic figurative sculpture. We are thrilled to have these talented artists as guests to ask them about their inspirations for the ideas and styles of their work.

Clay and Conversation with Cristina Córdova| Youtube | May 17th, 2023

Cristina is one of the dozen artists whose work appears in Figuring Space, an exhibition of life-size ceramic figurative sculpture. We are thrilled to have this talented artist as a guest to ask her about her inspirations for the ideas and styles of her work.

14
Sep
2022
BREAKING GROUND: Women in California Clay

BREAKING GROUND: Women in California Clay

BREAKING GROUND: Women in California Clay

American Museum of Ceramic Art
Pomona, California

September 10, 2022 through March 12, 2023

Featuring work by Crystal Morey

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The American Museum of Ceramic Art is proud to present the exhibition and accompanying catalog Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, celebrating 44 artists who have defined—and redefined—ceramics over the past 100 years. Many of the Golden State’s most innovative and impactful ceramic artists in the 20th and 21st centuries are women who faced adversity due to gender inequality and were often ignored or overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. These incredibly determined women pushed forward, driven by creativity and tenacity.

Breaking Ground highlights the significant shifts in California ceramics over several generations of women artists. The story is told in three sections, using the artist’s “breaking ground period” (rather than their date of birth) to determine their place in history. The story begins with trailblazers Laura Andreson, Betty Davenport Ford, Stefani Gruenberg, Vivika Heino, Elaine Katzer, Mary Lindheim, Martha Longenecker, Gertrud Natzler, Susan Peterson, Ruth Rippon, Susi Singer, Helen Ritcher Watson, Marguerite Wildenhain, and Beatrice Wood. These artists laid the groundwork for the field and inspired successive generations of artists.

The second section includes a disparate group of artists who explored—or are exploring—the female figure, feminism, and the creation of the perfect form. Works by Judy Chicago, Dora De Larios, Roseline Delisle, Viola Frey, Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, Phyllis Green, Margaret Keelan, Karen Koblitz, Marilyn Levine, Elsa Rady, Lisa Reinertson, Nancy Selvin, Anna Silver, and Sandy Simon mark a substantial break in artmaking from their predecessors.

The final section represents a younger generation of artists working to shift the perspective” and includes Ashwini Bhat, Christina Erives, Keiko Fukazawa, Jenny Hata Blumenfield, Julia Haft-Candell, Anabel Juarez, Cathy Lu, Brittany Mojo, Crystal Morey, Kristen Morgin, Annabeth Rosen, Erika Sanada, Joan Takayama Ogawa, Kim Tucker, Anna Valdez, and Bari Ziperstein. Their work, in many ways, continues the conversation of the artists featured in the second chapter to traverse the themes of politics, identity, the environment, and other prevailing issues of globalization, colonialism, and reclaiming histories that have become increasingly important in the lives of practicing women artists.

Assembled together for the first time in Breaking Ground, these works tell the compelling story of how women artists from California made, and continue to make, significant contributions to the American Studio Ceramics movement in profound and singular ways.

A momentous reframing of the California Clay Movement and its legacy, this exhibition will be the first to chronologize the evolution of ceramic art in California solely through the work of women artists, and the first exhibition to be presented across all three of AMOCA’s ground-floor galleries. As the show is loosely organized by generation, so too are our gallery spaces. AMOCA’s Armstrong Gallery leads viewers through work from the first generation “Trailblazers” to the second generation, “The Body Politic.” Then, viewers move through The Vault and Gallery B to experience work from Breaking Ground‘s generation three “Now” artists.

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Breaking Ground will be on view in AMOCA’s Armstrong Gallery from September 10, 2022 through January 22, 2023, and in Gallery B and The Vault from September 10, 2022 through February 19, 2023.

The exhibition is co-curated by Beth Ann Gerstein (Executive Director), Jo Lauria (Adjunct Curator), and Edith Garcia (Professor, California College of the Arts and University of California, Berkeley).

More information about the exhibition, HERE.

FEATURED ARTWORKS

Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “RePlanting: Crow and Deer”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 12.5 x 8 x 6”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Replanting: Mountain Lion” 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 9.5 x 6 x 8.5”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.
Crystal Morey, “Without Borders/ White Rhino Airlift” 2020, hand sculpted porcelain, 16.5 x 13.5 x 10”.

MORE ON CRYSTAL MOREY

View More by Crystal Morey HERE

Crystal Morey, Artist Portrait in the studio, 2022

Crystal Morey, “The RePlanting: Over the Land (Mt. Lion and Unicorn”, 2022, hand-sculpted porcelain, 17.5 x 11 x 7″.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

Member Preview
Friday, September 9, 2022 • 2–4 PM (Pacific) • In Person

Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay is on view at AMOCA from September 10, 2022–February 19, 2023, and members get early access! Be among the first to see Breaking Ground by joining us on Member Preview Day on Friday, September 9.

This preview is complimentary for AMOCA Members.

Opening Reception
Saturday, September 10, 2022 • 4–6 PM (Pacific) • In Person

Join us for an opening reception for Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, on view at AMOCA. Artists whose work is in the exhibition will be present starting at 4 PM, opening remarks will occur at 4:30 PM, and light refreshments will be served.

Admission to the event and Museum galleries is complimentary with advance registration. For information about at-the-door prices, check AMOCA.org/visit.

MORE ON AMOCA

As an organization of vision, devoted to the arts, we believe that visual art experiences communicated through professional artists, workshops, or gallery exhibitions, promote cross-cultural understanding and provide new perspectives and insights which enrich our lives.

Exhibitions and programming at AMOCA embraces a wide number of topics – all relating to clay. Within this broadly diverse community, it is our goal to increase the aesthetic appreciation of clay as an art form and to assist our audience in unraveling the creative thinking behind the making of ceramic objects. At the same time, AMOCA provides confirmed clay enthusiasts with encouragement, camaraderie, and exhibition opportunity.

Learn More, HERE