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.

Project Tag: Claire Curneen

Mar

2020

STRIKING GOLD: Fuller at Fifty, Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty

September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020

Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

In honor of the Fuller’s ‘golden anniversary’, the museum looks at the role of gold within it’s recent acquisitions and permanent collection. Co-curated by Beth McLaughlin and Suzanne Ramljak. Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty, explores the storied traditions, contemporary interpretations, skillful applications, and conceptual rigor of gold as an artistic material, while investigating the multitude of cultural, material, and sociopolitical associations.For the 57 selected artists, gold remains central to their work as they delve far deeper than embellishment or decorative effect. This landmark exhibition celebrates the museum’s rich past as it plans for a brilliant future—and shines a light on all things golden.

FEATURING

Recent works by:

Claire Curneen
Bouke de Vries
Paul Scott
Anina Major

and in the permanent collection:
Roy Superior

More information can be found HERE.

CATALOG

Fully illustrated catalog with essays from the co-curators and Stuart Kestenbaum.

Click HERE to purchase.

CLICK TO VIEW THE VIRTUAL TOUR
OF STRIKING GOLD: Fuller at Fifty

Claire Curneen Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

Paul Scott Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

Bouke de Vries Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

Roy Superior Striking Gold: Fuller at Fifty September 7, 2019- April 5, 2020 Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton MA

Claire Curneen, “Blue” 2013, porcelain, cobalt, gold luste, 24 x 21 x 6″.

Claire Curneen, “Mary Magdalene” 2013, porcelain, gold lustre, 22.5″.

Claire Curneen, “Mary Magdalene” detail, 2013, porcelain, gold lustre, 22.5″.

Paul Scott, “Scott’s Cumbrian Blue(s), Rome/Long Bridge Collage” 2016, collage, early 19th century Spode transferware platters, gold leaf.

Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s), American Scenery, Fracked No. 8″, 2015 in-glaze decal collage, gold leaf, T&R Boote Syndenhall Shape, ironstone c. 1850, 16.5 x 11.75 x 1.25”.

Bouke de Vries, “The Repair II” 2014, 18th century Chinese porcelain tureen stand, tureen cover, and mixed media, 14 x 10.5 x 10″.

Anina Major, “Weight in Gold”, 2019. ceramic, gold leaf, wood, mirror. 44″ x 21″ x 17″ Photo credit: Mandy Johnson

Oct

2017

THE WOMEN

Oct 28, 2017 – Apr 21, 2018

Ferrin Contemporary
1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA

Click here for details.

Works on view include recent pieces by women whose primary medium is clay and selected works from private and artist archives by female potters and sculptors.

The Women provides Ferrin Contemporary an opportunity to highlight the range of work by women artists affiliated with the gallery program who are known for their work in ceramics.

Director Leslie Ferrin, a life long advocate for women in ceramics reflects on this moment, “It is gratifying to witness the attention to gender issues taking place throughout society. These same forces are fueling the interest in examining and bringing recognition to the overlooked contributions of women to postwar visual arts. Many of our collectors who brought a female perspective to building their collections are contributing to the public dialog by acquiring new works and making gifts to institutions. Museums are responding by offering exhibition opportunities, site specific commissions and adding to permanent collections to fill in gaps. It is an exciting time to see these changes taking place and being able to participate in the process.”

Ceramic Art and Figural Sculpture

Robin Best
Christie Brown
Caroline Cheng
Cristina Córdova
Claire Curneen
Ruth Duckworth
Viola Frey
Giselle Hicks
Coille McLaughlin Hooven
Crystal Morey
Kadri Pärnamets
Elsa Rady
Caroline Slotte
Mara Superior
Toshiko Takaezu
Susan Thayer
Patti Warashina
Beatrice Wood
Elizabeth (Betty) Woodman

Studio Pottery and Design*
Works by
Laura Andreson
Dorothy Hafner
Karen Karnes
Jenny Mendez
Linda Sikora
*available in Ferrin Contemporary square shop

Robin Best, “The Knight of the Lions,” 2016, porcelain with on-glaze Xin Cai, 14.125 x 7.875 x 10.25″.

Christie Brown, “Ghost Portrait” 2015, ceramic, 19 x 10 x 9″.

Caroline Cheng, “Prosperity V” 2007, porcelain, fabric, 71 x 71″.

Claire Curneen, “Mary Magdalene” 2013, porcelain, gold lustre, 22.5″.

Viola Frey, “Untitled Platter”, 1982, earthenware, slip, glaze, 25″. photo: John Polak (Pennington)

Dorothy Hafner, “Teapot, Sugar, Creamer” 1988, porcelain, underglaze.

Coille Hooven, “Second Skin” 1986, stoneware, 14.75 x 6.5 x 5.5″.

Crystal Morey, “New Symbiosis: Pronghorn” 2017, porcelain, 10.5 x 6 x 4.5″.

Kadri Pärnamets, “Question of Honor — Lucretia, after Lucas Cranach the Elder, porcelain, slip, glaze, 11 x 10.5 x 5”. photo: John Polak

Elsa Rady, “Four Zig Wings”, private collection

Mara Superior, “Mother Nature Says, ‘Wake Up'” 2010, porcelain, glaze, wood, pearls, gold leaf, 17 x 22 x 2″.

Susan Thayer, “Return” 2016, teapot: porcelain, china paint, glazebase: lowfire stoneware, slip, 16 x 9 x 5″.

Patti Warashina, “Beating the Housewife Blues” 1977, white earthenware, glaze, 24 x 16 x 13.75″.

Beatrice Wood, “Not Married” 1965, clay, glaze, 16 x 17 x 13″.

Betty Woodman, “Planter” ceramic, glaze, 27 x 5.5 x 8.5″.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Beatrice Wood pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Kadri Pärnamets pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Mara Superior pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Robin Best pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Cristina Córdova pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Kadri Pärnamets pictured.

“The Women” at Ferrin Contemporary in North Adams, MA. Work by Caroline Slotte and Claire Curneen pictured.

The Women

Ferrin Contemporary presents selected works by women artists whose primary medium is clay. On view in the gallery and online, we introduce new works by emerging and established artists along with masterworks available from private collections and artist archives.

STUDIO POTTER: WOMEN IN CERAMICS

Winter/Spring 2017
Women in Ceramics Vol. 45 No. 1

In this issue: nine essays remembering the life of Karen Karnes, a deep investigation of the legacy of women in wood-firing, several narratives about artists’ personal journeys in clay, essays on the lives of California artist Ruth Rippon and Swedish artist Hertha Hillfon, a dynamic discussion of contemporary motherhood, international perspectives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and India, a look at fourth-wave feminism, and more.

Click for info on Studio Potter.

Click to request complimentary issue online.

“Ruth Rippon, Her Story”
by Nancy M. Servis

Rippon’s artistic production is extensive and leaves an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of Northern California. … The breadth of her work mirrors the artist herself: technically accomplished, experimental, conceptually grounded, and quietly emotive.

Click here for more.

Artist Salon – Nancy M. Servis
Wednesday, November 8
at 6–8:30 pm

Project Art
54 Main St, Cummington, Massachusetts 01026

Join visiting scholar, Nancy M. Servis, from Sacramento, California, for an image-illustrated presentation ‘State of Clay: Bay Area Ceramics,’ followed by a potluck at Project Art.

From pottery to sculptural expression, Servis unveils the dynamic variety of ceramics found in Northern California. Long recognized as a vital and populous state with extensive clay deposits, California has been the home of refined vessel-makers and artistic rule-breakers for over 75 years, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Her lecture contextualizes clay’s extensive use that includes stylistic architecture in Oakland, impassioned potters like Antonio Prieto and Marguerite Wildenhain from the 1950s, and unabashed practitioners like Peter Voulkos and Robert Arneson. They along with select others like Viola Frey, Ruth Rippon, and Ron Nagle laid Nancy Servis’ groundwork for what exists today – a population of fine artist-makers whose work coexists with those who embrace sculpture or even defy ceramic tradition.

Nancy is a recognized art historian, gallerist, and author. She has served as curator, educator and arts administrator in the greater San Francisco Bay Area for over twenty years.

Click for facebook page.

May

2017

NEW YORK CERAMICS & GLASS FAIR 2015

Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street
(between 1st & 2nd Avenues)
New York, NY

SELECTED WORKS FROM CURRENT PROJECTS
Ferrin Contemporary booth on the 4th floor

MADE IN CHINA: THE NEW EXPORT WARE
Ferrin Contemporary Special Exhibition Booth on the 3rd Floor

EVENTS

MEET THE ARTISTS
in the Special Exhibition Booth on the 3rd Floor

Join us for a conversation about MADE IN CHINA: THE NEW EXPORT WARE with artists Sin-ying Ho and Robert Silverman. The discussion will be moderated by Leslie Ferrin, curator of MADE IN CHINA and director of Ferrin Contemporary. A tour of the exhibition with the artists and curator, will follow.

MADE IN CHINA ARTIST & CURATOR LECTURES

Friday, January 23, 2015

12 noon
ARTIST TALK: Paul Scott
Duchess, Dogs, Detroit, Dragons, Handles and Cherrypickers: Re-Animating the Transferware Archives of an Industry with Paul Scott: artist, author, and professor at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts Norway

1:30 p.m.
BOOK SIGNING: Paul Scott
Join us! Paul Scott will sign and present his new book Horizon, Transferware and Contemporary Ceramics.

2 pm
CURATOR TALK : Leslie Ferrin
Made in China: New Export Ware from Jingdezhen with Leslie Ferrin, curator of MADE IN CHINA and director Ferrin Contemporary

4 pm
ARTIST TALK: Garth Johnson
I’m So Fancy: Young Artists Take On Historical Ceramics with Garth Johnson, Curator of the Arizona State University Ceramics Research Center and Director-at-Large of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

Saturday, January 24

12 noon
LECTURE: RON FUCHS II
The Most Dangerous Imitations: Fake Chinese Export Porcelain of the 1920s and ’30s with Ron Fuchs II, Curator of the Reeves Collections at Washington and Lee University.

3pm
CONVERSATION and TOUR with artists and curator

Click here to view press release.
Click here for downloadable pdf of press release.

SELECTED WORKS FROM CURRENT PROJECTS

Frances Palmer

Bonnie Smith

This group exhibition brings together work by several top ceramic artists represented by Ferrin Contemporary. Included will be pieces by Stephen Bowers, Claire Curneen, Steven Young Lee, Frances Palmer, Paul Scott, Bonnie Smith, Vipoo Srivilasa, Mara Superior, and Kurt Weiser. Form and surface merge in various constructions embodying elements of the human form, of animals, and of abstracted thought. The work in this exhibit gives a taste of the broad range of work being created in ceramics today.

MADE IN CHINA: THE NEW EXPORT WARE

Julie Bartholomew

Caroline Cheng

Sam Chung

Future Retrieval

Paul Mathieu

MADE IN CHINA examines the contemporary, ceramic-centric exchange between eastern and western artists and markets. Marked by ever-increasing cross-cultural collaboration, this contemporary ceramics movement emerging from China is urging a re-definition of today’s export ware.
Exploring the growing cultural exchange between east and west.
With increasing frequency, western artists are traveling to China to produce ceramic work using traditional Chinese methods. In this exhibition, Ferrin Contemporary brings together work that reveals the essential aspects of contemporary ceramics currently coming out of China.

It is a dynamic relationship with appropriation and collaboration occurring in both directions.

Click here to read Blouin Art Info on Made in China.
Click here to read “Yes Virginia, Collecting Ceramics Can Be Hip” by Lynn Byrne of DXV American Standard.
Click here to read “Marketplace | New York Ceramics & Glass Fair 2015” on CFile.
Click here to read “Emporiums of the Waggish and Weird” by William Grimes in The New York Times.
Click here to read “Ceramics Crack the Contemporary Art Market — Breaking the Mold” by Brook Mason in the New York Observer.
Click here to read “New York Ceramics & Glass Fair 2015” by Andrew Baseman in Past Imperfect: The Art of Inventive Repair.
Click here to read “New York Ceramics & Glass Fair 2015 at Bohemian National Hall” by Alison Ng in Asian in NY.

May

2017

NEW BLUE AND WHITE

Robin Best, "The British East India Company - Trade and War", 2012

NEW BLUE AND WHITE

MFA BOSTON

February 20 – July 14, 2013

Discover contemporary interpretations of blue-and-white ceramics

“sumptuous, conceptually elegant show”—The Boston Globe

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Exhibition of works by 37 artists, pairs or collectives curated by Emily Zilber, Wornick Curator of Contemporary Decorative Arts, presented with generous support from The Wornick Fund for Contemporary Craft.

“Blue and white” means, at its simplest, cobalt pigment applied to white clay. Over the course of a millennium, blue-and-white porcelain has become one of the most recognized types of ceramic production worldwide. With roots in the Islamic world and Asia, and strong presence in Europe and the Americas, various cultures adapted blue-and-white, from the Willow pattern to isznik. Taking inspiration from global blue-and-white traditions, today’s artists continue the story, creating works that speak to contemporary ideas. They tackle diverse issues, ranging from the public (the political landscape, cross-cultural interchange), to the personal (family, memory, the act of collecting), to the aesthetic (abstraction, pattern, the role of decoration). “New Blue and White” explores the ways in which contemporary makers, working in ceramics as well as other media ranging from fiber to furniture to glass, have explored this rich body of material culture. An international selection of artists and designers is featured in the exhibition, and recent acquisitions of work by the ceramic sculptor Chris Antemann and fashion designers Rodarte are drawn from the MFA’s own collection.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

For more information and available works by gallery artists featured in the exhibition view profiles below:

Robin Best
Stephen Bowers
Claire Curneen
Michelle Erickson
Molly Hatch
Giselle Hicks
Paul Scott
Adam Shiverdecker
Vipoo Srivilasa
Steven Young Lee
Kurt Weiser

PAST PROGRAMMING

MEET ME AT… New Blue and White | Boston, MA
July 9 – 10
Artist: Robin Best
Visiting Artist Lecture and Behind-the-Scenes private tours with artists and curators

Tuesday, July 9
3 – 4:30 Harvard Museum of Natural Sciences, Blaschka Flowers and Minerals with curator Ethan Lasser

5:30 – 6:30 Artist talk with Robin Best at the Ceramics Program – Office for the Arts at Harvard

Dinner TBA

Wednesday, July 10

10 – 12:00 Michael Lin Freeport Project | Peabody Essex Museum with curators, Trevor Smith and Dean Lahikainen

2:00 – 4:00 New Blue and White | Museum of Fine Arts with curator Emily Zilber

FEATURED ARTISTS

CHRIS ANTEMANN

Chris Antemann, “The Collector”, 2011, porcelain, china paint, decals, 19 x 13 x 10″. Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

Chris Antemann, “The Collector”, 2011, detail, porcelain, china paint, decals, 19 x 13 x 10″. Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA.

ROBIN BEST

Robin Best, “The British East India Company – Trade and War”, 2012, cast translucent white porcelain, on-glaze painting, silver foil, 12 x 41.25 x 4.25″

STEPHEN BOWERS

Stephen Bowers, “Explorers’ Skulls” 2010, slip cast, oxide stains, underglaze, 5.25″

CLAIRE CURNEEN

Claire Curneen, “Blue” 2013, porcelain, cobalt, gold luste, 24 x 21 x 6″.

Claire Curneen, “Blue”, 2013, Porcelain, cobalt blue, gold luster, 24 x 21 x 6″

GISELLE HICKS

Giselle Hicks, “And Then It Was Still II” 2012, detail, vitreous china porcelain, wood, 48 x 60 x 24″

Giselle Hicks, “And Then It Was Still II” 2012, detail, vitreous china porcelain,wood, 48 x 60 x 24″

Giselle Hicks, “And Then It Was Still II” 2012, detail, vitreous china porcelain,wood, 18 x 12 x 2″

PAUL SCOTT

Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s) – Spode Works Closed, Italian Blue, 03/10/09/09l,” 2013, in-glaze decal, gold lustre on small Spode casserole, (marked Made in Portugal) salvaged from the kiln area in the closed Spode factory 07/09, 3.5 x 9 x 11.25″. Rhode Island School of Design Collection.

Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s) – The Hartlepool Ghost Ships” 2013, in-glaze decal, gold lustre on bone china plate, 12″ diameter

Paul Scott, “Cumbrian Blue(s) – A Willow for Ai Weiwei, Wen Tao, Liu Zhenggang, Zhang Jinsong, Hu Mingfen” 2012, in-glaze decals on partially erased Willow Pattern platter (c.1840), 13.75 x 17″.

VIPOO SRIVLIASA

Vipoo Srivilasa, “Four Elements Containers”, 2012, ceramic, silver, glass, 8 x 12 x 10″

Vipoo Srivilasa, “Four Elements Containers” 2012, ceramic, silver, glass, 8 x 12 x 10″.

KURT WEISER

Kurt Weiser, “Chinese Cubist II” 2013, porcelain, 22 x 10 x 10″

Kurt Weiser, “Chinese Cubist I” 2013, porcelain, 22 x 10 x 10″.

Kurt Weiser, “Chinese Cubist II” 2013, porcelain, 22 x 10 x 10″

Apr

2017

EXPOSED: Heads, Busts & Nudes

group show of ceramic figural sculpture by masters 1965–present originally presented at 1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, from June 18 to September 5, 2016

WORKS

Cristina Córdova, “De mi isla salvaje (from my wild island)” 2015 installed at Ferrin Contemporary

ROBERT ARNESON*

RUDY AUTIO*

RALPH BACERRA

CHRISTIE BROWN

BETH CAVENER
$Beth Cavener, "Kept - Variation in Smoke" 2016, resin infused refractory material, paint, rope, wooden base, 24 x 12 x 28".$

CRISTINA CÓRDOVA

CLAIRE CURNEEN

STEPHEN DE STAEBLER*

STEPHEN DIXON

JACK EARL*

EDWARD EBERLE*

VIOLA FREY*

ALESSANDRO GALLO

GERIT GRIMM

COILLE HOOVEN

Coille McLaughlin Hooven, “The Object Lesson” 1991, porcelain, 3.75 x 4 x 3.5”.

SERGEI ISUPOV

GEORGES JEANCLOS*

DOUG JECK*

TAKAHIRO KONDO*

MICHAEL LUCERO*

KADRI PÄRNAMETS

ESTHER SHIMAZU*

AKIO TAKAMORI*

TIP TOLAND*

PATTI WARASHINA*

Patty Warashina, "Scrutiny" 2011, glaze, clay, mixed media, 82.5 x 18.5 x 24".

KURT WEISER

BEATRICE WOOD *

* offered from private collections

ABOUT

EXPOSED: Heads, Busts, and Nudes is an exhibition of figural ceramic sculpture from 1965 to the present and features masterworks from estates and private collections alongside recent work direct from artist studios, which was originally presented at 1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, from June 18 to September 5, 2016.

This group of noted American and British sculptors explores themes that range from social realism to otherworldly surrealism to abstraction of form. The overview illustrates how early practitioners in California’s Bay Area during in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, and Stephen De Staebler, continue to inspire artists today. Known for their use of clay in combination with painted glaze surfaces, these artists challenge presumptions and their work defies easy categorization as sculpture, decorative arts, or studio craft.

The exhibit that took place at Ferrin Contemporary’s gallery in western Massachusetts presents a selection of available works by living and deceased artists featured in the accompanying catalog EXPOSED: Heads, Busts, and Nudes. The publication includes an introduction by curator Leslie Ferrin and an informative essay by author and independent curator Mark Leach highlighting the seminal moments and interplay between artists and their mentors.

INQUIRE

CATALOGUE

View the catalog below and click here to purchase print catalog.

Apr

2017

Ferrin Contemporary at 1315 MASS MoCA Way

Housed in Building 13 in an airy building on MASS MoCA’s 16-acre campus in North Adams, Massachusetts, Ferrin Contemporary’s year-round location is only a short walk from the museum’s front door. Specializing in contemporary ceramic art and sculpture, the gallery offers selected works for sale by represented artists, masterworks from private collections, and curated exhibitions. Also located in the building are other galleries, The Studios at MASS MoCA and The Artist Book Foundation.