MARCH 8 – APRIL 28, 2019
Main Gallery
Curated by Ursula Hargens
In Service: Engaging and Connecting through Clay underscored a growing trend in the craft field: creating opportunities for social engagement through the process of making. NCC highlighted artists committed to creating meaningful community dialogues and included ceramic work made by those sitting at the table, as well as those who benefit from this outreach. We celebrated a new iteration of the Democratic Cup: Land of 10,000 Stories, in collaboration with Ayumi Horie, during which we hosted community conversations across the state of Minnesota, led by clay ambassadors. Conversations were sparked by custom ceramic cups, designed by Minnesota potters, and illustrated with decal prompts that highlighted current issues facing Minnesotans. During the exhibition, visitors will had the opportunity to connect with others in the exhibition space over coffee and pie.
NCC’s own 20+ year history of engaging community through clay under its ClayToGo program was highlighted, and, specifically, the creative results of our multi-year collaborative outreach with the immigrant communities that have settled in the neighborhoods surrounding NCC. Additionally, we celebrated the efforts of an international organization, Potters for Peace, and their implementation of The Water Filter Project in 35 countries, which provides clean drinking water through simple ceramic technology. We shined light on our local community, Powderhorn Potters, and their Empty Bowls effort, which has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to date. We honored local legend and potter, Warren MacKenzie, and his philosophy of pots for the people. Finally, we brought Jeff Schmuki to the Midwest for an installation of portable hydroponic community gardens, using a recycled ceramic substrate.
Our creative partners were all residents of the state of Minnesota. Ambassadors for this project included ceramic artists Nathan Bray, Bill Gossman, Lisa Truax, and Julianne Shibata. Form makers included Linda Christianson, Brett Freund, Peter Jadoonath, and Elizabeth Pechacek. Illustrators included Jaime Anderson, Kim Bogeman, Ann Ryan, and Julie Van Grol.
Related Events
In conjunction with this exhibition, Schmuki was be on site during winter quarter to install a hydroponic garden and a custom ball mill, which tumbled bisqued earthenware (waste from our community classroom program) into growth medium for gardens. Visitors in the exhibition were invited to take growth medium home to their own gardens while the greens grown in the gallery during the exhibition were harvested to share with our Seward neighbors through the Soup For You program at Bethany Lutheran Church run by Chef Judah.