MAY 6 – JUNE 25
Main Gallery
Free public opening reception Friday, May 5, 6 – 8 pm
This summer, Northern Clay Center will explore the permanent collection archives and bring significant works of ceramic art into the light of day for a public viewing. The exhibition promises to offer the rediscovery of the relationships built over three decades of service to the field and the works acquired along the way.
The permanent collection started with Northern Clay Center’s 10th Anniversary celebration planning, when select artists were invited to provide objects for Ten Years in Retrospect, the exhibition that accompanied our celebration. These artists were part of a group of over 200 individuals whose work had been shown in curated exhibitions over the first 10 years of the Center’s life, between 1989 and 2001. From early career makers to those already distinguished within the field of ceramics, from sites as close as the Center’s own studio facilities to international locales, from functional pots to sculptural objects, from all manner of making and firing—the initial objects acquired by NCC encompassed a wide spectrum of ceramic art.
Objects were acquired either through generous donation by the artists or through purchase by NCC. The intent of these acquisitions was to build a permanent collection that would honor the past and the people and ideas that made the present day possible, and also serve as an educational resource to the Clay Center’s constituency and the greater ceramics community.
The collection grew exponentially again in 2010 as part of NCC’s 20th Anniversary celebration, when select artists from the 2000 to 2010 calendar years of exhibitions were invited to contribute to It Was Twenty Years Ago Today.
The current collection houses objects created by over 100 ceramic makers, which includes the aforementioned acquisitions as well as additional donations of ceramic art from generous visiting, exhibiting, and teaching artists who shared their talents with us over the years. These ceramic objects offer more than an exploration of the medium and the talented artists who have worked with NCC in the past. They challenge the audience to reflect on the possibilities of the medium; they illuminate past conversations and a rich history of personal stories and legacy; they honor artists we’ve known, adored, and lost; they acknowledge the dedication and support of collectors; and they remind us of the rich history of the center’s dedication to the ceramic arts.