As a local, national and international non-profit ceramic arts organization, The Clay Studio relies upon the annual support from its membership base to fulfill its artistic and educational mission. The Members Exhibition is a juried show of 33 works by 33 of these supporters. In total, eighty members applied for entry, submitting a total of 146 works for review. The difficult task of selecting the works for display was given to Gretchen Keyworth: a champion in the field of craft as a maker, co-founder of Signature Galleries and Grohe Glass Gallery, and consultant, director and advisor to arts organizations and prominent craft shows nationally. She is perhaps best known as the former Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA, which she joined in 2003. In her role, she oversaw all artistic and administrative duties, and under her stewardship, The Fuller Museum of Art became the Fuller Craft Museum. She now serves as Fuller’s Director Emeritus, a title bestowed upon her when she retired in March 2010.
The work selected for inclusion in the Members Exhibition is incredibly diverse. Functional objects, vessels, and sculpture, both representational and abstract, will be on display. Artists participating in the exhibition include: Mary Gamble Barrett, Philadelphia, PA; Lynne Berman, Philadelphia, PA; Michael Biello, Philadelphia, PA; Sara Gallo, Philadelphia, PA; Cheryl Hendershott, Philadelphia, PA; Alex Hibbitt, Athens, OH; Joe Hicks, Washington, DC; Heeseung Lee, Philadelphia, PA; Pam Lethbridge, Philadelphia, PA; Shalya Marsh, Lancaster, PA; Anthony Martin, Pocatello, ID; Elizabeth McLaughlin, Philadelphia, PA; Daniel Molyneux, South Dartmouth, MA; Melissa Mytty, Philadelphia, PA; Sylvia Nagy, Brooklyn, NY; Lisa Naples, Doylestown, PA; Tariq Ibrahim Numan, Philadelphia, PA; Ronit Oanono, Vorhees, NJ; Lynn Paige, Philadelphia, PA; Joanna Powell, Boulder, CO; Debbie Reichard, Hopewell, NJ; Marjorie Robbins, Marlton, NJ; Claire Rodgers, Philadelphia, PA; Janet Samuel, Philadelphia, PA; Dong Jun Shin, Kent, OH; Andrew Simmons, Kent, OH; Jim Smith, Chester, NS, Canada; Janet Street, Media, PA; Kwok-Pong Tso, Iowa City, IA; Althea Vail, Blackwood, NJ; Ken Vavrek, Hilltown, PA; Etta Winigrad, Philadelphia, PA; and Mark Zellers, Pascoag, RI.
JURORS STATMENT
Transformation—the process of creating an object from a material that inspires us, appeals to our senses, confronts us, incites dialogue, makes us laugh or cringe, or stands silent in its own beauty—is the challenge of the artist. The challenge of the juror is to select work from a disparate range of objects and to find those which have something unique to say. For a brief moment both artist and juror step into each other’s worlds to evaluate; ultimately a decision neither wise nor long lasting, but a responsibility to be taken very seriously in selecting works for this exhibition and ultimately providing a glimpse of what is happening now in the world of ceramic art.
The democracy of ceramics is a given. Humankind has long been inspired by the ideas of artists who work primarily with their hands in clay, the humblest of materials. But something truly remarkable is happening in how his material is being used today. Though traditionally used primarily in the creation of functional objects, today ceramic artists are bringing a fresh approach to their object making, using clay to question function by making objects more rooted in ideas, and taking risks through their use of unexpected and innovative combinations of materials. All of this was evident in the artists selected for this exhibition
As a juror, when deciding which artists to include in the show, I ask myself the following questions: “What is the idea? Does the piece have integrity? Has the material been used creatively and with confidence? Is there synergy between idea and material? Does the object tell a story? Is the artist’s intention clear? Is the work timeless? Has the physicality of the material been transformed?” Answers to each of these questions are subjective – a one time dialogue between the maker, the object and the juror. There is no question that each of the works selected for this show spoke to me and it is my hope that they will speak to you as well.
Congratulations to the artists in the Clay Studio’s Members Exhibition.
Gretchen Keyworth
Director Emerita
Fuller Craft Museum
