Ink & Clay 36

Mar 18, 2010 to May 1, 2010

Location: Kellogg University Art Gallery

Introduction Program Schedule The Jurors Installation Views Catalog

Installation of Ink & Clay 36 Featuring 91 artworks by 72 artists, Ink and Clay 36 is a show richly diverse in style, form, and content. From the traditional to the experimental, formal to expressive, and the personal to the political, this exhibition offers ample opportunities for aesthetic enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, and critical inquiry. This year's exhibition was juried by Leslie Jones, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and Elaine Levin, art historian, independent curator, and author of The History of American Ceramics, and Movers and Shakers in American Ceramics: Defining 20th Century Ceramics.

Juried by Leslie Jones, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Elaine Levin, art historian, curator, and author of The History of American Ceramics, and Mocers and Shakers in American Ceramics: Defining 20th Century Ceramics

Sunday, March 21, 2010 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Opening Reception: Ink & Clay 36

Featuring 91 artworks by 72 artists, Ink and Clay 36 is a show richly diverse in style, form, and content. From the traditional to the experimental, formal to expressive, and the personal to the political, this exhibition offers ample opportunities for aesthetic enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, and critical inquiry.

Elaine Levin: Clay Submissions Juror

Elaine Levin is an art historian, lecturer, writer and curator in ceramics. Among Elaine’s myriad publications are the books: The History of Amercian Ceramics, and a collection of her articles written for the magazine, Ceramics Monthly, publi=hed as Movers and Shakers in American Ceramics: Defining 20th Century Ceramics. The American Ceramic Society and the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts have recognized and honored her for her achievements in teaching, writing, and lecturing about ceramics.

Every juror of an exhibit has their own procedure for deciding which entries best represent the skill, talent, concepts and a compelling use of the material in that group of submissions. I like to see all the submissions several times. On my first review, I look for objects I feel could definitely be included. I also mark a second group as “possibilities.” I analyze my choices once again keeping in mind the space limitations of the gallery. A third review helps me confirm I’ve chosen work for a unified and quality exhibit. After the last review some choices begin to project qualities for special
recognition. I have selected five objects for prizes. Two sculptural entries are well executed, presenting tantalizing concepts. “Fragmentation” by Janet Neuwalder contains interesting references to anthropology. The artist’s array of forms that hint at fossils relate the work to the earth’s (read clay) shelter of the past. Parul Mehta Desai’s assemblage of “pipes” as “Containers, Repeating History II” could be a reminder of an aging industrial sector and also objects that help sustain life, such as moving water to our households. The vessel is represented by two interpretations: “Sunflower -- desert 2009”
by Lee Middleman has a traditional vessel shape but with an intriguing, repetitive surface pattern. William Shinn deconstructs the tea pot into swirls of clay that recall the Pop Art swaths of paint on canvas by twentieth century artist Roy Lichtenstein. Lastly, Suzanne Kubler French transforms the
vessel into three closed forms. “Target’s” vessels, vertically aligned, become a minimalist geometric sculpture. I commend all the artists who submitted work, making almost fifty choices from over 300 objects a most thoughtful project. Curator Shari Wasson
was most helpful as I went through my numerous reviews on this “Ink and Clay 36” exhibition.

Leslie Jones: Ink Submissions Juror

Leslie Jones is an Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Leslie holds a Ph.D. in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. In addition to her lectures and catalog essays, in the last five years, she has published over two-dozen reviews in Art on Paper.

As juror of the “Ink” portion of “Ink & Clay 36”, I was amazed by the sheer
abundance of prints and drawings (and especially prints) that were submitted
for consideration. It’s testimony to the vitality of fine art printmaking
in an era of digital reproduction and image proliferation. Indeed, most anyone
with access to a computer can make a “print” yet, as this year’s submissions
demonstrated, there is always a place for original works of art made with devotion
to both craft and concept. With only their artistic choice of ink and paper
to unite them, the submissions ran the gamut from figurative to abstract, expressionistic
to conceptual, formal to political, serious to absurd. My selection
process was thus not to judge the work of one artist against another but rather
to determine which artists best applied their chosen medium toward their individual
expressive aims—be it a loving portrayal of a tree, a surreal portrait, or
picturing algorithms. I would like to thank the artists for keeping the practices
of drawing and printmaking vital and relevant, and for making my job as juror
both challenging and rewarding.

Gallery Views

Installation View, Title Wall, Ink & Clay 36 Exhibition, Mar. 18, 2010 to May. 1, 2010.

Installation View, Front East Gallery, Ink & Clay 36 Exhibition, Mar. 18, 2010 to May. 1, 2010.

Installation View, Front West Gallery, Ink & Clay 36 Exhibition, Mar. 18, 2010 to May. 1, 2010.

Installation View, Back Gallery, Ink & Clay 36 Exhibition, Mar. 18, 2010 to May. 1, 2010.

Click here to download Ink & Clay 36 Catalog.