A celebration of artistic mediums, Ink and Clay is an annual juried competition highlighting endeavors in drawing, printmaking and ceramics. Artists from across the Western states will exhibit their work at the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery from March 18 through May 1.
Ink and Clay 36 will culminate in an online catalog on the gallery website featuring a virtual tour of the exhibition and photos and statements for each artist's work. In addition to building artist awareness, the University Art Gallery provides $5,000 for 10 cash awards, thanks to the support of university President Michael Ortiz and Lt. Col. Jim Jones, an alumnus and longtime university supporter who died in 2009.
A reception and awards ceremony for the artists will be held on Sunday, March 21, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Established in 1971, Ink and Clay gives emerging and accomplished artists in the Western United States an opportunity to exhibit new and exciting work. This year's exhibit features 91 pieces from 72 artists, covering a wide range of forms, styles and content.
"There's so much richness in terms of the breadth of the work that I think people will find it a rewarding experience aesthetically and intellectually," says museum curator Shari Wasson. In addition to displaying classical works of great formal beauty, many of the pieces are explorations into the current social issues of the Western states, issues such as ecology and the environment, cataloging, expressions and constructions of the feminine, industrialism, and the "American experience."
"We want professors and students to see this exhibition and gallery in general as a great resource for teaching," Wasson says.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on staff furlough days and observed holidays.
For more information, call the gallery at (909) 869-4302, or contact Wasson at (909) 869-4301 or sgwasson@cpp.edu. Visit www.cpp.edu/~kellogg_gallery for more information about the gallery.
Top photo: Gina Lawson-Egan's Swept Away (Clay) at the Ink & Clay 36 exhibition at the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery. Middle photo: John Palmer's Brush Knee (Clay, Paint). Bottom photo: Irene Abraham's Triangulation (Water Media on Duralene).