molded
earth
12.13.07 - 1.20.08
Reception:
Thursday December 13, 6:30-8pm
Gallery Talk: Juror Judith Weisman, 7pm
Target Gallery
Unearths New Trends in Contemporary Ceramics
(Alexandria,
Virginia) Target Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center’s national
exhibition space, will be showcasing the work of artists from
across the country, to include a few local artists’ work
in our new ceramics exhibition, Molded Earth.
With the help of our juror, Judith Weisman, local DC art collector
and ceramics expert, we have compiled an interesting array of
work that encompasses ceramics that range in size between intimate
to large scale installation pieces. The exhibition opens
with a reception on December 13 from 6:30-8pm and a gallery talk
by our juror, Ms. Weisman at 7pm. This is free and open to the
public. The reception will be held during our Second Thursday
Art Night with the theme, Decadent December, which
focuses on chocolate and shopping. We will be serving, of
course, chocolate and champagne during the reception.
Out of
185 entries only 20 works by 18 artists made the cut, 5 of those
artists are from the DC Metro area. Jacqueline Kierans
from Falls Church, VA will be exhibiting her ceramic mixed media
piece, Tree #2. This is a wall clay
piece that incorporates the use of stoneware clay, under glaze
prints and in glaze decal. Kierans is a faculty member at
Marymount University. Marcia Jaestaedt
from Bowie, MD and a Torpedo Factory artist has a ceramic wall
piece from her kimono series titled, Polka Dots and
Ribbons I, which is clay tile that has been raku
fired. Susan Cohen from Alexandria, VA
and Torpedo Factory artist will be exhibiting her abstract wall
piece, Bravos III, which is made out
of glazed and pit fired stoneware with aluminum frame. J.J.
McCracken, also from Alexandria,VA will be exhibiting
her large scale conceptual installation ceramic piece. Her installation
consists of approximately 100 small 8x8” clay objects that
have been wheel thrown and vacuum sealed in plastic packaging
titled, Stasis. Our fifth local
DC area artist and a Torpedo Factory artist, Elizabeth
Kendall had her piece Entrada
accepted which is made out of porcelain and stoneware hand built
slabs.
The other
artists in the exhibit are Carole Wellen (NJ), J.R. Sherburne
(PA), Vince Palacios (IL), Greg Penner (KY), Henry Keilmanowicz
(NY), Etta Winigrad (PA), Liz Howe (NY), Kim Acerra (AZ), Tammi
Rubin (WA), Amanda Small (KS), Kate Oggel (MA), Joo-Hee Bae (CA),
and Kyle Bauer (WI). Our juried exhibitions are open to
all artists nationally and internationally. The juror, through
a blind jury process, reviews the entries. This means that the
juror is not given any personal information about the artists,
only the images, medium and dimension information is provided
allowing the most objective and fair process possible.
Our juror,
Judith Weisman, is a local DC collector of fine crafts and ceramics
as well as a ceramics expert holding positions on various boards
such as the American Craft Council, and the James Renwick Alliance.
She has consulted and advised on the British Crafts Council and
owns her own interior design and consultant firm where she helps
her clients showcase their art collection in the best way possible.
She has served as a juror for many exhibitions and craft shows
such as the 2007 Smithsonian Craft Show. Ms. Weisman
states that her selection of artists for this exhibition represents
the diversity within the ceramic field today. It is with
such expressions based on this theme, articulated sometimes literally
and more often times not, that one begins to appreciate the complex
nature of clay. Ms. Weisman will be providing an informative
gallery talk during the opening reception on December 13 at 7pm.
