Dualis: Ceramic Invitational
curated by Ilena Finocchi
April 4th - June 14th, 2008
North, Souza, and Matthews Galleries.
Opening Reception: Friday April 4th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
These events are free and open to the public.

Dualis is a thematic group exhibition of emerging ceramic artists that spans the genres of functional, sculptural, and spacial art. Over 20 artists from across the United States, and 1 from Thailand were selected for versatility and creativity in using clay as the main material in their work. The exhibition’s title, Dualis, is the Latin root word meaning two. Each artist is allowed to explore the theme both in style and genre. This exhibition is curated by Ilena Finocchi and features work by: Ben Alhvers, Jen Allen, Josefina Calzada, Tiffany Carbonneau, Tim Clark, Gisele Couturier, Amy Halko, Brian Harper, Jen Holt, Liz Howe, Miranda Howe, Maria Kretschmann, Stephanie Leach, Krisaya Luenganantakul, Lorna Meaden, Dulcie Miller, Jill Oberman, Tara Wilson, Lori Phillips, Hope Rovelto, Kristin Schimik, and Shalene Valenzuela.

In addition to the exhibition, the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts will launch the Artists-In-Residence Program in May. Through cross-collaboration between the Center’s Arts Education and Exhibitions Program, artists from the exhibition will travel to Tracy to offer a special ceramics workshop and Gallery Talks available to the public in May; dates and times to be announced.

Ilena Finocchi is an artist and independent curator from North Lima, Ohio. Across her career she has worked in graphic design, illustration, and as a ceramic sculptor. Ms. Finocchi received a B.F.A. from Youngstown State Unversity (Youngstown, OH) and a M.F.A. from the School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). She has exhibited professionally since 2003 and Dualis is her first professionally curated international exhibition.

Mark Hewitt will have his Spring kiln opening at W.M.Hewitt Pottery in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The preview is set for Friday May 2, 2008 from
4-7 pm and the sale will run Saturday, May 3, from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday, May 4, from 12 pm to 5 pm.More information and directions at his website.

MARY ROEHM SOLO at Lacoste Gallery
April 12-30, 2008
Opening reception for the artist, Saturday,
April 12, 3-5 pm

MARY ROEHM SOLO is the artist’s first exhibition of a new body of work in over five years. It includes her recent series of black and white pods, punctuated sculptural forms for the wall, in addition to works highlighting the development of form and focus over her career.

“Sculptural truth has always been the objective of Roehm’s work. This is evident in her earlier large sculptural vessels, through the impossibly thin and pierced containers, which lead to the ripped and fused together thrown forms, and now most recently her purely sculptural punctuated wall pods.”
- Lucy Lacoste

Mary Roehm is known for her gravity defying, paper-thin vessels. Her signature pieces, large thrown bowls with small feet, seem poised between stability and flight. Some are “punctuated” and cut, further pushing the limits of the clay. Roehm’s extraodinary design and technical skills along with the subtlety and beauty of her work have led to residencies, exhibitions and travel in Japan, Korea and China. She is the Director of the Ceramics department at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Two Wall Pods, 40 inches long, unglazed porcelain