The following article appeared in The Journal News on Sunday November 9, 2008:

Adventures in clay

By Georgette Gouveia

“Conversations in Clay,” at the Katonah Museum of Art, is an often scintillating, sometimes flawed dialogue between contemporary art and the past.

The Katonah museum is one of 68 venues taking part in “All Fired Up! A Celebration of Clay in Westchester.” Another show under the umbrella is “Hannah Wilke: Gestures,” on view at Purchase College’s Neuberger Museum of Art through Jan. 25.
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Indeed, the best works in the Katonah show, up through Jan. 11, remind viewers that clay was an early building material.

Charles Simonds’ stunning “Mental Earth” (2003), a ropy, knobby hanging sculpture that suggests an airborne continent, is crusted with tiny brick structures resembling step pyramids.

Betty Woodman’s Matisse-like “Ceramic Pictures of Roman Paintings” (2007), which marry glazed earthenware to painting, refer to ancient vessels, Renaissance frescoes and Portuguese tiles.

Marek Cecula’s “Klepisko” (2008) - it’s Polish for “dirt or clay floor” - also plays with two- and three-dimensionality, its fissures revealing neoclassical architectural elements that seem to be from another time.

These works are not merely thought-provoking. They’re lovely to look at.

Another provocative beauty, of the minimalist type, is Jeffrey Mongrain’s “Our Eyes Are Opened (1805)/We Are Truly One (2008),” a bisected disk that looks like a flat, shelled, roasted walnut.

Actually, the piece is supposed to evoke the two hemispheres of the brain. Emanating from the right hemisphere is the “Our eyes are opened” phrase, from an address on mutual respect between American Indians and white missionaries given by the Seneca chief, Red Jacket.

The left hemisphere echoes the “We are truly one” thought from a March 18 speech by President-elect Barack Obama. Sound and sight, left and right, sculpture and painting, native and immigrant - Mongrain embraces duality as Chief Red Jacket and Obama did in their talks.

Other works in the show are conceptual without being particularly aesthetic.

Michael Lucero of Nyack creates colorful ceramic totems made of various objects and glazes. For “Light Project” (2008), he has placed these on overhead projectors to cast shadow-plays on gallery walls. Some of these are arresting, like the duck with the butterfly hanging from its beak. The clunky setup, however, is not.

The problem with conceptual art is that often the concept is all there is to it. So if you get the idea quickly or don’t like it, well, there’s not much there there, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein.

Denise Pelletier’s “Hygeia” (2008), named for the Greek goddess of health, consists of ceramic and rubber evocations of bedpans, organs and hot-water bottles, connected by copper pipes. It’s a metaphor for the circulatory system. A-ha. And do we really want to look at bedpans?

Sometimes, the concept isn’t well-thought-out. Ann Agee’s “Boxing” (2005-08) is made up of ceramic figurines amid Pepto-Bismol-colored shrubs on a table. Apparently, the display recalls commedia dell-arte characters and the 18th-century practice of grouping porcelain figurines on a dining table. According to the accompanying text, Agee also “shines a spotlight on the balancing act required to perform her dual role of artist and mother.”

Huh? There’s no way to deduce this from the actual installation.

Besides which, what’s with all the whining about the struggle to combine career and motherhood? Each day, people juggle multiple roles that were thrust upon them. Art, like motherhood, is a choice. If you can’t do both, pick one.

Wilke, at the Neuberger, was best known as a performance artist/photographer who was fascinated with her own body and materials that could be folded, thus mimicking that body. Early in her career, which ended with her death from lymphoma in 1993, Wilke used clay, latex, chewing gum and other malleable materials to suggest flowers and containers as well as parts of the human body.

After a while, there is a monotony to these sculptures. Perhaps not surprisingly then, the most intriguing work in the show is “Transfigurations” (1989), so reminiscent of Picasso’s erotic drawings in the liveliness of its line.

“Transfigurations” is a series of images of a woman ingesting and emitting birds. Given other works in the show - including a series of photographs of the artist’s mother, who died of breast cancer - you can’t help but see “Transfigurations” as a longing for transcendence.

Perhaps all of Wilke’s obsessive folding was not a yearning to capture the body but a desire to flee it.

Reach Georgette Gouveia at ggouveia@lohud.com or 914-694-5088.

Photos, top to bottom:

Betty Woodman’s Matisse-like “Ceramic Pictures of Roman Paintings” is from the “Conversations in Clay” exhibit at the Katonah Museum of Art.

The fissures in Marek Cecula’s “Klepisko” at the Katonah Museum of Art reveal neoclassical architectural elements that seem to be from another time. (Katonah Museum of Art)

Untitled work by Hannah Wilke is part of “Hannah Wilke: Gestures,” at Purchase College’s Neuberger Museum of Art.

Museum information:

‘Conversations in Clay’
Where: Katonah Museum of Art, off Route 22 at Jay Street.
When: Through Jan. 11.
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays with evening hours until 8 p.m. Thursdays.
Admission: Free 10 a.m.-noon. From noon to 5 p.m., it’s $5; $3 for senior citizens; free for children under age 12.
Information: 914-232-9555, www.katonahmuseum.org

‘Hannah Wilke: Gestures’
Where: Neuberger Museum of Art, on the campus of Purchase College, Anderson Hill Road between Purchase and King streets.
When: Through Jan. 25.
Hours: Noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays.
Admission: $5; $3 for students with ID and senior citizens. Children age 12 and under are admitted free.
Information: 914-251-6100, www.neuberger.org

There will be a showing of Willi Singleton’s wood-fired stoneware in Washington DC over the weekend of December 6 and 7 at the home of Louise Cort and Leedom Lefferts. Louise Cort is the Curator of Ceramics at the Freer/Sackler Galleries and is the author of Shigaraki: Potters’ Valley. The time is from 1pm to 6pm and their address is 132 12th Street SE, Washington D.C. No RSVP required.

From January 11 — April 12, 2009, there will be a show of Willi’s work at the Allentown Art Museum.

Slow Clay: The Ceramic Art of Willi Singleton
Payne Hurd Gallery
“Making pots is like cooking. You have to start with good ingredients to get a flavorful, satisfying result,” says Willi Singleton, a local ceramicist whose ‘good ingredients’ come from the local clay found in his own backyard in Kempton, PA.  Singleton’s work is world recognized for its contemporary and elegant design, which he achieves using a very traditional wood-fired climbing kiln. He honed his skills in Mashiko, Japan, an area widely recognized for its superior ceramics. Singleton notes that as a student in Japan, he was taught that it is the potter’s job to express and bring out the character of the clay, the glaze and the fire. His teacher instilled in his students a respect for these materials as sources of creative potential. Aware of the perils of trying too hard and overpowering the clay, he constantly reminded them to “slow down, enjoy it!”

Singleton’s kiln, based on a Japanese prototype, requires round-the-clock stoking until an appropriate temperature is reached. The length of the firing depends on the volume of the kiln, and may take anywhere from 48 hours to 12 days or more. The burning wood not only produces great amounts of heat, it also produces fly ash, which settles on the pieces during firing and creates a natural ash glaze that cannot be achieved with any other type of firing. This glaze may show great variation in color, texture and thickness, ranging from smooth and glossy to rough and sharp, but always offers subtle enhancements achievable only through the slow rate of heating and cooling characteristic of the wood-fired process.

Support for this exhibition is provided by the S&R Foundation.

After these events, Willi is scheduled to have two shows in Japan during May and June. We’ll hopefully get some photos to post from those exhibits.

I took the opportunity to take a nice drive in the country with Fall colors in abundance to visit Tim Rowan at his open studio. The day was rainy but the brilliance of his work was not dimmed in the least. And the rain collecting in an outdoor piece was striking as ripples collided with his strong forms. Inside, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming with Tim, Molly and Hudson (only 6 months old) providing good conversation about the work amid a stream of visitors who came to admire and purchase the displayed pieces as well as see new work drying in anticipation of the next kiln firing.

October 25 and 26, 2008, 10am to 5pm.

Next weekend presents an opportunity to visit Tim Rowan’s kiln and studio and pick up some of his wonderful woodfired work. It’s also an chance to see work in progress and talk about how he creates his strong sculptural pieces. You can get directions at Tim’s website.

Jeff Shapiro and Ayumi Horie are also having open studios the same weekend. Their studios are within about 15 minutes drive from Tim.

All Fired Up!“Spatial Meditations” at Mariani Gardens
September 20th, 1:00 to 4:00pm – Meet the Artists Reception
October 3rd to November 30th – “Spatial Meditations” Exhibition
Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:30am-6:00pm, Saturday: 8:00am-5:00pm, Sunday: 9:00am-5:00pm

Mariani Gardens serves as a venue for large-scale ceramic sculpture created by internationally renowned artists Paul Chaleff, Jeff Shapiro and Tim Rowan. Each piece is situated within the natural and inspiring setting inside and about the grounds. Such serene surroundings allow for creative, imaginative and meditative thought. A preview of the exhibition is currently underway at Mariani Gardens.

“Spatial Meditations” is part of All Fired Up! A Celebration of Clay in Westchester, sponsored by the Westchester Arts Council.

See related post below.

The following article was printed in The New York Times.

By Laura Joseph Mogil
Published: September 14, 2008

Mention the word ceramics and most people conjure up images of beautifully glazed teacups, plates, pots and vases. What they probably won’t think of is a three-foot-tall sculpture of a little girl wearing a pink dress and holding a submachine gun by the artist Cynthia Consentino or a gigantic caldron made of highly textured clay by Paul Chaleff.

These and about a thousand other works are part of the vast breadth of ceramic artistry that will be exhibited this fall as part of “All Fired Up! A Celebration of Clay in Westchester,” a project involving more than 65 sites in the county and more than 600 regional, national and international artists. Taking place throughout October and November, “All Fired Up!” is spearheaded by the Westchester Arts Council, the Clay Art Center, the Westchester County Office of Tourism and a steering committee of nine cultural institutions.

“Exhibitions will show the diversity of expression from earliest times to contemporary issues explored in the medium of clay,” said Judith S. Schwartz, a world-recognized expert on clay arts who is the consultant for “All Fired Up!” and a professor in the Department of Art and Art Professions at New York University. Works will range from functional to decorative, whimsical to confrontational, representing numerous cultures and a diversity of styles.

“We’ve provided this range so the public can become aware how truly pervasive and powerful this expressive material can be,” Dr. Schwartz said.

Spotlighting clay creations on the smaller end of the continuum, “Transformations: 6×6” at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester will feature 185 noted potters, sculptors and vessel makers who have been asked to channel their creativity into a six-by-six-inch tile.

On the larger side, Mariani Gardens in Armonk will present “Space Meditations,” showcasing outdoor fountains, troughs and vessels by Mr. Chaleff, Tim Rowan and Jeff Shapiro. Dr. Schwartz, the show’s co-curator, called these works “massive, powerful contemplations of sculptural space.”

Some of the more historic ceramic pieces on view in the county can be found at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, in the current exhibition, “A Journey in Maiolica: Italian Renaissance to American Contemporary.” The show includes highlights from the museum’s permanent collection of 16th-century Italian tin-glazed earthenware delicately painted in shades of yellow, blue, green and ochre. Also on view is a set of 12 Catalan tiles from the 18th and 19th centuries depicting whimsical musicians designed by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.

Examples of more current creations will be on exhibit at institutions like the Katonah Museum of Art, where “Conversations in Clay” will feature installations by 10 internationally acclaimed contemporary artists. The show will include brightly colored wall reliefs in clay and paint by Betty Woodman and Charles Simonds’s 12-foot-wide “Mental Earth,” a highly textured, earth-colored tableau that Janet Kardon, the co-curator, describes in the exhibition catalog as an “astounding clay construction” suspended from the ceiling and cantilevered into space.

At Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, “The Artful Tabletop” will present contemporary tableware by 110 potters from across the United States in the second-floor grand art gallery. In the first-floor dining room, a show of historically based trompe l’oeil, or trick-the-eye, ceramics, including plates, serving pieces and centerpieces, from Este Ceramiche e Porcellane of Italy, will be on display.

At the Westchester Italian Cultural Center in Tuckahoe, “Ceramica Magnifica: Celebration of a Heritage: Este, Italy” will spotlight contemporary ceramics fabricated at Este that were created by more than 60 renowned artists, architects and designers, including Ottavio Missoni, Armando Milani and Adam Tihany.

On the more sensational side of the spectrum, “Confrontational Ceramics,” at the Westchester Arts Council’s Arts Exchange in White Plains, will feature 87 artists who “use clay in expressive ways to create artwork that deals with social, political and environmental issues,” said Dr. Schwartz, the show’s curator. In addition to Ms. Consentino’s “Self-Portrait With Gun,” another startling piece in the show is Adrienne Crane’s “Artillery Field.” Made of slip cast and glazed ceramic, the sculpture depicts lotus blossom flowers — an international symbol of peace — which, upon closer examination, are also hand grenades.

Complementing the exhibitions are installations that the public may happily stumble upon by accident. These include floating clay spheres by Sara Mills and Michel-Louis Viala in the Rye Town Park duck pond; large-scale ceramic works by four graduates of the State University of New York at New Paltz on exhibit at the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains; and Nancy Bauch and John Allen’s organically shaped sculptures in clay, stone, steel and wood sitting on a grid of pedestals inside the courtyard of the Chappaqua Library.

To celebrate the start of “All Fired Up!,” Andrew J. Spano, the county executive, declared Sept. 27 as Clay Day in Westchester. Many towns, cities and villages are participating in this free outreach event and have invited volunteer clay artists to engage the public with hands-on activities in their communities. Lectures, workshops, master classes, films and other special events will also be offered throughout October and November to expand the public’s knowledge about clay.

On Oct. 26, a daylong symposium entitled “Why Clay?” hosted by the Clay Art Center will be held at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. Programs will range from a historical look at the medium by Ulysses Grant Dietz, curator of decorative arts at the Newark Museum, to a performance piece called “Thrown” by Racoco Productions involving three dancers interacting with a ton of clay on the stage.

“We planned exhibitions as a way of engaging the public, raising their awareness and increasing their knowledge about what’s happening in ceramics, but we can’t just stop there,” said Reena Kashyap, the Clay Art Center’s executive director. “Education happens at many different levels. We thought we’d do a symposium to bring together experts in the field who would have a forum where they could share their research and expertise. We could link what we’re seeing to what’s happening academically, historically and educationally within ceramics.”

The idea for “All Fired Up!” came to Ms. Kashyap after she attended the National Council on the Education of Ceramic Arts annual conference in Baltimore in 2005 and was impressed by the coinciding “Tour de Clay” event in the city.

“Everyone came together to showcase ceramics, and the buzz was incredible,” Ms. Kashyap said. “I came back thinking, ‘Why can’t we do this in Westchester County?’ ”

With her organization’s 50th anniversary approaching in 2007, she met with Janet T. Langsam, executive director of the Westchester Arts Council, to discuss the idea of a countywide project that would highlight ceramics. Embracing the proposal, the arts council reached out to its affiliates to see if they would be interested. While a 2007 date turned out not to be possible, many local museums and arts institutions were able to commit to 2008.

The arts council also sent out letters inviting commercial galleries, libraries, schools, universities and other alternative venues to participate. Area hotels were contacted, and eight agreed to offer special deals and discounts in connection with “All Fired Up!” And over the summer at the Westchester Art Workshop (a division of Westchester Community College), more than two dozen teachers were trained in the latest clay techniques and how to incorporate ceramics across the curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

The scope of the project kept increasing, and even though the arts council had organized collaborations in the past, Ms. Langsam said she never anticipated how large “All Fired Up!” would grow.

“I felt that if we could get five or six, or maybe stretching that, 10 or 12 organizations to participate, then we could do this,” Ms. Langsam said. “I never dreamt we could get so many venues.

“It’s very exciting that we were able to turn this into not just a collaboration but a real tourism opportunity for the county and something that will continue to have a life of its own in the schools and in the after-school programs for a long time to come.”

“All Fired Up!” takes place Oct. 3 to Nov 30 (although some exhibitions start before or end after the event dates). Information on shows and special events, as well as a list of hotels offering discounts to exhibition visitors, can be found at www.allfiredup.info: a brochure can be obtained by calling the Westchester Arts Council at (914) 428-4220.