Around the Campfire:
A show of ceramic work at Artworks
The conjunction of clay and the creative imagination, that is the
subject of Around the Campfire, a show of ceramic work by 12
artists with extensive national and international exhibition records
on view at Artworks this spring.
Much of the work in Around the Campfire is installation-based and
employs mixed media as well as clay. The exhibition both pays
homage to Trenton’s rich industrial history as home to dozens of
commercial potteries in the 19 th century, and charts a path into
the future of creative ceramics in the 21 st.
 Around the Campfire has
been planned to coincide
with the National Council
on Education for the
Ceramic Arts annual
conference, taking place
this year in Philadelphia.
The show will be on view
March 6 through April 17
at Artworks’ main gallery
in downtown Trenton.
There will be a public reception on Saturday, March 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. with music by the band "WINDJAMMER," featuring Andrew Weiss, who has either been a member of or worked with the Rollins Band, Ween, Yoko Ono, Pigface and Café’ Tacuba among others. |
Participating artists are: Lesley Baker, Emily Bivens, Danielle
Bursk, James Jansma, Tom Lauerman, Rory Mahon, Kathleen
Preziosi, Rob Raphael, Debbie Reichard,
Jerilyn Virden and Julie Wills. The show will also feature a “Wall of
Voodoo,” where ceramic mugs and affordable objects by local
artists will be for sale.
“In the big picture realm of design and architecture, I wanted to
find out what clay artists were thinking,” says Reichard, curator
of the show as well as a participant. “The title refers to playing
house with friends in the ‘wilderness’ and re-enacting a way of life
that’s decidedly more survivalist than ours is now. The playful aspect
of the campfire is that you start from scratch, but with a goal and a
set of parameters,” much like the artists in the show, she says.
Campfires are comforting, but in the wilderness, as the sole source
of warmth and cooking heat, they distill our needs and desires down
to what is really important, Reichard says. “The artists in this show
have decided what’s important, and their objects are the telling excerpts
of their complete worldview.”
A Slide Slam, where several of the artists will show images and talk about them, will take place March 27,
5 - 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information on Around the Campfire, contact Debbie Reichard at debbiereichard@yahoo.com. |
Artworks, Trenton’s downtown visual arts center, is located at 19
Everett Alley. Hours are Tues. 12 – 8 p.m., Thurs. 4 – 8 p.m.,
Sat. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and by appointment. For directions and
information, go to www.artworkstrenton.org or call 609.394.9436.
Participating Artists:
Danielle Bursk, normally working in drawing, Danielle will create an experimental
clay work
Langhorn, PA
www.daniellebursk.com
James Jansma
Hopewell, NJ
www.morpethcontemporary.com/gallery.html?gallery=James%20Jansma
Rory Mahon, large scale carved brick sculpture
Hopewell, NJ
www.rorymahon.com
Kathleen Preziosi , wheel-thrown and assembled sculpture
Princeton, NJ
Debbie Reichard, handbuilt and slipcast sculpture and functional objects
Hopewell, NJ
www.debbiereichard.com
Julie Wills , sculpture and mixed media
Gunnison, CO
www.juliewills.com
Lesley Baker , slipcasting and ceramic decals
Indianapolis, IN
http://accessceramics.org/results/artist/11/
Tom Lauerman , intersection of ceramics, sculpture, and architecture Dallas, TX,
Chicago, IL
www.tomlauerman.com
Emily Bivens, clay and mixed media
Knoxville, TN
www.emilywardbivens.com
Rob Raphael, ceramics and mixed media installation
New York, NY
www.robraphael.com
Jerilyn Virden, ceramics
Penland, NC
www.jvirdenceramics.com
Sponsored by:
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