Ceramics exhibits coincide with national conference
In conjunction with this week’s National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference, the Department of Art is hosting two special exhibitions that will run simultaneously on campus – “Gerry Williams: Effigies in Clay” and “Palace Pottery.”
“Effigies in Clay” will run from March 25 through April 19 in the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, located in the Antone Academic Center at the corner of Lawrence and Leroy avenues. “Palace Pottery” runs from March 25 through April 3 in the first floor library of Ochre Court.
A reception for both exhibitions will be held from 5-8 p.m. Friday, March 27 in the gallery. A screening of Charlie Musser’s 1967 film “An American Potter,” which features Williams, will begin at 6 p.m. in the DiStefano Lecture Hall, next door to the gallery.
Salve Regina’s tribute to the late Gerry Williams (1926-2014) will showcase selections from his “Political Effigies” series. In this ceramic work, the artist combines text, image and sculptural form to articulate his encounter with the social and political conditions from the 1960s through 2005.
An exhibition catalog with an essay by Jay Lacouture, professor of art, will be available. This exhibition was made possible through a loan from the Williams family estate.
Across campus, in the invitational exhibition “Palace Pottery,” four contemporary artists will address the idea of ornament and decoration in ceramics today. Each artist will offer a unique interpretation of form and decoration in his/her work and its presentation within the unique decorative environment of a historic Gilded Age Newport mansion.
Exhibiting artists include Michelle Erickson (Yorktown, Va.), Susan Harris (Cedar City, Utah), Lacouture (Carolina, R.I.) and James Baker’s collection of Fat Lava Ware (Newport).
Both exhibits are open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. The galleries are closed on Mondays.
