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Clay Has Its Say: Narrative Ceramics at Concord Art, 2020
Ashley Benton, That Ned Ted, 2020, ceramic, 6 x 3 x 2 inches; the boy who would be a cat, 2020, ceramic, 12 x 4 x 4 inches; Chickadee, 2020, ceramic, 6 x 3 x 2 inches, courtesy of the artist 
Claudia Goldie, Letting Go, 2019, stoneware with graphite drawing, 22 x 20 x 8 inches, courtesy of the artist 
Ariel Bowman, Snarl, 2016, ceramic, antique stool, 12 x 12 x 12 inches, courtesy of the artist 
Holly Curcio, Forward Fold, 2016, terracotta, 16.5 x 10 x 23 inches, courtesy of the artist
Clay Has Its Say: Narrative Ceramics is on view at Concord Art, in Concord, MA
October 29 – December 13, 2020
Concord Art presents Clay Has Its Say: Narrative Ceramics, curated by David Duddy. This special exhibition features approximately 50 works by a group of talented and inventive contemporary artists who bring their vision and skill to the creation of stories and worlds for viewers to interpret and reflect upon. It will be on view through December 13, 2020.
Historically, depictions of stories on ceramic objects were most often recognizable narratives for the cultures that produced them—myths, battles, religious rituals, or scenes from everyday life. More recent artistic movements have offered alternatives to that practice by leaving narratives open-ended and subject to the viewer’s own perspective.
Says curator David Duddy, “These ceramic works invite us to imagine stories from the clues offered—from the ambiguous details presented by these artists and the objects they create. I hope that each artist’s works will speak to viewers in new and stimulating ways, sparking dialogs and stories yet to be made and told.”
The ceramics in Clay Has Its Say span a variety of materials, techniques, and sizes, but all of them tell a story—or invite the viewer to craft a story themselves. Some works depict a narrative through the imagery or patterns painted or etched onto the surface: plates featuring figurative scenes, vases with characters circling the perimeter, or entire surfaces covered with words. Others hint at a story through the sculpture itself: fossil-like bones of fantastic animals, pairs of altered hybrid creatures, or bizarre shapes of shells and unknown forms.
Artists featured in the exhibition include Marilyn Andrews (MA), Bruce Barry (MA), Ashley Benton (GA), Ariel Bowman (TX), Tim Christensen (ME), Angela Cunningham (MA), Holly Curcio (MA), Rebecca Doughty (MA), Lulu Fichter (NH), Kathleen O’Hara (MA), Claudia Olds Goldie (MA), Andrea Olmstead (MA), Frank and Francine Ozereko (MA), and Jeanée Redmond (MA).
Concord Center for the Visual Arts was founded a century ago by Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts, an American Impressionist and philanthropist whose mission—to promote and advance the visual arts and artists, and to sustain our cultural community—still stands today. With more than 850 members, Concord Art provides a place for contemporary art exhibitions, art education and relevant programming for everyone.