Baltimore Clayworks is excited to kick off the fall season with three shows that reflect the talent of our region and programs. The Main Gallery has work from area artists, the Solo Gallery boasts one of our Springboard artists and instructors, and the Project Space Gallery has ceramic wares and mixed media monoprints from a resident artist alum. The exhibition will be open September 15th through November 3rd, with an opening reception on September 15th from 6-8pm. We will also host an artist talk by our four incoming resident artists from 5-6pm. All events are free and open to the public.
Main Gallery: Welcome to Our Clayborhood
This exhibition is a small selection from the network of local studio artists and arts organizations that share our mission: getting clay into every hand. Some we welcome as our new resident artists, others have exhibited with us in the past, or have served as interns, and many are teachers inspiring the next generation of makers. There are artists who have home studios and others who create at places similar to ours: where a diverse group of folks comes together united under the ceramic banner. Clayworks wants to highlight their efforts, because it is a symbiotic relationship focused on a good cause. We all celebrate the craftsmanship and creativity of a hand-made clay object.
Some of the studios represented include: Red Dirt Studios, District Clay, Clay Co-op, Chesapeake Center for the Arts, Glen Echo Pottery, and many private studios.
Invited artists include: Cami Ascher, Cat Audett-Holt, Sarah Barnes, Lisa Battle, Jenny Beech, Margaret Boozer, Wes Brown*, Laure Drogoul, Katy Gmiter, Dani Hawk, Greg Holmes, J. Chris Landers, Christa Landry, Kathy Lee, Bianca Liscocco, Liz Lockett, Rick Malgrem, Jena Merrill, Antoinette Nero, Jason Piccoli*, Hannah Pierce*, Michael Poness, Tim Sherman, Hae Won Sohn*, Jordan Taylor, Joan Ulrich, Bill van Gilder, Matt Voelker, Sarah-Anne Winchester.
(*indicates new resident artists)
Solo Gallery: Have you been to the Wonderland Family Church? by Eileen O’Donnell
This solo exhibition includes an installation of sculptures that draw inspiration from diverse world cultures, ritual objects, and Alice in Wonderland. Modern myths and ancient religions come together to explore “the other” with resonance and humor to sustain the struggle to find meaning amidst the stress of daily life.
Eileen O’Donnell pursued her love of clay and the art of ancient cultures at Moore College of Art and Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture. She has been awarded grants from both Creative Capital and the Louisiana ArtWorks, with her work shown throughout the country in several juried exhibitions. She has been a Springboard Artist at Baltimore Clayworks for many years. Recently, she began teaching at Clayworks to share the mentorship and positive impact that she experienced from her teachers.
Project Space: Survey Being by Emily Irvin
This solo exhibition features vessels and mixed media monoprints which Irvin creates to examine the definition of being or the essence of self by illustrating the interactions with people and the physical locations she has lived. Poems work to flesh out the individual experiences, which are abstracted into vessel or cup form, constructed layer by layer with pinched coils, much like building a relationship.
