Jill Jacobs
Submitted
The Western Carolina University (WCU) Fine Art Museum is pleased to present Contemporary Clay 2021, on view through December 10, 2021. The exhibition and series of special events described below are free and open to the public.
Back for its next iteration, Contemporary Clay 2021 gathers artists from a variety of backgrounds who push boundaries on topics including race, culture, sexuality, gender, and class. Guest curated by Heather Mae Erickson, Associate Professor of Ceramics at WCU, Contemporary Clay 2021 surveys the ever-expanding field of American-made ceramics. The exhibition encourages viewers to consider the concepts, processes, and context of clay in contemporary art.
The special event series, “Conversations in Contemporary Clay”, features various presenters that are leaders in the ceramics field. Launching the series on September 30 at 12 p.m. is the zoom talk, “Clay is Hot”, with Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, essayist for the Contemporary Clay 2021 exhibition catalogue. Angelik is a New York and Los Angeles-based curator, writer, and arts administrator of contemporary art and craft, focusing on ceramics. Her current research investigates the “aesthetic of optimism” and the subversive power of humor, cuteness, and leisure as tools of protest. Amplifying the voices of BIPOC artists is central to her practice. She serves as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York.
Next up for “Conversations in Contemporary Clay” are two zoom panel discussions from exhibiting artists and industry trailblazersoccurring Wednesday, October 6 from 12-3:30 p.m., followed by an in-person reception and gallery talk on Thursday, October 7 from 5-7 p.m. at Bardo Arts Center. More information about the series, exhibiting artists, and the exhibition can be found at arts.wcu.edu/contemporaryclay. A full schedule of events and related zoom links will soon be available at the website above.
The WCU Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is located at 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee, NC. This Museum is open Tuesday through Friday 10:00 AM – 4:00 p.m. and Thursday until 7:00 p.m. Masks are required inside all WCU buildings, including Bardo Arts Center.