State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational

Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Art demonstration at 1:15 in S building by local ceramic artist Don Pilcher

Rascal Ware Portrait Plate, ceramic, 11” high, 2013

Parkland Art Gallery will host works by ceramic artists from across the U.S. during its "State of the Art 2013-2014: National Biennial Ceramics Invitational" opening Monday, Nov. 18.



Curated by artist Delores Fortuna, the exhibit will run through Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. A reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m. in the gallery lounge that features a curatorial talk at 7 p.m., music by the Parkland Guitar Ensemble, and refreshments. Both the ceramics exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.



Other events connected with the invitational include an additional gallery lecture by Fortuna on Nov. 21 at 1:15 p.m.; an art demonstration by exhibiting artist Don Pilcher on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 1:15 p.m. in the S building on the campus' south side; and a biennial benefit for the gallery presenting ceramic cups made by student and faculty artists. These events, with the exception of the Dec. 5 benefit, are also free.



Fortuna, adjunct assistant professor of ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, has selected eight ceramic artists from across the country to participate in the Parkland invitational. Her premise for the show stems from her interest in the art-making and problem-solving process as it relates to shifts within the artist's body of work or dual bodies of work they may have developed. The artists include Mary Barringer, editor of the independent journal The Studio Potter and practicing potter in western Massachusetts; Sam Chung, assistant professor, Arizona State University, Tempe; Bill Farrell, retired educator and studio potter in Galena, Illinois; Julia Galloway, professor, University of Missouri, Missoula; Richard Hirsch, professor, Rochester Institute of Technology (New York); Maren Kloppmann, studio potter from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Sean O’Connell, visiting artist instructor, Alberta College of Art & Design; and Pilcher, local practicing artist and professor emeritus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.



Pilcher, creator of (and character in) the fictional Rascal Ware Pottery company, returned to making ceramic pieces in 2002 after spending several years focusing on sculptural works. Known for elegant ceramic forms embellished with bits and pieces of porcelain to create energetically encrusted works with a mischievous air about them, Pilcher’s work was included in the American Ceramics exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., in 2001.



Parkland Art Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday; and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery will be closed from 5 p.m. November 27 through December 2 for Thanksgiving Break; December 21 through January 5 for Winter Holiday Break; and January 20 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.



To find the gallery when classes are in session, we suggest using the M6 parking lot on the north corner of the campus. Enter through any door and follow the ramps uphill to the highest point of the first floor, where the gallery is located. The gallery windows overlook the outdoor fountain area.



Programs at the gallery are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Parkland College is a section 504/ADA-compliant institution; for accommodation, call 217/351-2505. For more information on the invitational, please call the gallery office at 217/351-2485 or visit www.parkland.edu/gallery.