| POMONA - The study of domestic ceramic
art is the subject of the latest exhibition at the American
Museum of Ceramic Art.
Through April 24, AMOCA is presenting "Let's Table
This," showcasing 180 pieces from 140 artists from
its permanent collection dating between 1950 to 2000.
AMOCA is approaching its sixth birthday as an artistic
institution in the arts-friendly downtown Pomona, and
the items in the 1,000-piece permanent collection were
all donations from art collectors and the Ohio-based American
Ceramics Society.
For the newest exhibit, Museum Director Christy Johnson
said the selections - mugs, plates, bowls, lidded casseroles,
salt and pepper shakers, vases and tureens - were chosen
around the theme of what one might find on any table;
centerpieces that could be placed on a coffee table or
dining room table.
"Most of the pieces are functional, and some might
act more as centerpieces, such as a vase. Or, the piece
could be very decorative with different glazes or types
of clay used," Johnson said.
Take Geoffrey Swindell's work of two wheel-thrown porcelain
coffee cups glazed in a vibrant print of orange and black
swirls. Or "Bowl with Elephant Base," produced
in 2000, which is a display of a serving bowl painted
with a circus motif and carefully placed on top of an
elephant stand.
The entire exhibition illustrates the wide variety of
ceramic art - low-fired and high-fired clay, different
colors of clay from buff, brown, terra cotta red to porcelain
and to different glazing techniques. Firing techniques
can also vary; several pieces had a bumpy texture, a result
of throwing salt into firing process to give it an uneven
surface.
The exhibit also has a looping video describing how to
make ceramic pieces, and uses "wall texts,"
Johnson said, to describe the different eras represented.
Billie Sessions and Jo Lauria were co-curators of collection.
Sessions said there's a deeply educational element to
the exhibit.
"We wanted to educate viewers on types of firing,
glazes, clay bodies and forms," Sessions said, adding
that the works were grouped in colors: browns, oranges
and black and whites and a special table in the back.
"These are place settings that are going to a party
all by themselves," Sessions said, referring to pieces
that have creative glazing, color and design. "They
don't need any people around because they are having such
a wonderful time ... it's so much fun. It's extremely
eclectic."
AMOCA's permanent collection is exceedingly timely, since
it's one of the few museums that focus solely on ceramic
art. Johnson said ceramics last longer than any other
material.
"You can trace civilizations far back and the ceramics
have endured, and they are still telling us something,"
she said.
caroline.an@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 2109
If you go:
What: Let's Table This
Where: American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave.,
Pomona
Hours: Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.
Open on the second Saturday of each month until 9 p.m.
Admission: Free for members and children 12 and under;
$3 for adults; $2 for students and seniors;
|
