Milestones help us measure the distance we’ve traveled while serving as wayfinders for those behind us. Over the last 50 years, ceramic artists have experimented with this most ancient of art forms, incorporating their knowledge of earth, water and fire with digital technologies and modern narratives. This new age of ceramics is marked by work that is simultaneously informed by and resistant to its functional origins.
In celebration of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ (NCECA) golden anniversary, Belger is hosting 10 exhibitions that explore the conference theme of “Makers, Mentors and Milestones.” The approximately 500 works on display at the Belger Arts Center and Belger Crane Yard Studios mark the distance that ceramics has traveled the last 50 years.
Standing on the shoulders of revolutionaries such as Peter Voulkos and Jim Leedy, today’s ceramic artists view clay as a powerful tool for artistic expression. Artists such as Roberto Lugo, Zehra Cobanli and Patti Warashina call upon its long tradition of surface illustration and sculptural forms to express deeply personal responses to social issues and current events. A growing trend of integrating ceramics with traditions such as printmaking, oil painting and sculpture can be seen in the works of Paul Mathieu, Beth Cavener and Jenny Kendler—all of whom create forms charged with narrative. The large scale installations of Rain Harris and Casey Whittier point to an interest in context and use ceramic objects to create an experiential environment.
NCECA selected Kansas City for this milestone celebration not only because of Kansas City Art Institute’s renowned program, but because “horizon connects farmland with cultural complexity…an amalgam of global traditions and local vision.” This description may beautifully capture the nature of modern ceramics. As artists blaze new trails, the ancient rites of fire remain.
Belger Arts Center
2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Mo. Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday: 12 noon-4 p.m.
www.belgerartscenter.org
816.474.3250
EVERY SEMESTER: COLLECTING KCAI CERAMICS 1995-2015
January 8 – March 19
“Every Semester” celebrates two decades of the Kansas City Art Institute ceramics department as told by 14 regional collectors who acquired student works from the popular end-of-semester exhibitions. The selections demonstrate a wide range of artistic investigations and media that have long been a hallmark of the KCAI curriculum. Works by tenured and tenure track faculty are also on view.
DESIRE
February 5 – May 21
For the last 15 years, the Lighton International Artists Exchange Program has fostered the sharing of ideas around the world. For this exhibition, 37 artists from 27 countries were asked the simple question, “What do you desire?” The answers, some shrouded by cultural restraints, reflect some of the most important political and social issues of the day.
THE GARDEN PARTY
February 5 – May 21
“Garden Party” explores the fine line between the need to preserve and the need to re-imagine, re-configure, and re-contextualize the world around us. Tapping into the rich visual and symbolic history of the garden as muse, the selected artists question artificiality, preciousness and romantic notions of the sublime.
Belger Crane Yard Studios
2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Mo.
Wednesday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
www.craneyardstudios.org
816.474.7316
OBJECTIFY
March 4 – May 21
In “Objectify,” five artists utilize animal forms to mirror human psychology or serve as metaphors for social, political or environmental issues. By rekindling feelings of interconnection and wonderment, the artists challenge viewers to reconsider the idea of nature as something outside of themselves.
DECALCOMANIACS
March 4 – May 21
In the late 19th century, decals became a widely popular commodity, easily accessible to professionals and hobbyists alike. “Decalcomaniacs” celebrates this tradition and explores how 14 artists incorporate “ready-mades” and custom imagery in their work through a variety of processes and applications.
THE KANSAS CITY CONNECTION
March 4 – May 21
From 1968 to 2001, Kansas City Art Institute professor Victor Babu inspired students through his unique views of art and philosophy and his sheer technical virtuosity. “The Kansas City Connection” pays homage to Babu by featuring work by three former students: Chris Gustin, John Balistreri and Matt Long.
ROLE MODELS
March 4 – May 21
Celebrating the art of mentoring, the Morean Arts Center and Florida CraftArt invited 17 artists to select one person who mentored them and one person they mentored in return. The resulting exhibition demonstrates the power and importance of influence, inspiration and trusted advice.
ARCHIE BRAY FOUNDATION: RESIDENT AND VISITING ARTISTS
March 4 – May 21
The Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts was the first artist residency program for the ceramic arts in the United States. Since 1951, the Bray has hosted thousands of emerging and established artists from around the world.
ALUMNI GATHERING: RED STAR STUDIOS PAST AND CURRENT ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
March 16 – 19
Since 1998, Red Star’s Artists-in-Residence program has allowed artists to explore their practice in a new setting with new people and new materials. “Alumni Gathering” is a reunion of national and international artists who have influenced—and been influenced by—the Red Star Studios experience.
HOME BASE: RED STAR STUDIOS MEMBER EXHIBITION
March 16 – 19
Beyond providing access to equipment and a place to work, Red Star supports the creative process of each member artist by encouraging experimentation and the sharing of experience and ideas. The resulting work is as rich and vibrant as the studio members themselves.
Art of the Americas
April 8 – August 6
The Belger Arts Center is proud to present “Art of the Americas,” curated by Licia Clifton-James, UMKC doctoral student in art history and wife of Mayor Sly James. The exhibition includes works from 28 of the 35 countries represented in the Organization of American States. Clifton-James’ goal is to encourage cultural knowledge about our neighbors in the western hemisphere while establishing Kansas City as the cross-cultural hub of the heartland. The exhibition coincides with Pan-American Week, April 10-16.
–Kelly Seward, Belger Cartage Service Inc., and Affiliates
