Burn treatment. Plates. Bricks. Roofing materials. Pottery. What do these seemingly unrelated goods have in common? Clay: all can be (and are) made with clay. “Art is about ideas and finding the best media to express your concept,” Milt Friedly, Elizabethtown College gallery director said. “And that can be with any material.”
“Clay, Regional Ceramics and Beyond” opened in Zug Hall on April 5 with a small reception and address by the curator Kathryn Narrow and will be open until May 3. The gallery displays clay as a form of art, both abstract and functional. Artists created pieces as different as mugs and turtle shells. Some pieces served a clear purpose, while others were made simply to entertain and intrigue those who would look at them.
Friedly, who says his artistic taste is the modern and contemporary, knew that the next gallery that he would organize was going to focus on clay, because it is relevant to the times, yet has a long tradition. Clay marries crafts (useful art) and fine arts (art for the sake of art).
He called on Kathryn Narrow, who had worked for The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, to curate the exhibit because of her connections. Usually the selection of artists and work would fall to Friedly, but this exhibit differed, as the final say went to Narrow.
Narrow’s personal art taste is for art of a functional style. While not a common practice to include the curator’s art in the show, Narrow was asked to provide pieces for each exhibit. She described her pottery on display as “useful, nice to touch and inspired by nature.”
The artists whose work is displayed in the on-campus half of the show include Rebecca Harvey, Steven Thurston, Frank Martin, Julie Tesser, Sally Bragden, Nate Prouty, Amy Santoferraro, Mitt Wilt, Lisa Naples, Malory Wetherell and Shayla Marsh. These artists come from as far away as Kansas and as near as Lancaster County.
Narrow said that she made categories that would exemplify clay’s wide range of uses and began searching for artists through her connections, recommendations and online. Some categories were better represented than others, but she wanted to display at least one artist for each of the categories that she created.
She said the selection came down to whether or not each artist she looked at fit the parameters she set and simply if their work is good for the gallery space. One of the parameters set for the show was a semi-regional artist pool, and Narrow attempted to include a great number of local artists in the exhibits.
After the selections were made, Narrow was also in charge of connecting with and contracting the artists who would be exhibited. Friedly was then responsible for the installation of the pieces into both galleries.
Friedly and his son own an art venue in Columbia, Pa., where the show continues and includes several other artists. The extension of the show will run for the duration of the on-campus show.