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2017 NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition Award Sponsors Aardvark Clay Purchase Award Ceramics: Art and Perception/TECHNICAL Merit Award KBH Merit Award Mudtools Merit Award Retired Professors Award (Merit) Smith-Sharpe Fire Brick Supply Merit Award Studio Potter Graduate Merit Award Studio Potter Undergraduate Merit Award NCECA Graduate Award for Excellence 1st, 2nd, 3rd NCECA Undergraduate Award for Excellence 1st, 2nd, 3rd This exhibition is presented by NCECA in cooperation with:
Š 2017 NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the publisher. Cover Image: Sarah Heitmeyer, Blue Velvet Water, 2016 Catalog Design: Candice Finn Project Manager: Kate Vorhaus
www.nceca.net
2017 NCECA NSJE Participating Artists Rachel Ballard | Georgia State University Ashley Bevington | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Abigale Brading | Indiana University - Bloomington Liam Calhoun | Buffalo State College Man-Ho Cho | University of Iowa Mike Cinelli | University of Mississippi Louise Deroualle | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Yewen Dong | School of the Art Institution of Chicago Kelsey Duncan | Ohio University Sydney Ewerth | The University of Alabama Shauna Fahley | University of Washington Lorraine Franco | University of Miami Stuart Gair | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Sarah Heitmeyer | State University of New York at New Paltz Kwan Jeong | Syracuse University Elliott Kayser | Arizona State University Andrew Kellner | West Virginia University Patrick Kingshill | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Bradley Klem | Pennsylvania State University Teresa Larrabee | University of North Texas Amy LeFever | University of Tennessee Caelin McDaniel | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Taylor Pasquale | Kent State University Tiffany Tang | University of Montana Mary Cale A. Wilson | San Diego State University
• Graduate • Post-baccalaureate • Undergraduate
Juror Statement | Justin Novak Just as any other juror would, I brought all my aesthetic and ideological biases to this task. It was, however, the applicant pool that ultimately provided its own measure, and I was pleased to find my biases quickly overridden once the work began. The strongest pieces here seem to be driven largely by the allure of process and materiality, outweighing any purposeful dialogue with historical or contemporary subject matter. Attention to the nuances of function or tradition is notably scarce. Nor is there ample interest in pointed cultural critique. The execution of the work included in this exhibition conveys a strong sense of conviction (not to be confused with clarity of intent, which can itself become a liability by narrowing the range of interpretation). A majority of this work confidently relies on the implicit poetics of formal and material vocabularies rather than on explicit meanings communicated by that language. The most resonant pieces approach their subject matter obliquely enough to avoid overshadowing the supple and therapeutic aspects of process– those aspects that have drawn so many of us to the medium in the first place. Raised in Puerto Rico and Rome, Italy, Justin Novak subsequently pursued a 10-year career as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer in New York City, with clients such as The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Macmillan Publishing, Tor Books, Harper & Row, and Book-of the-Month Club. A second career as a ceramics artist and educator followed. His ceramic work has been exhibited and published widely, including solo exhibitions in New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Denmark. He has lectured widely at universities across North America, and participated in numerous residencies, including the Kohler Factory in Wisconsin, the Wałbryzch Factory in Poland, the Arabia Factory in Helsinki, Finland, and the Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark. He taught at the University of Oregon in Eugene for seven years. Since the fall of 2007, he has been associate professor in the faculty of visual art and material practice at Emily Carr University of Art & Design in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Juror Statement | Linda Arbuckle My thanks to everyone who submitted entries. Your creative efforts show a lively next generation in clay reaching for expression and communication of personal subjects in a wide variety of vocabularies. For a number of the submissions not chosen, I remain engaged and curious about the artist’s voice and trajectory, and hope to see how the works will be resolved in later versions. Art is a significant intellectual challenge. There are a number of rules, and any can be broken if you do it in ways that communicate effectively. Ceramics as a material offers its own contingencies and rewards. In the midst of these opportunities and pitfalls, there is the conundrum of using personal expression to speak to a viewer other than oneself through visual cues. Congratulations to the artists selected for this show. Your work spoke to us, at times in prose, sometimes in poetry, about the ways you experience the world. As a body, the works leave me enthusiastic about the vigor and diversity of the field, and the energy and commitment of emerging artists. The world needs your energy, creativity, and vision. Keep your faith in the value of art and making. Linda Arbuckle received a BFA in ceramics from Cleveland Institute of Art in 1981, and an MFA in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 1983. She has been recognized in the field by national and state arts grants, and by University of Florida for teaching and research. NCECA awarded Linda honors for service to the field and teaching. Her full CV and a variety of technical resources for ceramics may be found on her web site http://lindaarbuckle.com/ She retired from academic teaching and enjoying life as a studio artist in Micanopy, Florida.
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Venue Statement | Sam Hopple & Dylan Beck The community of Oregon College of Art and Craft (OCAC) is delighted to host the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 2017 National Student Juried Exhibition in our newly renovated Hoffman Gallery, named after Julia Hoffman, who in 1907, founded the organization that would grow into the present day OCAC. It is an honor to be a sponsored venue during the 51st NCECA conference and to showcase multiple exhibitions and time-based events on our 10 acre campus. The conference theme of Future Flux aligns with OCAC’s reputation of being a leading college of art and craft education and discourse. In addition, OCAC is a principal center for engaging the Portland ethos of the locally sourced, hand-made, and ethically entrepreneurial. Known for its exceptional faculty of artists, writers and makers, the uniquely small, mentor-based community is comprised of 150 to 200 students who pursue full-time Bachelor of Fine Arts or Master of Fine Arts degree programs, in addition to the 2,500 to 3,000 members of the Portland metro community enrolled annually in youth programs for pre-K–12 and adult, non-credit offerings, as well as programs for Native American high school students, incarcerated youth, and the Nike Design Atelier. OCAC plays an unusual and increasingly important role not duplicated by other institutions. In teaching students the creative process in a mentor-and materials-based environment with a low student to faculty ratio and intensive studio practice, OCAC fosters independent and innovative thinking and problem solving. Students learn skills and processes that are transferable to any endeavor, often leading to entrepreneurial careers, as exemplified by the many OCAC graduates who have started their own successful businesses. The Hoffman Gallery at OCAC reflects current trends and conversation in the arts and expands the critical discourse around craft and making for the campus and the larger community. In hosting the NCECA exhibition, we at OCAC welcome a new group of viewers to the campus to expand the discourse around making and materials in our present and futures worlds.
NCECA Student Directors At Large | Shalya Marsh & Naomi Clement Congratulations to the 25 artists who made it past the final cut. Being an observer to the jurying process is always enlightening; what is most striking is the truly subjective nature of the selection process. Each reviewer brings a context and a set of filters to the process that serve as the framework for the review. No two are the same, hence, the subjectivity. The works submitted for review show the depth and breadth of ceramics in our educational institutions and provide an exciting glimpse of the future of the field. For those of you who did not make the cut, keep pushing, keep growing, keep developing your ideas and, most importantly, keep applying. Rejection is part of life. It ranks right up there with failure as one of the most important things pushing us forward on our journey through learning and making. Make and remake, apply and apply and apply because every application, each kiln load, and every installation expands your understanding of your practice. Special thanks to the NSJE venue Oregon College of Art and Craft, and this year’s jurors Linda Arbuckle and Justin Novak.
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NCECA Executive Director | Joshua Green The exhibition of outstanding student work in clay has been a touchstone of the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts since its earliest years. Initially, the show was organized by the volunteer board members who also acted as conference directors. As the organization evolved and the conference further developed, the student exhibition opened a call for entry to students living within the multi-state region of the conference. Beginning in 2009, the student exhibition became national in scope, and leading artist/ educators from outside of NCECA’s board structure were invited to select work from submitted entries. Art is often characterized as a mirror— whether literally reflecting figures, buildings, and landscapes of the observable world; or metaphorically the society in which it is created, our innermost selves, our spiritual longing. The English poet and cultural critic Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) coined the term zeitgeist in 1848 as a response to a rising embrace of social change and uncertainty that characterized his Victorian era. It’s tempting to look at any show of promising young artists and look within in an effort to sense the emerging ideas that are shaping our moment in time. But to think that Arnold was simply looking for a profound Germanic way to express the feeling of a rising trend would be a mistake. He was in fact seeking to capture through this word a sense of deeply rooted alienation—from nature, community, and culture. Others have crafted different metaphors to express art’s purpose. The maxim, “Art is not a mirror to hold up to society, but a hammer with which to shape it,” is so rich that it has been attributed to three intellectual giants of the early 20th century: the revolutionary, Leon Trotsky; German playwright, Berthold Brecht; and Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. Indeed, since the works in this show were submitted through online entry late in September 2016, the world may look and feel quite unexpectedly different for many of us. NCECA benefitted from the intelligent eyes of Linda Arbuckle and Justin Novak to consider nearly 1,000 images to narrow down a selection of only 28 works. We rely both on their knowledge and varied cultural outlooks as artists and seasoned makers in whose veins the commitment to clay runs deep. NCECA is immensely grateful to the artists who ventured to be part of this exhibition. Our hosts at the Oregon College of Art and Craft, our Student Directors at Large, Shalya Marsh and Naomi Clement, and Exhibitions Director Leigh Taylor Mickelson have all made significant contributions to this effort. NCECA staff members Candice Finn and Kate Vorhaus have treated
all documentation and details related to publication of the work in this catalog with care, genuine interest, and heartfelt respect. The skill, innovative expression, and ideas embodied through objects and materials within this exhibition are vivid reminders that clay possesses remarkable nature. Its endless complexity engages body and mind in imaginative inquiry unlike any other medium. Our dedication to the material is also affirmation of the knowledge, traditions, and creative spirits embodied through it. Clay connects us today not only to the earth and one another, but also to the diverse and knowing people who precede us.
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Rachel Ballard, Brave, 2016 earthenware, micro-crystalline glaze, nail polish 16” x 12” x 11”
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Ashley Bevington, it’s okay...i’m ok., 2016 clay, glaze, wood, mirror, paint 48” x 12” x 12”
Ashley Bevington, Holy Shit Starter Kit, 2016 clay, glaze, paint, wood, wig 26” x 21” x 10”
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Abigale Brading, Dissonance, 2016 stoneware, terra sigillata, black iron oxide stain, soda wash 15” x 12” x 6”
Liam Calhoun, Self Image, 2016 raku fired ceramic 16” x 14” x 8”
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Man-Ho Cho, Reconstruct Architecture Studying; No.02, 2015 porcelain, stainless steel, wood, resins 14” x 13” x 6”
Mike Cinelli, Reliquary for Boredom, 2016 earthenware, commercial underglaze, terra sigillata 24” x 9.5” x 9.5”
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Louise Deroualle, Untitled, 2016 ceramic 35.5” x 27.5” x 2” Photo: John David Richardson
Yewen Dong, Squares on Squares on Square, 2016 ceramics 19.5” x 19.5” x 2.5”
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Kelsey Duncan, IF-Town Barrow, 2016 hand-built, thrown stoneware, porcelain, glaze 23” x 24” x 49”
Sydney Ewerth, Fixated & Inundated, 2016 clay, resin, wood, plaster, monofilament, paper 17.5” x 12” x 10”
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Shauna Fahley, Survived by:, 2016 ceramic, wood, resin 48” x 54” x 96”
Lorraine Franco, Golden, 2016 ceramics 38” x 12” x 14”
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Stuart Gair, Teapot & Teabowl, 2016 soda fired stoneware 6.5” x 8” x 8” Photo: Victoria Norton
Stuart Gair, Large Jar, 2016 soda fired stoneware 7.5” x 10.5” x 10.5” Photo: Victoria Norton
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Sarah Heitmeyer, Blue Velvet Water, 2016 slip cast porcelain, glaze 36” x 36” x 2”
Kwan Jeong, Uncertain point between spirituality and materiality, 2016 porcelain 22” x 36” x 1.25”
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Elliott Kayser, Black Holstein Shigaraki, 2016 terracotta, underglaze, feldspathic chunks 7.5” x 12.25” x 4”
Andrew Kellner, Meat Tray, 2016 earthenware 4” x 10.5” x 10.5”
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Patrick Kingshill, Dream Truck, 2016 ceramic 4.5” x 5.5” x 3.5”
Bradley Klem, Big Eyes, 2016 porcelain, ceramic decal, china paint, luster 1.5” x 9” x 9”
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Bradley Klem, Gene Puddle, 2016 porcelain, ceramic decal, china paint, luster 1.5” x 8.5” x 8.5”
Teresa Larrabee, Companions, 2016 stoneware, underglaze, mixed media 7” x 11” x 2.5”
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Amy LeFever, Untitled, 2016 slip cast earthenware from 3D printed model designed in Rhino software program 2.25” x 4” x 7”
Caelin McDaniel, Sunshine mug, 2016 stoneware 4” x 3.5” x 3.75”
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Taylor Pasquale, Regretting Yet Wanting, 2016 ceramic materials, ceramic plate, donut 6” x 9.5” x 8”
Tiffany Tang, Individuality, 2016 porcelain 8.5” x 8.5” x 8.5” Courtesy of the Montana Museum of Art & Culture
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Mary Cale A. Wilson, Foul Fowl, 2016 earthenware 25” x 15” x 14”
2017 NCECA National Student Juried Exhibition The National Student Juried Exhibition is a highlight in the array of experiences that the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) makes possible each year. Selected from images of work submitted by higher education students enrolled in programs of ceramic art throughout the United States, this exhibition embodies the visions of next-generation creative inquiry through clay. Founded in 1966, NCECA is a nonprofit organization that fosters global education and appreciation for the ceramic arts—culture’s bridge to the past and future. Because clay connects us to the earth and one another, we believe that learning and working with this material touches lives and builds relationships like no other artistic practice. Through endeavors like the National Student Juried Exhibition, fellowships, and learner-centered programming, NCECA cultivates awareness of future makers and expands opportunities for artists. If you share our belief that ceramic art enriches every part of our lives, inciting curiosity, encouraging creativity and inspiring community, please join us at www.nceca.net.