Nelson explores what’s new in clay art

Tom Sachs, American (born 1966). NASA Chawan, 2012. Porcelain with engobe inlay, 2.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches. Courtesy of Baldwin Gallery.

Tom Sachs, American (born 1966). NASA Chawan, 2012. Porcelain with engobe inlay, 2.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches. Courtesy of Baldwin Gallery.

Clay is an ancient art form, but artists are also finding innovative new uses for it today. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will bring together two dozen of them for a show opening Feb. 26.

The Nelson-Atkins says Unconventional Clay: Engaged in Change explores connections between clay, art, social issues and process.

The exhibition will be the centerpiece of the 50th anniversary conference of NCECA, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, a leading arts organization for artists, educators, curators and collectors of contemporary ceramics. The conference will be held March 16-19 at the downtown convention center.

Here’s more from the museum:

The exhibition is co-curated by Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Nelson-Atkins, and NCECA Exhibitions Director Leigh Taylor Mickelson. The installation will be held in the Project Space and adjacent gallery in the Bloch Building.

“Leigh and I were excited to show new work by artists who are pushing the boundaries and manipulating clay as a medium,” said Futter. “We are privileged to work with such talented artists who are changing the way we look at tradition and innovation.”

The exhibition investigates how projection, 3D modeling, video and advanced materials can be combined for aesthetic and intellectual impact to engage visitors in new ways. Unconventional Clay also investigates projects by community-oriented artists that encourage audience interactivity. It runs through June 12.

Artist and activist Ehren Tool will be in residence at the Nelson-Atkins, March 5-6, 2016. During his residency, Ehren will be throwing cups in the Bloch Lobby and interacting with the public. He works with images supplied by the public—often military; but for this project, he will work with all kinds of communities—soliciting photographs, scanning them and then returning the images. These images are then printed as decals and transferred onto the bisque-fired cups and glazed. Visitors will be able to acquire a cup on Sunday, June 12, the final day of the exhibition.

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