The Clay Studio | The Future of Clay

Oct 5th - Dec 31st, 2024

Curatorial team Anya Montiel, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, Zindzi Harley, and Jennifer Zwilling are working with eight artists to answer the question, What is the Future of Clay?

The Future of Clay will be an exhibition showcasing artists Morel Doucet, Chase Kahwinhut Earles, Kristy Moreno, Holly Wilson, Cesar Viveros, Jolie Ngo, Anne Adams, and Michelle Im. They are each making work that illustrates the multiple ways that ceramic art is moving toward the future, while representing the diversity of our society. The community-centered exhibition design process we have built over the last three years is integral to this exhibition concept. The process is at the forefront of new ideas about how to curate in our current social/political climate. The Future of Clay will culminate our anniversary celebrations that include a year of exhibitions that demonstrate our mission in action today, over the past half-century, and how we plan to continue to evolve.

In 2024 The Clay Studio will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Founded around the same time as the American Ceramic Circle, The Clay Studio represents another facet of the ACC’s mission, to study and appreciation ceramics. With our focus on contemporary ceramics, we strive to support and engender a passion for ceramics in artists and collectors who will continue and expand the community of ceramic enthusiasts. In order to honor the half century of work that has transformed a shared studio space with five artists into a 28 staff member, internationally recognized arts institution that directly serves upwards of 10,000 people each year, we will spend the entire year presenting our past, present, and future through exhibitions and programs. The series of exhibitions will highlight Our Community, The Clay Studio Founders & Foundations, Current Residents, our Alumni, and ground-breaking artists who are looking toward the future. The exhibitions will be paired with public programs including our annual Clay Fest, a Community Dinner, Free hands-on programming every week, and Listening Sessions.

The Future of Clay is the final exhibition in the series. Slated to open in October 2024, it will be a major exhibition featuring ground-breaking, contemporary ceramic art that fully embraces a community-centered, collaborative curation and design process. The Future of Clay will be planned over the next 18 months, resulting in a world-class exhibition built by a consortium of constituents highlighting the value and feasibility of designing exhibitions in partnership with the community. The Future of Clay honors the next chapter of our organizational evolution through both the final exhibition and the exhibition design process, and therefore is a fitting way to cap our 50th Anniversary celebrations.

As The Clay Studio celebrates its 50th anniversary we are thinking as much about the next 50 years as we are about the past. Ceramic art represents both a link to the past, in the continued creation of simply decorated vessels, as well as the future, through new applications of computer aided design, 3-D printing, and the pursuit of using ceramic art as a vehicle for contemporary social issues. We must celebrate our past, while honoring our mission by continuing to stay relevant, investigate what is exciting in clay right now and contemplate its potential to change in the future. We will engage collaborating curators in order to ensure that our view of the field is wide and our Council to remain relevant to our neighborhood and beyond. It is essential for The Future of Clay to include artists who are working at the cutting edge of what is possible in ceramic art, looking toward the future of this ancient art medium, as well as being representative of the field of clay and our various constituent groups.

Thur | Sept 26 | 1 PM EST

Anya Montiel, Zindzi Harley, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, & Jennifer Zwilling

Join us to talk with the curators of The Clay Studio's upcoming exhibition, The Future of Clay. We'll dive into their process of curating an exhibition around the concept of what the future of clay looks like.

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The Future of Clay

Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 10 AM - 4 PM

Future of Clay Symposium

Exhibition Review

Broad Street Review

Thur | Sept 26 | 1 PM EST

Anya Montiel, Zindzi Harley, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, & Jennifer Zwilling

Thur | Oct 10 | 1 PM EST

Kristy Moreno & Jolie Ngo

Thur | Oct 17 | 1 PM EST

Anne Adams & Holly Wilson

Thur | Nov 7 | 1 PM EST

Michelle Im & Morel Ducet

Thur | Nov 21 | 1 PM EST

Chase Kahwinhut Earles & Cesar Viveros

Cesar Viveros

Jolie Ngo

Kristy Moreno

Chase Kahwinhut Earles

Morel Doucet

Anne Adams

Holly Wilson

Michelle Im

Thank you to our genorous sponsors

The Future of Clay

Representational works by participating artists. New works will be made for the exhibition.

Ebony in a veil of foliage #2

The Blue Print (Indigo Wing & A Poem Full of Corpses)

Black Maiden in Crown of Flora

Mija Chula Chingona

Key Lime Kiss

I Got Your Back

Beef Or Chicken

Nut Gate

Hodori

Enlightenment Cookie

Congregation of Elders

Stubborn Goat

Lantern Vessel in Aerial View

Lantern Vessel in Multiple Tabs Open

Shadow Vessel

Hijos de la Tiznada: Chicomecoatl

Hijos de la Tiznada: Xipe

Hijos de la Tiznada: Tezcatlipoca

Hasinai

Scout

Large Caddo Util Jar

Small Traditional Caddo Bottle

Caddo Seed Pot 15

Bear Effigy Vessel

Small Caddo Bottle 21

Traditional Utilitarian Jar

Within We Are the Light

Ebony in a veil of foliage #2

The Blue Print (Indigo Wing & A Poem Full of Corpses)

Black Maiden in Crown of Flora

Mija Chula Chingona

Key Lime Kiss

I Got Your Back

Beef Or Chicken

Nut Gate

Hodori

Enlightenment Cookie

Congregation of Elders

Stubborn Goat

Lantern Vessel in Aerial View

Lantern Vessel in Multiple Tabs Open

Shadow Vessel

Hijos de la Tiznada: Chicomecoatl

Hijos de la Tiznada: Xipe

Hijos de la Tiznada: Tezcatlipoca

Hasinai

Scout

Large Caddo Util Jar

Small Traditional Caddo Bottle

Caddo Seed Pot 15

Bear Effigy Vessel

Small Caddo Bottle 21

Traditional Utilitarian Jar

Within We Are the Light

Saturday, December 7, 2024 | 10 AM - 4 PM

Future of Clay Symposium

Exhibition Review

Broad Street Review

Thur | Sept 26 | 1 PM EST

Anya Montiel, Zindzi Harley, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, & Jennifer Zwilling

Thur | Oct 10 | 1 PM EST

Kristy Moreno & Jolie Ngo

Thur | Oct 17 | 1 PM EST

Anne Adams & Holly Wilson

Thur | Nov 7 | 1 PM EST

Michelle Im & Morel Ducet

Thur | Nov 21 | 1 PM EST

Chase Kahwinhut Earles & Cesar Viveros

Cesar Viveros

Jolie Ngo

Kristy Moreno

Chase Kahwinhut Earles

Morel Doucet

Anne Adams

Holly Wilson

Michelle Im

Thank you to our genorous sponsors

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