The State of Clay celebrates the field of ceramics, showcasing the full spectrum of clay, whether functional or sculptural, highlighting work that is representative of the immense possibility within this medium. As with many exhibitions these days, the jurying process is one that is both exciting and cautious, for selections were made by reviewing digital images, rather than the actual work. This is an important distinction, for as a juror who is himself an object maker, the task of discerning the nuance of a particular work thru image is an act of trust, absorbing the information as presented and pulling on one’s own experience to imagine scale, weight, material, craftsmanship and idea. With the application process requesting digital images rather than slides, it was a delightful process having days, rather than hours, to sit alone and look at images on the computer, taking time to consider the work that was so carefully presented. I looked at pots, tableware, installation work, wall pieces, figurative sculpture, raw form and tile, all representing the numerous voices that are strong within the field of contemporary clay. As images were digested, themes began to develop, with the work separating itself out into groupings of ideas. I began to choose work that for me spoke of a deep understanding of material, process and idea. Not all of the images were of a high quality though, which may have affected the selection process. I’m sure there were pieces that I passed over, their image not doing justice to the actual object. Some were of low resolution, so there was no opportunity to enlarge an image to see detail and thus explore the piece in a way that one might if the object was held in their hands. Others only presented a single view, thus limiting the amount of visual information that is so necessary in understanding the whole. Yet there was a tremendous amount of creative energy in the work presented, even in the quietest of pieces, and what emerged from this selection process was some eighty or so pieces that for me represent a breadth of forms and ideas that do indeed speak to the versatility and creative expression found in Massachusetts, our state of clay.
