CERAMIC TOP 40 | 2013
20 artists under 40
& 20 artists over 40
currently working in ceramics
presented by Ferrin Contemporary
and Red Star Studios
Belger Crane Yard Studios
Kansas City, Missouri
The
Ceramic Top 40 | 2013 is an exhibition that presents the work by juried
and invited artists currently working in conceptual utilitarian and
sculptural ceramics. From the exhibition, forty artists, 20 over the
age of 40 and 20 artists under age 40 will be chosen to represent those
working on the cutting edge of current processes, ideas, and
presentation concepts by both the up-and-coming generation of artists
and established artists who are breaking new ground. This final
“list†will be announced on November 7th after a final jurying of
the installation takes place.
The collaboration with Red Star
Studios developed as the project evolved early in 2013. According to
Michael Baxley, Gallery Manager/Curator at Red Star, “It is a perfect
storm …, our new galley space opened at a time that Ferrin was
seeking a central location for the exhibition. Ferrin inquired about
our space after she selected several key artists who are currently
working in or around the Kansas City area. The timing for the artists,
the project, and our new space fit perfectly.â€
Ferrin explains
the concept of the show. “In the past, periodic survey exhibitions
took place sponsored by institutions such as the Everson Museum of
Art’s Ceramic National, American Craft Museum’s Young Americans, and the recent exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of Art’s Renwick Gallery, 40 under 40: Craft Futures,
a multimedia survey. With increased media recognition and integration
of contemporary ceramic art and objects in museum exhibitions and
contemporary art galleries, it seemed important to fill the gap that
opened up by the Renwick show and provide a subjective survey to the
medium of clay. The process of creating this exhibition reveals what an
important moment this is for a generation of makers and collectors.â€
Using
farming as a metaphor to describe this transitional moment for the
field of ceramics, Ferrin states, “through this show, we are looking
at who are the established masters continuing to break creative ground
alongside the next generation of artists who are developing a strong
root system of their own at mid career.â€
Red Star Studios,
a mainstay in Kansas City’s ceramics scene for almost fifteen years,
has partnered with the Belger Arts Center in Kansas City’s
Crossroads Arts District. Red Star Studios has recently expanded to
Belger Crane Yard Studios, located at 2011 Tracy in Kansas City. The
Red Star gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm and
Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. The gallery remains open until 9pm on the
First Friday of every month. Red Star Studios also features studio
spaces for resident artists and offers classes and workshops for all
skill levels to the public.
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show overview
