Visions In Clay Artists

Peter Held received his BFA with an emphasis on
ceramics from the State University of New York,
Brockport. Upon graduation, he was a resident
artist at the Archie Bray Foundation for the
Ceramic Arts. He received his master’s degree in
museum administration from Oregon State University.

He served as executive director and curator of the
Holter Museum of Art, where he helped successfully
lead a $2.3 million capital and endowment campaign.
Since 2003, Held has been curator of ceramics at the
ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center at
Arizona State University in Tempe. He also serves
as a trustee for the American Craft Council and is
chair of its development committee.

Held has curated more than 75 exhibitions since 1989, including seven traveling ceramic
shows: Ashen Beauty: Woodfired Ceramics; David Shaner: A Potter’s Work, 1963-
1993; Sisters of the Earth: Native American Ceramics; A Ceramic Continuum:
Fifty Years of the Archie Bray Influence; Between Clouds of Memory: Akio
Takamori, A Mid-Career Survey; Eden Revisited: The Ceramic Art of Kurt Weiser
and Innovation and Change: Great Ceramics
from the ASU Art Museum Collection.

Held has authored several articles on contemporary art and crafts, and is the editor and
essayist of the books: A Ceramic Continuum: Fifty Years of the Archie Bray
Influence and Between Clouds of Memory: Akio Takamori, A Mid-Career Survey;
Eden Revisited: The Ceramic Art of Kurt Weiser and Following the Rhythms of Life:
The Ceramic Art of David Shaner.

Juror's Statement

A personal advantage in jurying exhibitions is becoming familiar with artists' work I was previously unaware of, and in the case of the Visions in Clay exhibition, gaining a snapshot view of current trends in the ceramics field. As always, there are certain limitations placed upon a juror that helped inform the makeup of Visions In Clay: space restraints, a survey versus thematic curatorial approach, and size restrictions. Thank you to all artists who took the initiative to make submissions.

This exhibition portrays a variety of artistic approaches mirroring contemporary trends, both within the confines of the ceramics field and the greater mainstream art world. Figuration, zoomorphism, vessels, and biomorphic sculpture, all come into fruition in this wide ranging exhibition.

Many of today’s practitioners are compelled to create for a variety of reasons: personal and private concerns, political activism, and seeking balance in the face of contemporary society’s rapid fire pace, driven by an all-consuming technological culture. A new generation of practitioners is no longer wedded to past traditions. Works are becoming more emotionally charged, mysterious, and unsettling. Innovative content narratives are creating dramatic vignettes that address issues of identity, gender, and alienation. Viewers respond to the work by drawing their own conclusions and seeking harmony within their own lives.

The participating artists representing the figure, which were numerous, reflect the time and place in which they are created, recording timely yet universal and personal expression, revealing aspects of our inner and outer experiences. The urge toward representation in the field of contemporary ceramics has expanded exponentially in recent years, as artists strive to make sense of an increasingly complex world. The malleability and tactile characteristics of clay are well suited to capture this shifting focus on figuration.

Objects can bestow power beyond their immediate concern, becoming iconic when they emit shared stories. Works of art can reveal the reevaluation of commonly held values beyond the maker’s expectation. Amidst innumerable challenges and opportunities, artists awaken paths towards new discoveries, foreshadowing increased individual and collective stability.

Artists’ sensitivity towards clay, infused with intellectual substance, allows them to become an effective communicator, shedding light on our past, present and future. The trajectory of their forward path is inexplicitly woven into their lives outside the studio. Although in a state of flux, often thrown off center, the ceramics field resides in a fertile moment with a more humane future in our grasp.