April@AMOCA
The opening reception for Connected Spaces: Cheryl Ann Thomas + Michael F. Rohde last month was a joyful affair—thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate with an evening of art, conversation, and catering by our friends at the Cheese Cave. In case you weren’t able to join us, a recording of the conversation with both artists and curator Jo Lauria is available to view online. Many thanks, also, to those who participated in March’s Family Day exchange with Self Help Graphics, and to those who attended the kick-off of the Artist Workshop Series with Peter Callas (whose work is on display at AMOCA through July 24).
This past weekend, Artist in Residence Colby Charpentier hosted the second workshop in the Skill Building Workshop series, a two-day foray into Mold Making. Both workshops in this series have sold out, and there are plans in the works for more in coming months. The virtual 2022 Annual High School Ceramics Exhibition also opened this past weekend, featuring 99 works from students in 50 cities in 16 states, juried from nearly 300 submissions across the country (nearly 50% more than 2021). The virtual Awards Ceremony and Reception was the first produced by Exhibition Manager Pam Aliaga, and it features a cameo from the newest member of AMOCA’s team, Education Manager Carly Lake.
Spring classes in the Ceramics Studio begin this week and, despite adding two more classes to the Winter schedule, have completely sold out (!). If you are interested in taking a class, register early for Summer classes (which start the week of July 11).
Next Saturday, the annual Teen Takeover returns for the first time since 2019. Join us on April 16 at 5 PM for an evening of food, art, and hands-on clay activities hosted by the Teen Council. Admission is free with advance RSVP. Afterward, head to the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College for the closing reception of the 77th Scripps College Ceramic Annual, curated by Ashwini Bhat (an exhibition of work by Bhat is on view in the Vault Gallery at AMOCA through May 1).
On April 28, join us online for an original short film screening that gives you an inside look into the mind, practice, and studio of ceramic artist Claudia Solórzano. Solórzano, who receives her MFA from Claremont Graduate University (CGU) in May, recreates, with clay, the iron-wrought gates found in her childhood neighborhoods of East Los Angeles. This short film will introduce Solórzano ahead of a forthcoming podcast series which she will cohost alongside AMOCA Exhibition Manager Pam Aliaga.
Artist and scholar Elaine Olafson Henry will give a virtual talk on the exhibition 50 Bowls, 50 States, 50 Woodfires on April 30. If you haven’t yet seen it in person, the exhibition presents 50 thrown porcelain bowls, each created by the artist using the same clay block, the same building and shaping process, and the same glaze coat. Henry then shipped each bowl to a different wood firing ceramist in each state to explore how firing circumstances would influence the finished pieces. It is, in a sense, a snapshot in time of wood firing practices across the United States.
And looking forward to May, mark your calendars for the May 14 opening of Blooop by Alina Hayes, /blo͞op/ noun a clumsy mistake. Alina Hayes is a Ukrainian-born Los Angeles-based artist with a BA and MA from California State University, Northridge; she is currently Adjunct Professor at Ventura Community College.
You have my thanks, and my gratitude, for your ongoing support of the ceramic arts. AMOCA is lucky to have you as a partner in our mission to celebrate the ceramic arts in all its myriad forms. Don’t forget you can visit the Museum Friday through Sunday, from 11 AM through 4 PM by making reservations online, and remember, First Fridays are pay-what-you-want!
We hope to see you soon.
With gratitude,
Paul Roach
Director, Advancement and Communications
April Programs and Events
Spring Session Ceramics Classes
Six weeks, starting the week of April 11 • In-person • $295
If you’re looking to develop your skills further, consider taking a six-week course. Courses encourage development of ceramic skills and are limited to 10 participants. Courses meet once a week with an instructor for 2.5 hours (15 hours of total instructor time). Access to open studio hours are included for the duration of the class and the two weeks following.
Sold out! Join the wait list, or register early for the Summer Session.
Teen Takeover
Saturday, April 16 • 5–7 PM • In-person • Complimentary with advance registration
The annual Teen Takeover returns for the first time since 2019. Join us for an evening of food, art, and hands-on clay activities hosted by the Teen Council. Admission is free with advance registration.
The 77th Scripps College Ceramic Annual Closing Reception
Saturday, April 16 • 7–9 PM • In-person at Scripps College • Complimentary
“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no opening reception, and instead, we will have a closing reception on April 16…The closing reception will be held at the Williamson Gallery, featuring live music and light refreshments, from 7 to 9 PM.”
Short Film Screening: Inside the Studio with Claudia Solórzano
Thursday, April 28 • 12 PM • Online • Complimentary
Join us for a peek inside the mind, practice, and studio of artist Claudia Solórzano. This short film will introduce Solórzano ahead of a forthcoming podcast which she will cohost alongside AMOCA Exhibition Manager Pam Aliaga.
Artist Talk with Elaine Olafson Henry
Saturday, April 30 • 11 AM • Online • Complimentary
Elaine Olafson Henry is a ceramics artist, curator, writer, proofreader, and local volunteer. She is the former Editor and Publisher of the international ceramics journals Ceramics: Art & Perception and Ceramics TECHNICAL. She earned a BFA from the University of Wyoming, an MFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and an MA in English at the University of Wyoming.
Henry taught at Emporia State University in Kansas from 1996–2007 where she served as the Chair of the Department of Art from 2000–2007. She served as the President of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 2002–2004 and the International Ceramics Magazine Editors Association (ICMEA) 2014–2016. She is currently an Honorary Member and Fellow of NCECA, and a lifetime member of ICMEA. Her work is internationally published, exhibited and collected. She is an elected member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC).
First Fridays at AMOCA
Friday, May 6 • 11 AM–4 PM • In-person
Thanks to generous support from AMOCA’s Board of Directors, Museum admission for First Fridays at AMOCA is pay what you can (while tickets last). Each month, visit the Museum and choose your own ticket prices!
In Case You Missed It
Virtual Exhibition & Awards Ceremony: 2022 Annual High School Ceramics Exhibition
In Conversation: Cheryl Ann Thomas and Michael F. Rohde
Exhibitions on View
Visit Friday–Sunday, 11 AM–4 PM by purchasing tickets online.
Connected Spaces: Cheryl Ann Thomas + Michael F. Rohde
On view through August 21, 2022, Connected Spaces presents nearly 50 artworks by California-based artists Michael F. Rohde and Cheryl Ann Thomas. This assembly of ceramic sculptures and woven tapestries is focused on a recent series created by the artists through a year-long artistic exchange in 2020-2021. The exhibition also includes pieces by both artists beyond the series to provide context.
Connected Spaces: Cheryl Ann Thomas + Michael F. Rohde is curated by Jo Lauria, Adjunct Curator.
The Artists of Mettlach
On view through July 31, 2022, this exhibition presents a selection of works from the Villeroy and Boch Mettlach Collection (donated by Robert D. And Colette D. Wilson). It features original research on notable artists involved in the production of this historic works.
Ashwini Bhat: IMPRINTED, Assembling California
Since 2016, AMOCA has partnered with the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College to produce exhibitions of works by the guest curators of the Scripps College Ceramic Annual. In January of 2022, curator Ashwini Bhat will curate On Fire: Contemporary Trailblazers for the 77th Scripps College Ceramic Annual. Opening earlier in the month in the Vault Gallery at AMOCA, the exhibition Ashwini Bhat: IMPRINTED, Assembling California will debut a new body of work comprising sculptures, photographs, and a video work that are based in direct experiences with the California landscape. On view through May 1, 2022.
Peter Callas: An Enduring Legacy
Regarded as one of the preeminent ceramic artists in the American Studio Ceramics tradition to work with anagama kilns, Peter Callas (1951– ) influenced an entire generation of ceramic artists. Among the 50 works featured in An Enduring Legacy are Callas’s innovative expressionist sculptures and abstracted container forms that function as visual records of the transformative forces of fire. Other works on display include intimate tea bowls, selected works on paper, and the premier of an original film about the artist. On view through July 24, 2022.
50 Bowls, 50 States, 50 Woodfires
A project of scholar and artist Elaine Olafson Henry, this exhibition presents 50 thrown porcelain bowls, each created by the artist using the same clay block, the same building and shaping process, and the same glaze coat. In order to explore how firing circumstances would inevitably influence the finished pieces, Henry then shipped each bowl to a different wood firing ceramist in each state. The end result is a snapshot in time of woodfire practices across the United States. On view through July 24, 2022.