December @AMOCA, 2022

Pictured: Crystal Morey, The RePlanting (detail), 2021. Porcelain. 12.5 x 8 x 6 inches. On view at AMOCA in Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay.

December@AMOCA

‘Tis the season of making and giving, and we’re delighted to celebrate with you at AMOCA.

We’re kicking off the month with First Fridays, our pay-what-you-can admission day. Visit the museum on Friday, December 2 and choose your own ticket prices! Also on Friday, December 2, we’re hosting Members Clay Day, a 60-minute complimentary session where AMOCA members will learn the basics of handglazing by decorating holiday ornaments in the studio. Not yet an AMOCA member? You can join online, or sign up for Members Clay Day at the $50 non-member registration rate.

Thank you for your generosity on Giving Tuesday! Your thoughtful donations ensure that we can continue to provide the space, time, teaching artists, and supplies that make our education programs so meaningful. We are currently in our end-of-year fundraising push to support everything that AMOCA does. You can always give online, or contact Jenifer Fleming to discuss how you can make an impact on AMOCA’s programs. If you want to enjoy tax benefits for the 2022 calendar year, make sure your online transaction takes place by Dec. 31st or mail in a check with that same date.

Our annual Treasure Sale + Holiday Market, AMOCA’s premiere event, is coming up December 9, 10, & 11. You’ll have three days to shop for mid-century production-ware and one-of-a-kind original artwork. At the Treasure Sale, you’ll find hundreds of ceramic works on sale for $5-$500! The AMOCA Studio Holiday Market allows you to interact with and purchase work directly from 20+ studio and resident artists. The weekend will also feature a Member Sale at the AMOCA store, complimentary museum admission (with advance registration), an onsite coffee cart, and more!

Members are also invited to a December 14 Members Tour with Executive Director and exhibition co-curator Beth Ann Gerstein. This one hour tour begins at noon and offers the opportunity to tour the galleries and gain insight into the thoughtful decision-making that led to our current exhibition, Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay.

The Ceramics Studio is bustling this holiday season! Join Artist-in-Residence Christopher Suarez for a virtual talk on Thursday, December 15 at 11 AM. Suarez will share about his past practice, residency projects, and future directions in clay. In January 2023, the Studio will offer weekend Artist-led workshops with Adrienne Eliades and Mette Maya. Registration for Winter session (January-February 2023) studio classes is now available; whatever your skill level, we have a six-week hands-on class for you! Studio classes and workshops sell out quickly, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible if you’d like to participate.

Thank you for being a partner in AMOCA’s mission to champion the ceramic arts! We look forward to welcoming you to the museum Friday through Sunday, from 11 AM to 4 PM. You can purchase your tickets at the door or make reservations online.

Hope to see you soon,

Genevieve Kaplan
Associate Director of Communications & Stewardship


December Programs & Events

Pictured: Visitors explore Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay

First Fridays at AMOCA

Friday, December 2 • 11:00 AM–4:00 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!

Book Your Visit

Pictured: Handglazed ornaments by Kat Hopkins.

Members Clay Day • Handglazed Ornaments

Friday, December 2, 2022 • 6:00–7:00 PM • In Person • free / $50 for non-members

Learn the basics of handpainting with underglaze! It’s the perfect way to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun! This winter Clay Day event is a 60 minute hands-on evening clay class, led by Artist in Residence Breana Ferreira. In this introductory class, you will learn the basics of hand painting with underglaze on a premade holiday ornament. ‘Tis the season for decorating ornaments!

Learn More

Treasure Sale & Holiday Market

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, December 9, 10, & 11, 2022 • 11:00 AM–4:00 PM • In Person

You won’t want to miss this exciting event! Enjoy three days to shop for mid-century production-ware and one-of-a-kind original artwork. At the AMOCA Treasure Sale, you’ll find hundreds of ceramic works on sale from $5-$500. At the Holiday Sale at the Studio, you can shop from 20+ AMOCA Studio and Resident Artists! This weekend also brings complimentary museum admission (with advance registration) and our annual Members Sale at the museum store.

Learn More

Pictured: installation view of Gallery B. Foreground: Bari Zipperstein, The Flat Iron.

Members Tour • Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 • 12:00–1:00 PM • In person

Join Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein for a tour of the exhibition Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, exclusively for members.

Learn More

Pictured: Christopher Suarez, Esquina Casa Sanchez. Ceramic with underglaze and glaze. 8.25 x 9.25 x 7.75 inches.

Christopher Suarez • Virtual Artist Talk

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 • 11:00 AM –12:00 PM • In person

Join us for a virtual talk with Artist in Residence Christopher Suarez. Suarez will share about his practice, past work, and future directions. There will be an opportunity for Q & A following the presentation.

Learn More

Pictured: ceramic vegetables by Christina Erives

Artist Workshop • Adrienne Eliades: Pattern Making on Clay

Saturday and Sunday, January 7 & 8, 2023 • 10:00 AM–4:00 PM • In Person • $250

Join artist Adrienne Eliades in the AMOCA studio for a two-day workshop on surface decoration, pattern-making, and building techniques.

Learn More

Artist Workshop • Mette Maya: Abstractions in Clay

Saturday & Sunday, January 14 & 15, 2023 • 10:00 AM–2:00 PM • In person $250

Join Danish artist Mette Maya in the AMOCA studio for a two-day workshop on surface exploration and alternative building techniques.

Learn More


In Case You Missed It

Virtual Artist Talk with Breana Ferreira

Presented and recorded on Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Artist in Residence Breana Ferreira shared about her practice, past work, and future directions. This talk marked the beginning of her 2022-2023 residency in the AMOCA Studios.


Exhibitions on View

Visit Friday–Sunday, 11 AM–4 PM by purchasing tickets online.

Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay

On view September 10, 2022–March 12, 2023, Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay celebrates 44 artists who have defined—and redefined—ceramics over the past 100 years. Many of the Golden State’s most innovative and impactful ceramic artists in the 20th and 21st centuries are women who faced adversity due to gender inequality and were often ignored or overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. These incredibly determined women pushed forward, driven by creativity and tenacity.

Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay  is co-curated by Beth Ann Gerstein (Executive Director), Jo Lauria (Adjunct Curator), and Edith Garcia (Professor, California College of the Arts and University of California, Berkeley).

Learn More

The Artists of Mettlach

This ongoing 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.

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