The University of Mary Washington’s newest gallery exhibition, New Ceramics in the Old Dominion: A Survey of Virginia Ceramics Faculty, features ceramic works by faculty from schools across Virginia. The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, Dec. 6 in UMW’s duPont Gallery.
Presenting works by 16 artists, the exhibition includes works ranging from pots and mugs to larger scale sculptures. While most of the pieces are entirely ceramic, some of the artists used mixed mediums such as found objects and photographs.
“This show represents the broad diversity of contemporary ceramic art,” said Jon McMillan, professor of ceramics at UMW and curator of the exhibition. “It presents outstanding makers working in many facets of the medium, from object sculpture and figurative work to functional vessels.”
The exhibition is McMillan’s first curatorial effort since joining the faculty of UMW in 2010. While McMillan admitted this show was partly for his own enjoyment, he also wanted to use this opportunity as a teaching method for his students.
“It was always very important to have my students learn from these experiences,” said McMillan. “This was an opportunity to gather artists from across the state and showcase their work in one cohesive exhibition.”
As the only ceramics professor at UMW, McMillan represents the school with two pieces of his own. While one is made entirely of ceramic, the other is a mixed medium piece from his Bioforms series.
Also opening on October 29, UMW’s Ridderhof Martin Gallery presents “Contemporary Craft,” an exhibition that aims to share artwork that utilizes traditional materials in new ways.
Both galleries are free and open to the public. They are located on College Avenue on the Fredericksburg campus and are open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The galleries are closed during university holidays and breaks.
For directions and more information about the UMW Galleries, call (540) 654-1013 or visit http://galleries.umw.edu.
