Spring/Summer Season 2008

Masters In Clay
May 10, 2008 - September 28, 2008
In the Museum and Domestic Arts Buildings

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Masters In Clay presents seven globally known artists.  All of whom have gone on to make monumental sculptures in clay and other mediums.  But they have continued to produce ceramic works of small dimensions, though not stature.  They share the fundamental belief that clay is a medium to be reckoned with - that it no longer has parameters of size, function, glaze or firing, and that its future is limitless.

Museum Building

Peter Voulkos and Toshiko Takaezu are two of a generation that changed the course of ceramics; their teaching careers spanned decades and their influence on their students and other potters cannot be over emphasized.

Voulkos and Takaezu come from opposite ends of the globe and results of each of their sensibilities are worlds apart; their educational backgrounds and aesthetics could not be more different.  Yet the one defining word that comes to mind when seeing their ceramic sculptures is "masterpiece."  Scale is of no importance: some of the tiniest works have the power to inspire awe while some of largest have the delicacy to appeal to the most refined taste.  Firing and surface finish... raku, pit-fired, glazed or unglazed... aer of great significance because each has its own qualities that produce unique results.

Toshiko Takaezu's ceramics are a model for reflection on the importance of balance and a reminder of the continuous presence of emptiness.  The harmonious natural forms give a shape to the void and reveal her attitude about space.  The elegant glazes transmit an impression of great depth.  Simplicity of form and her spontaneous and painterly technique give her art its distinctive characteristics.

Peter Voulkos is credited with bringing ceramics from a utilitarian craft to a fine art.  He was the central figure in what has been called the "Revolution of Clay" of the 1950s; Voulkos expanded the boundaries of the medium, eliminating its functionality and raising it to expressive and heroic sculpture.  Originally his art was manifested in thrown and decorated vessels, but he removed from the traditional to expressive clay forms, slicing and slashing the surfaces and creating his unique signature style.

Peter Voulkos
Artwork Courtesy of Charles Cowles Gallery, NY

Untitled (Plate), 1980
wood fired stoneware
20 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 4"

Untitled (Plate), 1995
wood fired stoneware
20" x 20" x 5 1/2"

Toshiko Takaezu
Artwork Courtesy of the Artist and Charles Cowles Gallery, NYC

Egg, n.d.
stoneware
29" x 22" x 22"

Torso, 2001
porcelain
27" x 7 1/4" x 7 1/4"

Untitled, 1988
porcelain
17" x 9" x 9"

Domestic Arts Building

Peter Callas, Paul Chaleff, Robert T. Cooke, Takeo Okazaki and Rudolph Serra continue what is becoming a tradition of breaking new ground with a centuries old medium.  These five artists have differences in tehir approach to clay yet there are similarities of philosophies, sensibilities and backgrounds that unify teh artists and give cohesion to the juxtaposition of their ceramics.

Peter Callas articulates his inner feelings through the style of abstract expressionism and his incredible technical skills.  Paul Chaleff communicates his vision through exploration of human emotion.  His works have implicit and is understood through the familiarity and universality of expression and feeling.  Robert Cooke elaborates on the fundamental role chance plays in his work and his life.  Takao Okazaki creates works that are filled with movement and action.  Rudolph Serra works by intuition; his spontaneous pieces derive from no preconceived ideas but from a freedom of spirit.

All of the artists share the fundamental belief that clay is a medium to be reckoned with, that it no longer has parameters of size, function, glaze or firing, and that its future is limitless.

The work of Peter Callas will be de-installed on September 8, 2008.
The work of Paul Chaleff and Takeo Okazaki will be de-installed on September 15, 2008.

Peter Callas
Tulum, 2006
wood fired stoneware
48"  x 24"  x 24"
Courtesy of the Artist

Paul Chaleff
Splash, 1994
stoneware, lead and copper inlay
36" x 60" x 36"
Courtesy of the Artist

Robert T. Cooke
Black Boat with Blue Spruce, 2006
ceramic
31"  x 33" x 26"
Courtesy of the Artist

Rudolph Serra
Untitled, 2006
terracotta
20" x 11" x 3 1/2"
Courtesy of the Artist and
Charles Cowles Gallery, NY

Takao Okazaki
Prometheus V, 2000
wood fired stoneware
31" x 23" x 9"
Courtesy of the Artist