BG Projects at New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present Franken-Flowers & Vase-Ensteins, a group exhibition showcasing a class project from the USI Spring 2023 Advanced Ceramics Students. The show opens Saturday, June 24, with a reception on Saturday, July 8, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM Central. Franken-Flowers & Vase-Ensteins will be on view from June 24 – July 29, 2023, with gallery hours from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM Central, Tuesday – Saturday.
"Students in Ceramics 2, 3, 4, & 489 at USI began this project by each creating a variety of vessel shapes, neck shapes, and handles or sculptural accessories. They then collaborated on putting the parts together to create a variety of vase forms. The construction took place under ‘Top Chef’ style time limits, so decisions and building took place quickly! After the ‘Vasensteins’ were complete, students studied their creations and took inspiration from them. These inspirations were used in their individual vase creations."
~USI Ceramics Professor Al Holen
In Franken-Flowers & Vase-Enstiens, whimsy and experimentation run the gambit. Through the collaboration of students, different aesthetics combine to create unexpected and dynamic ceramic works of art. One collaborative group piece by Emma Eaton, Jaeda Thompson, and Jade Young combines their different aesthetics of clean and elegant lines, Serendipitous attachments, and curvilinear forms into one exemplary deep mauve vase. Another partner piece by Ryan Huck and Jade Young incorporates multiple sculptural parts in muted earth tones with bulbous textures to create an outlandishly abstract composition reminiscent of a locomotive. Glendale Apartments by Ashley Banks, is a response piece that draws inspiration from the towering presence of a synergistic work by Ashley Banks, Katie Holloway, Lisa Ryan-Hutton, and Shyanne Steward. These two works mimic textures and pull from the same, if not similar, color family; both pieces have strong verticle momentum.
Artists included in this exhibition are:
Ashley Banks, Delaney Bigler, Emma Eaton, Elizabeth Garland, Al Holen,
Katie Holloway, Ryan Huck, Lisa Ryan-Hutton, Summer Skelton,
Shyanne Steward, Jaeda Thomason, Jade Young
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is dedicated to enhancing the experiences of students through an artist-run exhibition space in the Back Gallery. BG Projects at NHGCA allows students to exhibit, experiment, and/or curate within a working contemporary art gallery setting. Through exhibition and curatorial strategies, students can envision new possibilities for collaborations and their art practice.
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the Southern Indiana region.