Former Art Students Return for Ceramics Alumni Invitational
Each year Houghton graduates art students who use a variety of mediums, clay being one of them. On Monday, November 18, the Houghton Art Department will host some of these former students and their artwork in a Ceramics Alumni Invitational in the Ortlip Gallery.. This event will feature various pieces of ceramic art from seventeen Houghton graduates in the Center for Fine Arts from 6-8 p.m.
Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of exhibitions for the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art, said she looks forward to this unique opportunity. “Houghton hosts exhibitions of both established and emerging artists every year,” she said. “This is a unique Alumni Invitational Exhibition specifically focused on artists working in clay who have graduated from Houghton with a degree in art and are actively making ceramic work.”
Gary Baxter, professor of art, serves as the curator of the show. Last year, when he announced his plans for retirement after 35 years of teaching ceramics, sculpture, 3D Design, furniture design, and ancient art history in the department, Baxter and his colleagues planned for a show to exhibit the work of his students who came through Houghton’s program under his teaching and are currently active in the field. He had the privilege of inviting seventeen artists to participate in the gallery. “I was impressed when I saw the work,” he said. “What they’ve done in the gallery in this exhibit will be quite different than what they did while they were students here. They’ve progressed quite a bit over the years.” After receiving work from artists living and working across the United States, Indonesia, and Tanzania, Baxter and Taylor-Austin worked together to design the show.
As a current student, Jill Magara ’17, a studio art major with a concentration in ceramics and photography, is also excited to observe the artistic progress that alumni have made. “It’s exciting for me to see how Professor Baxter’s students’ styles have developed after undergrad. It’s always a really great opportunity to talk with Houghton alumni about how they’ve gotten to the place in the career that they’re at.”
This invitational will provide current Houghton students with the opportunity to not only enjoy the art, but also to learn from alumni. “I think this opening is important because it’s filled with Houghton alumni. These are students that have been in our place years before us and we get to see their successes and talk with them one-on-one about their experiences, successes, and failures,” Magara said. “This doesn’t happen often as an undergrad studying art.”
This invitational is a special opportunity for both professors and students alike to observe professional ceramic art. “There will be a variety of ceramics in the show. Some will be sculptures, some will be low-fire pottery. There is a wide variety of different ways of working as well as the different material they’ve used,” Baxter said. “I was impressed with the students’ work. In fact, it occurred to me that many of them have surpassed me. That was very gratifying to see that.”
Not only that, but this exhibit will be a celebration of Baxter’s loyalty to the art department. “One of the most exciting elements of this show is that you can see the result of Gary’s dedication to teaching,” Taylor-Austin said. “He has instilled very lasting impressions of technique and skill along with a thoughtful approach to working in this medium, conveying ideas, and creating both functional and sculptural work.”
The Ceramics Alumni Invitational Exhibition will feature works by Aaron Harrison, Alic Drew, Arryn Vogan, Barb Arensen, Betsy Addison, Elizabeth Addison, Eric Holbein, Jason Herring, Jennifer Depaolo, Lisa York, Lydia Ferwerda, Marc LeMaire, Nancy Petrillo, Naomi Woolsey, Patricia Ocock, Paul Christensen.
This will be Houghton’s first time hosting a Ceramics Alumni Invitational, making it a rare privilege for the Houghton community to come together and celebrate the ceramic artwork done by Houghton alumni. The work will remain in the Ortlip Gallery from November 14 to January 13.