For 70 years, Scripps College has presented the cutting-edge of ceramic arts. Artists such as Ken Price, Paul Soldner, John Mason, and Peter Voulkos have all exhibited in the Annual. For it's 70th year, the Annual presents artists who have served as both the artists and curators.
The longest-running exhibition of contemporary ceramics in the nation, this year’s show highlights its artist curators, from the Annual’s earliest days in World War II to the present. The first group of curators includes Scripps Professors of Ceramics who organized many years of exhibitions: William Manker (1945-46), Richard Petterson (1947-1958), Paul Soldner (1951-1991), Nobuho Nagasawa (1992-1995).
The second group is composed of artists from outside Scripps. In 1996, the Williamson Gallery director began inviting guest curators to organize the Annual. Artist curators have always been selected on the strength of their proposals, and how their ideas advance a different theme or concept.
This annual includes approximately 60 works by twenty artists from across the country, presented here in order of their participation from 1945 to 2013: William Manker, Richard Petterson, Paul Soldner, Nobuho Nagasawa. Kris Cox, Douglas Humble, Cindy Kolodziejski, Kathleen Royster Lamb, David Furman, Adrian Saxe, Nancy Selvin, Karen Koblitz, Tony Marsh, Steven Portigal, Tony Hepburn, Phyllis Green, Adam Davis, Wayne Higby, Tim Berg, and Virginia Scotchie.
The selection is national in scope, including artists from California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Many of these artists are also educators who built or led major programs in ceramics, such as Adrian Saxe at UCLA, Karen Koblitz at USC, Tony Marsh at Cal State Long Beach, Tony Hepburn at Cranbrook, and Wayne Higby at Alfred.
This is an excellent show and a definite must see. When a viewer sees the extent of the works, he can trace and see the development of ceramics as a media for contemporary sculpture. Scripps College has played a key role in the development of ceramics as an art form. Also, the idea of the artists-curator brings a fresh perspective to the exhibition.
The exhibition runs through April 6. Admission to the exhibition is free. The gallery is open to the public and hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 pm during exhibitions. For more information, please call (909) 607-3397.
THE WILLIAMSON GALLERY
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