Art Faculty Curate Exhibition at Artists Archives of the Western Reserve

Davin Ebanks, professor and head of glass, and Peter Christian Johnson, professor and head of ceramics and interim director for the School of Art, curated a regional group exhibition called “Kindred Objects: Ceramics & Glass Art from the Western Reserve.” The exhibition features more than 20 established and emerging artists and is on view at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve in Cleveland from Nov. 4 through Dec. 18, 2021. An opening reception will take place on Nov. 4 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. in person with masks required in the gallery.  

For Ebanks and Johnson, the pairing of the media was a natural choice. “Glass is historically linked to ceramics,” they explain. “The technology for the latter is necessary to produce the former. This kinship formed the basis for the genesis of this show… Moreover, both materials seem to command a unique loyalty from their practitioners.” Both glass and ceramics also have strong historical ties to Northeast Ohio. “It must be mentioned that the American Studio Glass Movement was born in the Western Reserve, in Toledo, Ohio, nearly 60 years ago…The Western Reserve is now home to 3 significant glass programs: Bowling Green State University, Cleveland Institute of Art and Kent State University, all of which are represented in this show.”

The regional artists curated into “Kindred Objects” include a number of Kent State alumni as well as professor emeritus, Brinsley Tyrrell and current ceramics professor, Michelle Summers. Exhibiting artists include: Sommer Bonfiglio, Katie Burkett, Kristin Cliffel, Stephanie Craig, Alli Hoag, Benjamin Johnson, Brent Kee Young, Eva Kwong, Benjamin Lambert, Jennifer Leach, Andrea Leblond, Todd Leech, Alberto Veronica Lopez, Jennifer Masley, Zachary Miller, Marc Petrovic, Gabriel John Poucher, Kari Russell-Pool, Brian Sarama, Timothy Stover, Michelle Summers, Alicia Telzerow, Brinsley Tyrrell.

The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve is a unique archival facility and regional museum that preserves representative bodies of work created by Ohio visual artists and, through ongoing research, exhibition and educational programs, actively documents and promotes this cultural heritage for the benefit of the public.

Images: (left) Katie Burkett, '17, M.A. '21, "Silence of the Situation at Hand," 2021, rocking chair, medical gauze tubing, blown glass; (right) Gabriel John Poucher, '17, "First Fish," 2021, porcelain, underglaze. 

POSTED: Tuesday, October 26, 2021 10:35 AM
Updated: Friday, December 9, 2022 04:22 PM