Three artists working at the forefront of contemporary ceramic art research will be exhibiting their work in the inaugural Kent State National Ceramics Invitational. Conceived to replace the decade-and-a-half-running National Juried Cup Show, the Kent State National Ceramics Invitational will also feature an accompanying full color catalog.

Max Seinfeld’s main interests lie in work featuring contrasting elements. He creates objects that examine the interplay of relationships between soft and hard or highlight the slight movement of a solid material. After growing up in Danbury, Connecticut, he received his BFA from the University of Hartford, Connecticut and finished his post baccalaureate studies from the State University of New York at New Paltz, New York He is currently in the middle of  a year long residency at The Clay Art Center in Port Chester, New York. In addition, he works as a part time studio assistant for Doug Peltzman Pottery in New York State.

Emily Duke earned her MFA at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2016 and a BFA from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI in 2009. She uses techniques based in ceramics, plaster mold-making, paper decoupage and carpentry to make collections of objects. She then organizes parts in a frontal view reminiscent of historical facades, stage props and window displays. Duke currently lives with her husband in Kent, Ohio.

Laura Polaski, an Illinois native, graduated from College of the Ozarks in Missouri before completing her MFA in Ceramics at the University of Arkansas in 2015. She is currently creating a body of work comprised of ceramic and mixed media sculpture and vibrant paint stick and pastel drawings. For Polaski, these works personify the effect of fear and trauma on individuals in their pursuit of joy and excitement. She currently lives and works in Denton, TX.

The Kent State University School of Art Ceramics program is the only program where a student can earn an MFA with a focus on ceramics in northeast Ohio. Long regarded as one of the leading ceramics programs in the country, this exhibition helps to compliment that tradition.

The Kent State University
School of Art Collections and Galleries’
Downtown Gallery
141 East Main Street Kent, Ohio
330-676-1549
galleries.kent.edu

Kent State National Ceramics Invitational, featuring Max Seinfeld, Emily Duke & Laura Polaski
March 2–April 15, 2017
reception: 5 – 7 pm  March 16

Stratosphere: A Juried Competition: April 20 – May 5 in KSU Downtown Gallery

Juror: Mark Fox. Reception: 5 – 7 pm April 20