Ceramic artists William Brouillard, Judith Salomon, and Seth Nagelberg will bring In Three Parts to River Gallery from July 28 through September 15, with a reception from 3:00 to 7:00pm on the show’s opening day. Brouillard and Salomon have known each other since 1975, when they met as graduate students. Both went on to teach at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Nagelberg, a current associate professor and chair of the ceramics and glass departments at the Cleveland Institute of Art, is a newer addition to the trio. Brouillard was part of the search committee instrumental in bringing him to Cleveland. The artists will design a series of mugs together specifically for this exhibition. They and River Gallery will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Cleveland Institute of Art Ceramics Department.

A 2009 Cleveland Arts Prize recipient, William Brouillard knew early on that his life would be that of a maker and he settled on clay as his primary tool while in graduate school. Brouillard moved to Cleveland in 1980, where he taught ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art until 2016. Now Brouillard focuses his attention full-time on making pots and doing commission work in his Tremont studio. His work appears in collections throughout the country, including the Cleveland Museum of Art. According to Brouillard, his new work speaks to the complex interactions with technological change and its impact on our lives and spiritual values. He describes his work in clay as uniformly eclectic. He works in a variety of ceramic and other craft studio materials using the background of his Cleveland studio as inspiration. The work for this exhibition reflects his visual interest in the analog machines of the early twentieth century.

Judith Salomon, also a Cleveland Arts Prize recipient in 1990, is professor emeritus of the Ceramics Department of the Cleveland Institute of Art, in which she taught from 1977 to 2015. She has exhibited and taught internationally. Her work appears in collections throughout the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Primarily a hand builder, Salomon uses slabs to construct volumes. She uses slipcasting techniques to produce multiples and vary their surfaces with muted and sandblasted glazes. In this body of work, the addition of cement acts as a contrast to the thinness of the clay to create a tension of inside/outside and container/containment. Structure and manipulation of the clay form the essence of pieces that are often inspired by Salomon’s visual memories.

Before joining the Cleveland Institute of Art, Seth Nagelberg was assistant professor at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. His work has been published in Art & Perception and American Craft magazine and he has taught workshops throughout the country. In 2015 he published his first book Batch Manufacturing for Ceramics: Models and Molds, from Process to Product. Nagelberg’s forms are rooted in technology. He explores the relationship of form and function. For this exhibition, he is looking at innovative ways of working with material in order to coax it to do something new. Nagelberg feels his work brings a playful and humorous approach to everyday objects and our built environment. Cups appear to tumble, vases spin, inviting you to look and play. The effect is achieved by blending hand work with digital and industrial processes.

While the work of these three artists is unique and individual, In Three Parts will exhibit the qualities they all share: love for their craft, respect for process and technique, and admiration for each other.

 

PATTY FLAUTO & MICHAEL NATHAL: ORGANIC PROGRESSION | THROUGH JUNE 2

CHRISTINE RIES & PAUL LINHARES: NEW WORK | JUNE 9–JULY 14

IN THREE PARTS | JULY 28–SEPTEMBER 15

RECEPTION 3–7PM SATURDAY, JULY 28

 

River Gallery

19046 Old Detroit Road

Rocky River, Ohio 44116

rivergalleryarts.com