PAST GALLERY EVENTS

Reflections in Clay
Jan. 25 — March 1, 2003

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) is pleased to present Reflections in Clay, an exhibition of contemporary ceramics and sculpture curated by master ceramicist Reuben King. Among the artists in the show is award winning sculptor Nöel Copeland who has produced several public installations through New York City's Percent for Art and MTA Public Art Programs. The work of Rina Peleg will highlight the exhibition with an environmental installation of intricately woven clay that subverts clay’s stone-like quality, giving the medium the tactility of cloth. Ms. Peleg has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pollack-Krasner Foundation. Five other New York based artists include: Ellen E. Day, Marcy R. Edelstein, Liz Lawrence, Sabina Magnus, and Janine Sopp, all of whom are award winning artists that have exhibited nationally.

Mr. King has exhibited his work as well as conducted ceramic workshops internationally. For his contribution to the exhibition he has created an installation that addresses the issue of censorship in government sponsored art museums. The work, a representational commentary entitled "Sanitized for Your Protection," is a mixed media installation. In this piece a brick structure depicts a museum space whose interior is a brightly sanitized replica of a bathroom.

King has stated "Most of the world has been in a quandary about the classification of ceramic art, which is usually dismissed as ‘craft’ no-matter how aesthetically complex. Reflections in Clay will reinstate the fine art in ceramics by exemplifying the artistic principles of form, function, and beauty. This exhibition presents a collection of sculptural and functional works with a twist." In the exhibit's unique design King examines both the home environment and the formal gallery setting in order to expose the range of adaptations for ceramic art..