USU’S MUSEUM PUTS USU CERAMICS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
USU’S MUSEUM PUTS USU CERAMICS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
LOGAN — The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, located on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, unveils “Coming of Age: 21 Years of Ceramics at Utah State University.”
The show reveals the strengths of the university’s ceramics program and that alumni from USU are making a significant contribution to ceramic art, said assistant professor of ceramics and the ceramics area coordinator J. Daniel Murphy. Many from the program have gone on to exhibit their work in galleries and museums, and 27 of the alumni are teaching in some capacity, he said.
The exhibition highlights ceramic pieces created by 63 USU alumni and features a wide range of ceramics in both the vessel and sculpture traditions. The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 9, and an opening reception will be held Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m.
Murphy organized this traveling exhibition. It was first displayed in the Hall Gallery during the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 2006, Portland, Ore., where 6,000 people had the opportunity to view the exhibition.
Murphy said the show traces the history of USU’s ceramics program under the guidance of John Neely, currently department head in the department of art, and professor of ceramics since 1984. Neely was influential in bring a more international flavor to the department with focus on the technical mechanics of ceramics.
“What a pleasure it is to be part of such a renowned program and to work with professor Neely,” Murphy said. “I’ve been at USU for eight years, while John has 21 years to his credit. This exhibition is a compliment to his dedication and determination to create a stellar program. It shows a diverse range of working and firing methods.”
Murphy said of particular interest are the fuel efficient wood firing technologies and a process called “reduction cooling” that Neely has pioneered at Utah State.
The exhibition evolved over a period of time — well over two years — and more than 30 student donors and the ceramics guild helped to make the show possible, Murphy said.
“The show reflects the dynamic community of the ceramics arts in Logan,” he said. “This exhibition has been a great community effort.”
Neely said the inclusion of work by colleagues and special students in the show is especially significant.
“They are an important part of the community that has grown here,” Neely said. “University bean counters are focused on degrees granted, but ceramics doesn’t work that way. Degree programs constitute the formal structure, the skeleton, but it’s the community that forms the flesh and blood and makes it all work.
“I don’t know if I’m seeing it through my own experience, but it reminds me very much of a standard Japanese social construct where there is a continuum in any institution, but especially schools, where in the individuals with greater years in the institution — ‘senpai’ — are obligated to take care of those with fewer years — ‘kohai.’ Kohai are likewise obligated to a measure of subservience to senpai, to do their bidding, and further obligated to take care of those who come after them.”
The continuum extends back and forward in time far beyond the years that one might spend in the institution.
“I don’t think this kind of relationship typical of American universities at large, or even other disciplines within the art department, but it certainly seems operative in ceramics,” Neely said. “I think that if I deserve any credit for the success of the show, or the success of the individuals participating, it is for fostering that community rather than any kind of classroom effectiveness. On the other hand, perhaps I don’t deserve that credit, either. I was just fortunate enough to find myself in the midst of such a community.”
For more information about “Coming of Age: 21 Years of Ceramics at Utah State University” or to schedule a tour of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, call (435) 797-0165.
The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is located on the USU campus at 650 North 1100 East, Logan, Utah, 84322, (435) 797-0163; fax (435) 7978-3423. Information is available at the museum’s Web site, http://www.artmuseum.usu.edu. The museum is open Tuesday- Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, noon-4 p.m. The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. Admission is free. The museum is accessible to persons with disabilities.
Parking for the museum is available in lot C3 to the west of the museum. The parking fee in this area is $6 ($3 will be refunded if parked for two hours or less). Parking is free after 3:45 p.m. and on weekends. Parking is also available in the USU Parking Terrace, located near the Taggart Student Center for $1.50/hour ($7.50/day maximum). Free parking after 2 p.m. is available at lot B, located at the corner of 700 North and 1200 East (by Aggie Ice Cream).
This project is supported by the Utah Arts Council, with funding from the State of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, the department of art and the Caine School of the Arts in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
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Writer: Deb Banerjee for USU Public USU/pw 10/13/06
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