Culture
Southeast Ohio Ceramics Featured in New Art Trail
< < Back toA collective of Southeast Ohio arts organizations have collaborated to form the Southeast Ohio Contemporary Ceramic Trail Celebration, opening this September.
The trail, a regional celebration of Southeast Ohio’s ceramic heritage, embraces the artistic expression of contemporary ceramics, featuring ceramic exhibitions in Athens, Nelsonville and Zanesville while also providing travelers with stops at events, shops and studios in the Hocking Hills, Lancaster and Roseville.
“The Southeast Ohio Contemporary Ceramic Trail is an excellent addition to the experiences available to visitors in the Hocking Hills and Southeast Ohio,” said Karen Raymore, executive director of Hocking Hills Tourism Association. “Travelers are looking for compelling stories and authentic encounters with local culture and history. This new trail is an outstanding way to share the rich ceramic heritage of the region.”
The trail starts on Friday, Sept. 18 with the opening reception of Contemporary Ceramics 2015 at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens from 5-8 p.m.
“The Ceramic Trail exhibition will showcase some of the most important and prolific work being produced in the United States and internationally,” said Brad Schwieger, co-curator of Contemporary Ceramics 2015. “Visitors will get an indication of Southeastern Ohio’s rich history of functional and decorative pottery, as well as how the ceramic industry has impacted our region.”
The trail continues with the Starbrick Clay National Cup Show 2015 at the Starbrick Gallery in Nelsonville, opening Friday, Sept. 25 with a reception from 5:30-9:30 p.m.
Last on the trail is the Zanesville Museum of Art, which will host the 2015 Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics and will award the grand prize winner with $20,000. The opening reception will be held Friday, Sept. 25 from 7-9 p.m.
“Last year the jurors for the inaugural Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics Competition and Conference stunned the international ceramics art world by awarding the Western Hemisphere’s largest Best-of-Show prize of $20,000 to an ‘unknown’ ceramic artist: Christine Golden of Flagstaff, Arizona,” said Susan K. Gottlieb, director of the Zanesville Prize for Contemporary Ceramics. “This fall, we are rocking foundations yet again.”
For more information on the Trail, including the details of each exhibit, download the trail map here.