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 White Plains, NY - Fifteen major ceramic artists from across the United States will exhibit their work at the 15th annual Westchester Craft Show, a nationally acclaimed juried event.
The show, which is participating this year in All Fired Up! A Celebration of Clay in Westchester, is at the Westchester County Center in White Plains Friday, October 17 through Sunday, October 19.
As part of All Fired Up!, the Westchester Craft Show will present a panel of ceramic artists exhibiting at the show who will discuss their work at a program free to show ticket holders on Friday, October 17, at 1:30 p.m. The panel discussion will be moderated by prominent critic, curator and educator Judith Schwartz, who is a professor in the Department of Art and Art Professions at New York University. All Fired Up! is organized by the Westchester Arts Council, the Clay Arts Center and many local cultural organizations.
"Ceramics has always been a very strong part of the Westchester Craft Show," said Betsy Kubie of Crafts America, the show's organizer. "We are delighted to offer 15 such accomplished artists from all across the country showing their work and adding to the public's appreciation of the very special art of handcrafted ceramics."
Ceramic artists participating in the show include: Natalie Blake of Brattleboro, VT, whose work is inspired by aquatic, botanical, industrial and mythical elements and has been described as having an ancient as well as a contemporary feel. Leora Brecher of Wyncote, PA, who works with coils of low-fire white clay to create vases, bowls and decorative objects, which she hand polishes to achieve a glossy finish. Plant forms, seeds and seedlings are dominant factors in the hand-built stoneware of Sharon Brush of Silver City, NM. The hand-built, unglazed works of Lindsay Feuer of Cherry Hill, NJ, are inspired by living organisms in the natural world. Carol Gentithes of Seagrove, NC, is best known for her surreal and satirical sculptures that are hand built with coils.
Potter Dustin Harris of Fairborn, OH, will display his functional and sculptural soda fired ceramics. According to artist Robert Hessler of Kingston, NY, in his porcelain vessels he "pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved with different glazes and firing atmospheres." Cliff Lee of Stevens, PA, creates wheel-thrown, carved and sculpted high-fired translucent porcelain pieces. When creating her vessels, Jennifer McCurdy of Vineyard Haven, MA, uses a translucent porcelain body to convey light and shadow, finishing her pieces with carved patterns and microcrystalline glazes. Hideaki Miyamura of Kensington, NH, is best known for his unique iridescent glazes, including a gold glaze on a black background called the "starry night" glaze, and a blue "hare's fur" glaze.
Chandra Stubbs of Sawyer, MI, creates her sculptures from wheel-thrown and slab-formed stoneware with accents of hand-sculpted paper clay. Many of her pieces have hand-carved motifs etched into the surface. Mariko Swisher of Lancaster, PA, uses contrasting figurative elements of the natural world through the brush technique called sgraffito on her thrown and hand-built terra cotta and white earthenware.
Mia Tyson of Tega Cay, SC, works with porcelain and terra cotta, using a firing process that produces the distinct black-and-white finish that has become her signature. The press molded, hand-sculpted earthenware pieces of Noi Volkov of Owings Mills, MD, combine historical elements with modern concepts. Candone Wharton of Daytona Beach Shores, FL, creates hand-built vessels uniquely carved with basket weave and block print designs. She is best known for her intricate work, fine luster glazes and her development of a technique that produces a metallic-like gold luster.
The Westchester Craft Show is a national leader among juried contemporary American craft shows. Attendees have the opportunity to meet and talk with more than 110 of the country's leading craft artists exhibiting exclusive, one-of-a-kind or limited-edition pieces. In addition to ceramics, the show features hand-blown glass, precious metals, elegant jewelry, supple leather handbags, exquisitely handcrafted furniture and wood-turned vessels.
The Westchester Craft Show is organized by Crafts America of Greens Farms, CT, which also organizes two other prestigious shows each year, the Washington Craft Show in November and the West Palm Beach Craft Show in March.
Sponsors of the Westchester Craft Show are Hudson Valley Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Westchester Home, Westchester Cottages and Gardens, and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens.
Admission to the Westchester Craft Show is $12 for adults and $10 for senior citizens. Show hours are Friday, October 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, October 19, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Westchester County Center is located at the intersection of Routes 119 and 100 at the Bronx River Parkway exit 5 off I-287, within easy walking distance of the White Plains trains station. Further show information is available by calling Crafts America at (203) 254-0486, the Westchester County Center at (914) 995-4050 or by visiting www.craftsamericashows.com. For further information about All Fired Up!, go to www.allfiredup.info.
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