Earth!  Fire!  Water!  The very elements that support our life on this planet are the raw materials of the ceramicists’ art.  Working with these basic elements of Mother Nature is both a humble and a heroic undertaking by the artist.  From earliest time, humankind has reflected its dependence upon and fascination with these elements in a vast array of forms.  From the mundane vessel to the magnificent monument artists have fashioned our history in clay.

In New Ceramic Horizons, ten artists continue to explore the vocabulary of this ancient art form.  Far from being a dead language, clay can be molded to reflect its timeless history while at the same time speaking in a contemporary voice.  The Paradise Wood Sculpture Grove is an ideal setting in which to experience these works of ceramic art.  By setting these works directly in the environment from which they materially come, humankinds’ diminutive state and brevity of tenure is made all the more clear and poignant.  By displaying these works directly in nature, a spectacle of kaleidoscopic richness is reflected in the daily play of light, the impress of weather and andante of seasonal change.  This wedding of art and nature will repay many visits to the Sculpture Grove with a new experience each time.

The work of these ten selected artists reflects the diversity of aesthetics that characterize the post-modern world of art.  From the visceral to the intellectual, each artist has found a reflection of his or her personal voice in the wedding of earth, fire and water.

Harley, Curator

May 14 , 2002