Marvelous Mud, a ceramic pottery exhibit hosted by the ASU Art Museum and Tempe Marketplace, will be displayed at the Night Gallery for the first time in the exhibition’s 11-year history.
At least 40 artists, including seven ASU graduate students, will be participating in the exhibit, said Peter Held, curator of ceramics at the ASU Art Museum’s Ceramic Research Center.
“The wide range of styles and techniques come in the form of pottery, vases, sculptures and more,” he said.
Every summer since 2001, artists desiring to be showcased in the spring exhibit apply to the center. The chosen applicants are showcased as part of the studio tour.
The Marvelous Mud exhibit is a preview open to the public leading up to the studio tour at the end of this month, said Jeanne Collins, president of the center’s Artist Advisory Board.
“The tour gives people a chance to talk directly to the artists,” she said. “Artists will have their work out for sale and offer ceramic demonstrations, including glazing and hand building, at all 13 different studios where their art is created.”
The Night Gallery, located in Tempe Marketplace, will showcase a preview of the ceramic creations from all participating studio tour artists, said Held.
“We felt that the Night Gallery was a good fit for ASU to present the exhibit this year,” Collins said. “It’s truly a beautiful space and really brings the art to the public.”
The Night Gallery, a partnership with Vestar Development Corporation at Tempe Marketplace and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, has been an outreach program between ASU and the Tempe community for nearly four years.
More than 35,000 people visited the gallery in 2011, said faculty advisor of the Night Gallery James White.
“What makes ceramic art so interesting is its variety,” White said. “It can go into the form of functional and delicate pottery or into the craziest and most deviant sculptures.”
Ceramics has been part of many different world cultures. It is an important part of both history and people’s current lives, said Held.
Marvelous Mud is a free exhibit that is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. until Feb. 26.
“When a community is willing to accept creativity, they will be able to accept it into all aspects of life,” White said.
Reach the reporter at gqolson@asu.edu
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