{"id":91477,"date":"2025-03-19T11:57:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T18:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=91477"},"modified":"2025-03-30T10:31:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T17:31:22","slug":"at-phillips-utah-state-university-artists-explore-clays-transformative-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/at-phillips-utah-state-university-artists-explore-clays-transformative-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"At Phillips, Utah State University Artists Explore Clay\u2019s Transformative Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Stoneware

Stoneware by Nikita Nenashev in Phillips Gallery’s exhibition of ceramic works by Utah State University faculty and students.<\/p><\/div>\n

At Phillips Gallery, as part of the NCECA Conference, Strike While the Iron is Hot<\/em> showcases the work of Utah State University graduate students and faculty members, offering a dynamic and cohesive exploration of clay as both a functional medium and sculptural language. The exhibition is a testament to the diversity of contemporary ceramic practice, highlighting both traditional utilitarian forms and ambitious sculptural works that reintroduce us to historical practices in a new way.<\/h4>\n

At the heart of this show is a rich investigation into the firing process itself. Artists employ a wide range of techniques, from wood fire, crash cooling, atmospheric reduction, and electric firings. The unpredictability and nuance of these methods become central to the aesthetic language of the work. Wood firing, in particular, offers surfaces rich in variation, where ash deposits, flashing and natural glaze build-up create depth and texture impossible to replicate by hand. This surrender to the kiln’s influence becomes a collaborative act between artist and process, with each firing a new dialogue in discovery.<\/h4>\n

The works on display embody deep personal research, with many artists drawing inspiration from natural landscapes, geological forms and the subtle transitions of material states. Some pieces capture the delicate tension, and torque between fragility and durability, inviting viewers to consider the ceramic form not just as an object but as an artifact of transformation. Others lean into gesture and abstraction, with thrown or hand-built forms that are intentionally altered, cut, or distorted, allowing chance and intention to intermingle.<\/h4>\n