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Prize Winners
Prize Winners will be announced at the opening for the following prizes:
- Best of Show – Logan Woodle Low on the Hog Series
- 3 Juror’s Awards – Robbie Lobell Flameproof Cookware Series, Sarah Mizer Glass Wallpaper No. 1: Virginia’s Executive Mansion, Brent Skidmore Entropy: as described in the Landscape of Love-table
- Best Use of Materials – Briana Babani Ripple Pendant Lamp
- Best Environmental Statement – Penny Mateer Mighty Grip
- Emerging Artist Under 30 Years – Hans Gottsacker Game Par Excellence
- Eminent Artist Over 70 Years – Chris Lang Mother Nature’s Chair
- Honorable Mentions: Byron Conn Calligraphy Stool, Madeline Salsich Antares (tea infuser), Elizabeth Keller Penjing Tea #4 (“fused trunk”) with 3 cups, Paula Singleton Not So Vanilla Swirl hat, Paul Eshelman Handled Soup Bowls, Emily Dvorin Cellular, Danny Crump High Life, Dorothy McGuiness Jazz, Xiaomiao Wang Blue and White Bowl, Robert Griffith Red Table, and Maggy Rozycki Hiltner Triple Hearts
Jurors for Art We Use
Craig Nutt is a studio furniture maker and sculptor, whose work is in numerous museum collections including the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, the High Museum of Art, the Mobile Museum of Art and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.. He was a founding board member of the Furniture Society and former Executive Director of the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists. He currently serves as Director of Programs for CERF+. http://www.craignutt.com/
Craig’s Statement:
The Dairy Barn is well-known nationally for its themed survey exhibitions such as Works in Wood and Quilt National. The latest offering, Art We Use, is especially timely. After many years of sculptural work occupying the craft spotlight, functional work is once again moving to center stage.
There is a long history of functional objects such as teapots walking the line between utility and sculpture. Contemporary quilts are most often intended for display on the wall rather than to be used as a bed covering. Not wishing to be overly-dogmatic about utility, the jurors for Art We Use nevertheless agreed that the selected objects, if not functional in the strictest sense, should each have a discernible connection to function or a history of use.
The work selected ranged from straightforward utilitarian pottery, some of which would be equally at home at the MOMA Design Store, to “glass wallpaper” that references historical wall coverings – and everything between. Some of the most engaging works are not only functional, but also comment on their function. For others, function serves as a conceptual underpinning or as a springboard into a sculptural form. The fact that artists would interpret the exhibition theme both literally and subversively is no surprise. I would expect no less.
Jennifer Poellot Harnetty graduated from Ohio University in 1996 with a B.A. in English Literature and minor in studio arts. Harnetty worked in communications at the Ohio Arts Council prior to becoming assistant editor, and later associate editor, of Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines. Currently, she is the managing editor of ceramicartsdaily.org, a respected resource for ceramic artists with more than 85,000 registered users from around the world, as well as the online home of Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated. In addition, she developed and now manages the Ceramic Arts Daily Presents video series, a growing collection of instructional videos for ceramic artists. Also a potter, she has been working with clay for more than 13 years.
Jennifer’s Statement:
“As the editor of a ceramic arts website, the artwork I see on a daily basis runs the gamut from strictly functional pottery to conceptual installation pieces. But I must say that I expected the former to make up the bulk of the entries to this exhibition. As is evident in the works presented here, I was mistaken. It was a pleasant surprise to see the wide range of interpretations of the idea of “Art We Use.” This lead to interesting conversations amongst the jurors on what constitutes utilitarian art. I hope that the resulting exhibition reveals that the answer is happily ambiguous.
Many potters, myself included, make functional work to celebrate everyday rituals such as sharing a meal with family and friends. I feel that this type of art has as much value as its more conceptual counterparts, and the high caliber of functional art in this exhibition reflects this. However, it was refreshing to see that there is room for different forms of “useful” to coexist. For example, ordinary objects such as jar openers and reflective tape are repurposed into a cautionary weaving on the dangers of human overconsumption, and intentionally impractical wallpaper made of gold-leafed glass questions power, status, and legacy. Pieces, such as these, which stretched the definition of utilitarian art, are reminders that by its very definition, all art is useful.”
Paul W. Richelson, Chief Curator, has been on the staff of the Mobile Museum of Art for 20 years. Formerly he was Chief Curator at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Assistant Director and Curator at the Trisolini Gallery at Ohio University. (PhD and MFA-Art History, Princeton University; BA-History, Yale University) His particular interests are in contemporary prints and drawings, but he has helped to develop the Mobile Museum of Art’s contemporary studio glass, ceramic and wood art collections.
Paul’s Statement:
First off, let me make it clear, I am a believer, a convert. Years ago after several moves, I could see that my collecting passions needed to be curtailed and I decided that the art I bought henceforth, I had to be able to use. Oh, yes, there have been relapses, but when approached to be a juror for this exhibition; I was excited at the prospects of seeing what a project with this theme might reveal about how todays artists approach this challenge. The artists who submitted clearly rose to the occasion often stretching concept the “Useful”, but that is what made the experience of selection so enjoyable. To all those marvelous creative talents who make possible the daily experience of living with functional beauty I offer my congratulations.
Artists
| Brian Alloway | Athens OH |
| Liz Alpert Fay | Sandy Hook CT |
| Briana Babani | Austin TX |
| Lee Badger | Hedgesville WV |
| Lisa Belsky | Columbus OH |
| Fay Bomberg | Evanston IL |
| Mike Bowen | Huntington WV |
| Bob Bruch | Cleveland OH |
| Bryon Conn | West Henrietta NY |
| Daniel Cook | Huntington WV |
| Danny Crump | Athens OH |
| Theresa Devine | Phoenix AZ |
| Rick Duff | Athens OH |
| Ray Duffey | Indianapolis IN |
| Emily Dvorin | Kentfield CA |
| Paul Eshelman | Elizabeth IL |
| Zach Felts | Bloomington IN |
| Brian Ferrell | Jeannette PA |
| Stuart Gair | Hudson OH |
| Xia Gao | Okemos MI |
| Jenny Gawronski | Alamosa CO |
| Pam Geisel | Yellow Springs CO |
| Hans Gottsacker | Madison WI |
| Robert Griffith | Hallstead PA |
| Tyler Gulden | Walpole ME |
| Molly Johnson | Cicero IN |
| Jean Judd | Cushing WI |
| Rachel Kanter | Montclair NJ |
| Ann Keister | Grand Rapids MI |
| Elizabeth Keller | Conway SC |
| Ashley Kim | San Diego CA |
| Mike Korsak | Pittsburgh PA |
| Qicheng Kuang | Columbus OH |
| Chris Lang | Newark OH |
| Lauren Kearns | Loveland CO |
| John Lefelhocz | Athens OH |
| Hsin-Chen Lin | Tainan City TW |
| Robbie Lobell | Coupeville WA |
| Kari Lonning | Ridgefield CT |
| Peter Malinoski | Hyattsville MD |
| Penny Mateer | Pittsburgh PA |
| Dorothy McGuiness | Everett WA |
| Amy Meltzer | Cambridge MA |
| Sarah Mizer | Richmond VA |
| Patricia Nelson | Grand Rapids MI |
| Bonilyn Parker | Juneau AK |
| James Probst | Hamlin WV |
| Maggy Rozycki Hiltner | Red Lodge MT |
| Shana Salaff | Fort Collins CO |
| Madeline Salsich | San Fransisco CA |
| Tammy Schweinhagen | Pittsburgh PA |
| Lindsay Scypta | Ashland OH |
| Paula Singleton | Fairlawn OH |
| Brent Skidmore | Asheville NC |
| Aaron Smith | Nelsonville OH |
| Liz Zlot Summerfield | Bakersville NC |
| Susan Syddall Bolton | Lancashire GB |
| Iren Tete | Columbia MO |
| Cynthia Tinapple | Worthington OH |
| James Tingey | Dallas TX |
| Tatiana Van Iten | Hanover IN |
| Regina Vorgang | Ventura CA |
| Tim Waldrop | Macomb IL |
| Xiaomiao Wang | Weatherford OK |
| John Wiliams | Renick WV |
| Kimberly Winkle | Smithville TN |
| Michael Woodle | Conway SC |
Many Thanks to the organizations, businesses and individuals that helped make this exhibition possible.