"Willow," a porcelain sculpture by Laura Jean McLaughlin, is on display in the Art Gallery. (Photo by Leslie McDonnell) Mid-Atlantic Ceramic Sculpture from the District of Columbia to Philadelphia County and Beyond, the first art show of the year, is a do not miss ceramic sculpture exhibit inspired by diverse cultures all over the world.
The gallery catches the eye and demands attention with its alluring wall installation of white cherry blossoms constructed by Laurel Lukaszewski.
The three dimensional leaves attached to the wall are serene and almost life-like, but more perfect as they will never wilt or die.
The next piece that commands attention is the colossal totem crafted by Hawaiian native Don Nakamura. The totem statue reeks of iconography.
Etta Winigrad created an inspiration with her modern approach to the female form in “Around and Around,” made of smoked clay and wire. It seems it may have even had an influence on Lady Gaga’s red carpet ensemble with wired circles encompassing its host.
Nature is a recurring theme seen in all the displays of flowers, leaves, and nests. Novie Trump’s sculpture “Waiting” is most interesting with its large egg atop a nest of bones, representing the Galapagos Islands, made famous by Darwin’s discoveries.
Laura Jean McLaughlin says a lot with her feminine vision of a green skinned woman with two tan trees trunks as her hair. It seems she might be trying to express the importance of roots.
Two pieces that seem to stand out the most are the chain mail stoneware statues, like Ruth Borgenicht’s “Ring of Rings.” These differ from the others in that they represent opposite things than do the rest of the collection. The chain mail is metal, dead, man-made and very industrial which makes these two artworks most mysterious.
The enchanting array of artwork displayed is as diverse as their origins, from Darwin’s Galapagos Islands to Hawaii and the Far East to South America.
The overall theme of the collection is noticeably feminine as most of the artists are women, with emphasis on circles as seen in the egg atop the bone nest, egg, chains, flowers and the soil installation by Margaret Boozer.
To supplement the show, DCCC welcomed Dr. J. Susan Isaacs, Curator of Special Projects at Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, to the gallery to elaborate on the artwork on January 25.
Look forward to visiting, “The Human Figure: Then and Now,” the next exhibit coordinated by curator Bertha Gutman, which will be on display March 4 to April 2.
Contact Leslie McDonnell at Communitarian@mail.dccc.edu
