St Petersburg MFA Ceramics show.

By now, one may have noticed that everyone has a ceramic show. I have a brochure that claims there's 50 shows in 40+ venues. See here: [Link]. NCECA's having its 45th anniversary convention in Tampa's center, and is supposedly bringing in 5,000-7,000 Ceramics Educators, which is why we're having so many top-rated ceramicists showing.

St Pete's MFA is no exception. They've opened up a ceramics exhibit titled: "Place: Contemporary Ceramics by Jennifer Fosberg, Sarah Lindley, and Jeanne Quinn", of three large installations, one by each of these artists.

Ms. Fosberg, who is Swedish, uses form, its shape, weight etc. as abstractions for inner emotions and feelings. There are several pieces on a white, cloud outline-like white platform forming an inner, personal narrative of the state between being asleep and awake, but still in "dream mode". Some hang like biomorphic bags, others are piled together, sinking into each others, some are stand-alones and lit.
See here: [Link] and much bigger here: [Link] and here: [Link]

Sarah Lindley has a series about paper mills that have contaminated the surrounding areas. The forms of the mills are rendered in a skeletonized maquette form, making them transparent, yet present. These building forms rest on white promontories, and/or landscapes. Here is a close-up of one of the structures [Link], but the landform it rests on is not visible. They are made of unglazed stoneware.

In 1849, Richard Wagner wrote an essay about "The Artwork of The Future", or Gesamtkunstwerk, what he referred to as the complete work of art. Jeanne Quinn has taken this concept into a complex installation that I can only liken to walking into a constellation of sensuous forms, many of which hang from the ceiling, from top to bottom, all the way to the floor. Most are porcelain balls, others are bone-shaped, all hang via monofilament, appearing to float in space. Some are chandelier-like, others pure forms. For a good idea of how this looks, see here: [Link]. The installation at MFA is denser still. It's the kind of work that shifts with one's every change in point-of-view.

This exhibit was chosen by the National Council of Ceramic Educators as a Concurrent Independent Exhibition. It shows the breadth of the ceramics medium through a trio of outstanding artists.

Through April 24, 2011. 255 Beach Art Drive, St Petersburg. Hrs: 10-5 Mon-Sat, 12-5 Sun. Adults $17. Seniors 65+ $15, College Students with valid, current ID, $10.