Ceramics From Israel and Japan come to Bellingham

Shows featuring remarkable ceramics from Israel and Japan open at Lightcatcher and Western Gallery in March

Bellingham, WA, February 21, 2012 — Artworks from far corners of the world are coming to our own "fourth corner" when two international ceramic exhibitions noted for the diversity and quality of their works open in Bellingham this March.

From the Melting Pot into the Fire: Contemporary Ceramics in Israel, at the Whatcom Museum's Lightcatcher March 25 – July 15, 2012, presents an outstanding selection of Israeli ceramics. The 42 contributing artists use an ancient craft to provide insights into contemporary life and art in Israel not found in the daily dose of news from the Middle East.

Showing March 27 – May 12, 2012 at the Western Gallery is Soaring Voices, reflecting the rich and innovative ceramic culture of Japan through the presentation of 86 works by 25 contemporary artists. The artists selected are all women.

"It's a demonstration of the transition in Japanese society toward individual women artists being recognized in a realm traditionally held by men," says Western Gallery Director Sarah Clark-Langager.

Timed with national conference in Seattle
The two shows coincide with the National Council of Education for the Ceramic Arts annual conference, held this year in Seattle, March 28-31. The conference is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees, including the curatorial liaison of Melting Pot, Yael Novak, who will be a featured guest in Bellingham for the exhibition opening at the Lightcatcher , Sunday March 25, before lecturing at the Seattle conference.

"Anyone who thinks ceramic art is about bowls and vases needs to see these shows," says Whatcom Museum Executive Director Patricia Leach.

Israel is home to a vibrant contemporary ceramics community, with artists producing a wide range of exciting work. From the satirical to the sublime, 37 examples of ceramic sculpture address issues of identity within an immigrant society.

Many of the works in the exhibition are highly conceptual and address complex issues involving questions of identity and the uncertainty of life in contemporary Israel. Others are inspired more by formal concerns and a desire to explore the full material and aesthetic potential of ceramic art. What stands out across the board are the pieces' remarkable beauty and unusual forms.

From the Melting Pot into the Fire does not endorse any single political, social or artistic point of view and is meant to encourage visitors to form their own opinions about the art it presents and the issues it raises.

Soaring Voices
These ceramics provide contemporary interpretations of a traditional art form through a range of motifs that are inspired from the natural world, dance movements from Noh Theater and kimono patterns of the Edo period. A social commentary is put forth throughout the works, whether it is beauty defined or an exploration between East and West.

Background
From the Melting Pot into the Fire was organized by the Ceramic Artists Association of Israel (CAAI) in conjunction with the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has its origins in the Fourth Biennale for Israeli Ceramics that was organized by the CAAI and hosted by the Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv in 2007. Funding to bring the exhibition to North America was provided by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is accompanied by a fully illustrated, 56-page catalogue.

Soaring Voices was developed The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shiga Prefecture, and hus-10, Inc. Tokyo, Japan and organized for tour by International Arts and Artists, Washington, D.C. The exhibition was generously supported in part by the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the S&R Foundation.