FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 6, 2021

MEDIA CONTACT:

SARAH AMACKER, COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
225.270.5049  
samacker1@lsu.edu 

BATON ROUGE, La. - LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is excited to present two exhibitions showcasing the ceramic art of teaching, creating, and collecting. Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection and The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection will both be on view at LSU MOA from July 8 until October 17, 2021.

Images: (left) Lisa Orr (American, b. 1960), Large Rabbit Bowl, 2018, polychrome glazed earthenware; Akio Takamori (Japanese-American, 1950–2017), Head Vase, c. 1990–1999, polychrome glazed porcelain; Val Cushing (American, 1931–2013), Spittoon-shaped Vessel, c. 1990, glazed stoneware; (right image from L to R) Peter Voulkos (American, 1924–2002), Chimney Pot, 1964, glazed stoneware; (right) Paul Soldner (American, 1921–2011), Pedastal Piece from Kimono series, 1982, unglazed raku fired earthenware; Ceramic works from the E. John Bullard Collection.

Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection
On view July 8–October 17, 2021

Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection will, for the first time, share selections from a group of ceramic works on long-term loan to the LSU Museum of Art from E. John Bullard. This collection will be exhibited and studied by the public and students in support of LSU's top-ten ranked ceramics program. These works are a promised gift to the permanent collection and range broadly in technique and style. This collection of 100 works is comprised of artworks by 68 artists, including important figures in ceramics history such as Andrea and John Gill, Vivika
and Otto Heino, Ken Ferguson, Wayne Higby, Roberto Lugo, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Don Reitz, Daniel Rhodes, Richard Shaw, Charles Smith, Paul Soldner, Akio Takamori, Robert Turner, Peter Voulkos, Kurt Weiser, and Marguerite Widenhain.

Most of these works are functional wares whose design, surfaces, and glazing techniques activates our senses; the sculptural and visual/tactile experience is heightened through the hands of these master artists. The materials and techniques are unique in each work, while also acting in dialogue with history and each other. Ceramic art was reconsidered and recognized for artistic and historic achievement in the 20th century. These artists’ aesthetic achievements rival the achievements of any other artistic medium.

In some cases, this collection contains multiple works by individual artists, showing a range of forms, styles, and glazing techniques. We encourage you to contemplate these works in the broad context of modern and contemporary art history. The clay of the earth has been formed and fired and the magic of the kiln is evidenced within each work. This exhibition is curated by Daniel E. Stetson, Executive Director of the LSU Museum of Art. LSU MOA thanks the following sponsors for making this exhibition and catalogue possible: Catherine Burns Tremaine, Becky and Warren Gottsegen, Debbie de La Houssaye and Lake Douglas, Jacki and Brian Schneider.

ABOUT THE COLLECTOR E. John Bullard is Director Emeritus of the New Orleans Museum of Art. His distinguished career as Director and CEO at NOMA spanned 37 years. In retirement his artistic love has manifested in an abiding interest in ceramics and in a short seven years his collection has grown to around 1,000 objects.

Image: Ceramic works and bisqueware works from both Form & Fire: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection and The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection. (left to right) Dominoes by Richard Shaw; head by Kensuke Yamada; teapot by Sam Chung; Acorn Vase by Charles Smith; white mug by Lauren Gallaspy; mug by Joanna Powell; cup and saucer by Lisa Orr; Head Vase by Akio Takamori

*Please credit artists using caption lines when using images for press and publicity purposes.

Image: Bisqueware works from The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection. (left to right) sauce boat by Jen Allen; mug by John Gill; head by Kensuke Yamada; handled vase by John Gill; teapot by Mike Jabbur; caged vessel by Jen Allen; rabbit by Joe Bova; pitcher by Jen Allen; cup and saucer by Lisa Orr; upside-down head by Kensuke Yamada; white mug by Lauren Gallaspy; cup by Doug Peltzman

The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection
On view July 8–October 17, 2021

Inspired by the visiting artist tradition, The Boneyard: The Ceramics Teaching Collection presents the energy and legacy of ceramics demonstrations through bisqueware. Bisque refers to the state achieved after a wet clay demo is completed and then fired once. What remains is a porous, unglazed record of the visiting artist’s creative process that can be referenced year after year by professors and students. Included in this exhibition are over 200 bisque works that provide a valued resource for LSU School of Art’s top-ten ranked ceramics program. The ever-growing collection will be displayed at LSU MOA to imitate the classroom use of the boneyard. The boneyard refers to bisque works and how they are stored in studio spaces for teaching and ceramics demonstrations. It's known for its unique display on high shelves in the studio, with many bisque works together, showcasing a variety of techniques, improvisation, and skill. Faculty and instructors pull bisqued objects from the shelves in order to highlight specific techniques and attributes of form, only to return the bisque back to the shelf so they can grab another set of objects.

This exhibition will feature rotating displays and a demonstration space that will be activated by MFA students, local artists, and visiting artists to allow museum visitors to share in the boneyard tradition—to watch clay transform and to see artist-specific techniques shared in the openness of the craft tradition. This exhibition is a collaboration between LSU Museum of Art and LSU School of Art and is curated by LSU Ceramics Associate Professor Andy Shaw with LSU MOA Curator Courtney Taylor and LSU MOA Educator Grant Benoit.
CELEBRATE CLAY Artist Talk & Demo Program Series: July–August 2021 updates coming soon!

Free First Sunday / June 6, 1-5 p.m. / Tour The Art of Seating & Demo by Denicola's

June 6th is the last day to view the exhibition The Art of Seating: Two Hundred Years of American Design at LSU Museum of Art!

• 2 Free Group Tours: Pre-register for a free group tour of The Art of Seating with LSU MOA Educator Grant Benoit at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. (15 people max in each tour time slot / masks required). Pre-registration for tour required: http://bit.ly/artofseatingtour
   
• Rush Seating Demo with Michael Gatz, owner of Denicola’s Furniture & Upholstery in Baton Rouge, from 2–4 p.m. A rush seat or cane seat is a woven seat made from dried natural materials such as vegetation or fibers such as twisted paper. It is created by weaving or ‘caning’ these materials. Join us for a demo of this process with Michael Gatz of Denicola's Furniture & Upholstery, a local design-focused and sustainable furniture restoration business known for its traditional craftmanship and upholstery services.

Visit LSU Museum of Art’s Facebook and Instagram pages @lsumoa regularly for program announcements and exhibition updates. For more information: www.lsumoa.org

ABOUT LSU MUSEUM OF ART
LSU Museum of Art seeks to enrich and inspire through collections, exhibitions, conservation, and education, serving as a cultural and intellectual resource for the University, Baton Rouge, and beyond.

LSU Museum of Art is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President and Metro Council. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund, members, and community partners. Supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Art Bridges and Junior League of Baton Rouge. Thank you to the following sponsors of Free Friday Nights and Free First Sundays at LSU MOA: Louisiana Lottery Corporation and IBERIABANK, a division of First Horizon, for sponsoring free admission and Louisiana CAT for sponsoring programming.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The museum is located in downtown Baton Rouge at 100 Lafayette Street on the Fifth Floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. General admission is $5 each for adults and children age 13 and over. Admission is free to university faculty and students with ID, children age 12 and under, and museum members. Active duty military members, first responders, and their families receive free admission with ID as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Masks are required during museum visitation and LSU MOA no-touch digital gallery resources can be accessed here: www.lsumoa.org/digital Museum Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; and closed on Mondays and major holidays. Free admission occurs on the first Sunday of each month and every Friday night from 5-8 p.m. For more information: visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-389-7200, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.

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