“After China,” at the Las Cruces Museum of Art Feb 1 – April 5; American Ceramics Artists Exhibit Work Following Residency in China

“After China,” showing at the Las Cruces Museum of Art Friday, Feb. 1 through Saturday, April 5 features works of ceramic artists Marie Weichman, Ian Thomas and Dryden Wells produced during and after their two-month artists’ residency in Jingezhen, China. An opening reception for the artists will be held on Friday, Feb. 1 from 5 – 7 pm.

Mixed-media artworks in ceramic porcelain with additions of wood, fiber, and metal make up the “After China” exhibit. By working closely with craftsmen during a residency in China, the three American artists were able to create works that focus on the relationship between art and society. Their investigation into current cultural, social and artistic issues through the methodology of Process Art was a primary goal of the project, they explain.

Marie Weichman, a Houston, TX resident, received her MFA degree from Texas Tech University in 2000. Her ceramic work has been exhibited in numerous venues in Texas and in Lima, Peru; and was included in the 2007 “From the Ground Up” Regional juried exhibition at the Las Cruces Museum of Art. Her artwork is based in the social commentary of individual identity as part of a greater whole, a theme she says was able to pursue during her residency through visits with professional mold makers, casters and other Chinese craftsmen.

Ian Thomas of Butler, PA works in mediums of both drawing and ceramic sculpture. An Instructor of Ceramics at the Carnegie Museum of Fine Art, he holds an MFA degree from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX; a BFA from Slippery Rock University, PA and participated in an international exchange program at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia. In addition to this exhibit, Thomas’ work will be shown in two exhibitions this year in Pittsburgh, PA. Other recent venues include Kentucky, South Carolina and Nebraska. He explains that this body of work is a departure from previous work, choosing to focus on form and surface rather than heavy-handed drawing techniques. The high luster surface of the artworks will attract the viewer, as well as reflect their own image back as they interact and respond to the pieces.

Dryden Wells will complete his MFA degree at Texas Tech University this year. His works have been exhibited in Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Using animal forms as a subject and vehicle, he addresses interior and exterior spaces literally and metaphorically. He says he began drawing on clay during the China residency. In this exhibit, Wells presents forms created through the use of multiples, segments of animals made with both hand-built and molded forms. Through fragmenting and stacking them, the initial subjects are obscured, making the work more provoking and engaging for the viewer.

Showing at the Museum concurrently with “After China” through Saturday, March 1 are “Art to Heart,” works by students from the Tresco Therapeutics art class held at the Museum; and “Love & Chocolate,” works by Dona Ana County, NM residents inspired by or created from chocolate, celebrating “For the Love of Art” 2008. All Museum of Art exhibits and receptions are accessible and free of charge. For information about exhibits, programs or Museum Studio classes, call 575-541-2137 or visit the website: museums.las-cruces.org.