Davis Arts Center has been hosting an ACGA show during the CCACA Conference since 2006.

2020 was different.

Davis Art CenterACGA: CERAMICS IN FOCUS – 2020”

was to be viewed live at the Davis Arts Center, (1919 F Street, Davis, CA) Wednesday, April 29 – Friday, May 29, 2020.

The participants, all members of the ACGA and were selected for this show by juror Mary Law (see below).

Although we were  disappointed not to have the show live, we are delighted to be able to share a sample of the work and information about the individual artists here on the ACGA website.

The Davis Arts Center is a special venue for ACGA Clay artists, as they have hosted this show since 2006 in connection with he California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art.

ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center -Christopher Fortin
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center -Christopher Fortin
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Ian Bassett
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Ian Bassett
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Margaret Norman
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Margaret Norman
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Mari Emori
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Mari Emori
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Naomi S Cooper
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Naomi S Cooper
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Sally Jackson
ACGA Ceramics in Focus - Davis Art Center - Sally Jackson
 ACGACeramics in Focus 2020- Davis Art Center 2020 - Sarah Logan
ACGA Focus on Ceramics 2020 - Davis Art Center -ACGA Focus on Ceramics - Davis Art Center 2020 - Sarah Logan

To learn more and to inquire about individual artist’s work, please find links to their websites in their Artist Statements.

Please click the art work image for a slide show of that artist’s work included in the exhibition. Click the artist’s name for the Artist Statement.

MARY LAW – JUROR ACGA: CERAMICS IN FOCUS 2020

In jurying this ACGA show, I was both delighted and dismayed to learn that there were 22 entrants: delighted by the healthy response, and  dismayed at having to winnow them down to just a handful.

I had some difficulty in selecting from the strong group of entries. The brief was to select for a body of work to be exhibited from each of six individuals; this meant that from looking at the images each person submitted I had to consider which were cohesive enough to be just that. I therefore picked work where it appeared the potter or sculptor was exploring a particular idea or design, rather than perhaps showing their breadth of skill.

There were more sculptures than pots submitted, and in the end I chose the work of 2 functional potters and 5 sculptors. I do hope it makes for an intriguing show, and I look forward to seeing it!

Mary Law

Mary Law - 2020 ACGA Ceramics in Focus Juror - Crocodile Plate, 5in x 9in x 1in

Mary Law
Crocodile Plate, 5″ x 9″ x 1″H

Mary Law - 2020 ACGA Ceramics in Focus Juror - Bird Ewer - wheel-thrown stoneware, soda fired, 7.5 in x 6in x5in

Mary Law
Bird Ewer, wheel-thrown stoneware,
soda fired, 7.5″ H x 6″ x 5

A brief history of the ACGA shows at the Davis Arts Center

Davis Arts Center has been hosting an ACGA show during the CCACA Conference since 2006.  The first juror was Suzanne Baizerman, past curator of Craft & Decorative Arts of the Oakland Museum.  Four artists, Tom Decker, Barbara Sebastian, Tom & Sara Post and Lydija Tkalcevic were selected. There was a simultaneous ACGA survey show juried by Suzanne Baizerman at The Pence.

We continued having concurrent shows with The Pence during the conference for 2 more years – jurors were Robert Brady in 2007 (artists: Kazuko Matthews, Bruno Kark, Lesley Baker and Julia Terr.) In 2008 Peter VandenBerge juried the show called  ‘Exploring the Surface’ (artists: Jane Burton, Phyllis Pacin, Sara Post and Barbara Glynn Prodaniuk).

In 2009 it became a Davis Art Center show only, with Catharine Hiersoux the juror, selecting 8 artists – hence the title ‘ Eight from ACGA’ – Christa Assad, Bill Geisinger, Mark Goudy, Carol Koffel, Barbara Prodaniuk, Cynthia Siegal, Ursula Tilker and Sharon Virtue.

‘Eight from ACGA’ continued in 2010 with juror Marc Lancet, and artists James Aarons, Steven M. Allen, Jean Cherie, Suzanne M. Long, Forrest Lesch Middleton, Lee Middleman, Beth Ozarow  and Margaret Realica.

In 2011 it became ‘ACGA@Davis Art Center” with juror Nancy Selvin and artists James Aarons, Linda Fitz Gibbon, Susannah Israel, Lynn Landor, Diane Levinson, Tomas Post, and Liza Riddle.

In 2012 it returned to  ‘Eight from ACGA with juror Tom Decker selecting Michele Collier, Bill Geisinger, Amy Halko, Bill Heiderich, Lee Middleman, Bob Pool, Sara Post and Carol Wedemeyer.

The 2013 juror, Lana Wilson, selected Gerald Arrington, Alice Corning, Maria De Castro, Julia Feld, Susanne French, Patricia Griffin, Lee Middleman and John Schnick.

In 2014 the Davis Art Center became Davis Arts Center and ‘Eight from ACGA” continued with juror Donna Seager selecting Barbara Andino Stevenson, Natasha Dikareva, Nina Else, Iver Hennig, Suzanne M. Long, Kathy Pallie, Susan Press and Gail Ritchie

In 2015, the show became ‘ACGA:Ceramics in Focus’ with juror Linda S. Fitz Gibbon selecting Caroline Blackburn, Craig Easter, Jane Grimm, Bill Heiderich and Jo Killen.

Robert Brady, the juror of ‘ACGA:Ceramics in Focus’  in 2016 selected Doris Fischer-Colbrie, Linda FitzGibbon, Bob Pool, Virginia Rigney, Kala Stein and Patricia Yenawine .   This was the first year we also had a ‘pop-up’ exhibition during the CCACA conference in downtown Davis at the Regency Building.

In 2017 Nathan Lynch selected Leah Bowring, Deborah Bridges, Jane Grimm, Crystal Kamoroff and Daniel Oliver for ‘Acga:Ceramics in Focus’.

And in 2018 juror Michelle Gregor selected Bill Abright, Claudia Tarantino, Eusebio Lozano, Joseph Kowalczyk, Françoise LeClerc and Daniel Stingle.  We continued to have a pop-up down town during the CCACA conference.

In 2019, juror Lana Wilson selected Cuong Ta, Daniel Oliver, Leah Bowring Pollack, Mary Catherine Richardson, Peggy Snider, Shoshana Parry & Vince Montague for the Davis Arts Center Show Ceramics on Focus and the pop-up down town.