Ceramics Society finishes sale, looks ahead to Juxtaclay exhibit opening Saturday

The Ceramics Society held its annual ceramics sale on Thursday and Friday of last week, offering a wide variety of student-made items, from bowls and cups to candles and artistic pieces.

The sale was held in Wightman Hall room 125A and proceeds went toward compensating the artists along with funding future programs on campus.

Lapeer senior Jessica Stefani, the Student Government Association representative for the group, said the ceramics sale had interest from people all over campus.

“We’ve had a variety of customers, from students to professors, to businessmen, to people involved in our community,” Stefani said. “It’s been a pretty good turnout.”

One of the more notable customers was University President George Ross, who went to the sale between meetings to look for an item to buy for his wife.

Ross said the Ceramics Society embodies the variety of programs available at Central Michigan University.

“it makes it (CMU) special,” Ross said. “I was just at a meeting for students interested in health administration and 15 minutes later I’m at a pottery sale. That is what makes Central great — it allows students to experience things they wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.”

Owosso senior Louis Martin was one of the artists who had work for sale.

“My inspiration for my sculptural work comes from Robert Arneson, whose works are often roughly handled and comical,” Martin said.

He said while the style is different from the majority of the ceramic landscape, it captures a greater amount of interest from the people observing it.

“Because it’s comical, people can relate to it,” Martin said. “People can see themselves in it and gain a better understanding of it.”

Juxtaclay exhibit opening Saturday

The Ceramics Society is also opening an exhibit in the University Art Gallery this weekend called Juxtaclay, featuring the works of Mount Pleasant senior Meghan Borland and Utica senior Stephanie Galli.

The gallery will be open from April 20 to May 5. The reception and artist talks will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on April 21.

Galli, president of the Ceramics Society, said the title Juxtaclay is a play on the words “juxtaposition” and “clay” and speaks to the differences, but also the common bond of both her and Borland’s works.

Galli said her art is more focused on simply being aesthetically pleasing, while Borland’s work, which consists more heavily of sculptural pieces, is more focused on conceptual meaning.

“I like people to see the beauty behind it,” Galli said. “Instead of trying to search for some deeper meaning, I just want them to enjoy looking at it. I want my work to be something they want to look at often.”

Borland said the exhibit is an honor for both her and Galli.

“It’s a huge deal,” Borland said. “We both have been working on these pieces since last summer, and to see all our work come to fruition is just incredible.”

Borland said while she is excited for people to see her work, she does ceramics for a more personal reason.

“We artists, we need art,” Borland said. “We need art to function.”