Dairy Barn’s "Contemporary Ceramics 2021" exhibition includes "Lantern, 3 Tier" from Eliza Au, left; "Cylinder, in the Gut", from Matt Kelleher, middle; and "Bloom" by Benjamin Lambert, The middle foreground, and other unique exhibits.

Before November 28th, the Dairy Barn Art Center at 8000 Dairy Lane will host a contemporary ceramic exhibition curated by Ohio University ceramic professors Brad Schwieger and Tom Bartel. 

The exhibition is held every few years and exhibits works from 16 different artists and two curators, all of whom have contributed their ceramic works to be displayed in the exhibition. Artists were invited to submit works by Schwieger and Bartel to showcase various ceramic art. 

The exhibition is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. The general admission fee is $7, students and seniors are $5, and Dairy Barn members are free. 

Schweiger said that he and Battelle chose specific artists for the exhibition by selecting artists with a wide range of backgrounds and artistic disciplines. In doing so, Schwieger and Bartel also included their own work in the exhibition to imitate the process they used when selecting the work of other artists.

"Tom and I also have works in exhibitions, which usually doesn't happen. Curators usually don't work on exhibitions," Schweiger said. "But Dairy Barn thinks it would be good to show the diversity between Tom and me. Our works are really different. We are influenced by different sources. This is how we choose artists."

Schwieger said that the overall purpose of this event is to provide Athens with a rich variety of artworks, which usually do not appear in the local area. 

"I see it as a teaching tool," Schweiger said. "Not only for my students, they are fortunate to see all the art works, but also for the public. Although I like Athens very much, it is still very isolated from the world. Therefore, bringing artists to Athens may be better than people leaving. It’s easier for Athens to go to places like museums. So, it’s great...they (Dairy Barn) brought many amazing artists and exhibitions to Athens."

Holly Ittel, the exhibition director of Dairy Barn, said that although the exhibition is composed entirely of ceramic works, there are still differences in their designs, images and creative vision.

"A variety of artworks are on display, all made using clay media," Yitel said. "So, there are sculptures, figurative works, pottery, and artists are exploring new technologies in the field of ceramics, such as 3D printing. This is a weird and interesting show."

An artist in the show, Kurt Anderson, said that this weird element in the show is reflected in his own work-he hopes the audience will find fun in it. 

"I like my work to have a sense of humor. I don't like taking art so seriously," Anderson said. "I like my work to express a little happiness, and I hope people can accept this."

Another artist in the exhibition, Marty Fielding, said that his attitude towards his art was largely influenced by his understanding of previous ceramic exhibitions.

"My idea is to make some works that can be the core," Fielding said. "Considering the scale, I hope to be comparable to the rest of the show, in terms of the kind of prestigious factor."

For OU students who may participate in the exhibition, Schwieger emphasized that the exhibition has a strong educational element, especially students who are interested in ceramics, because they can learn more about the technical aspects and overall artistry of ceramics. 

"There is a very beautiful sense of craftsmanship, the technical skills used by the artists and the way they are...very good at using materials and tools," Schweiger said. "This is always interesting for students, because young potters or young clay people in OU, they just don't have that much experience. They are still developing their skills and being taught how to do certain things. Information there Too much."

For Fielding, although he is very grateful for the students to be able to see his own work, he said that the feature of this program is that students will experience a variety of art works and things made in the field of ceramics. For a moment in education.

"Because... As the work of artists continues to progress and develop, we will all become very professional, focusing on specific directions," Fielding said. "I think it's also very exciting to be able to see all these individual methods."