Potters of the Trail

Potters of the Trail opens Friday, May 3 at Artspace 304 with an opening reception that night from 5-7pm. The exhibition, on view until June 21, showcases the work of the potters who open their studios to the public during the Shawnee Hills Pottery Trail. Potters of the Trail celebrates the pottery and crafts tradition that is strong in Southern Illinois. Participating artists are Harris Deller, Stephanie Dukat, Karen Fiorino, Stephen Grimmer, Dan Johnson, Rob Lorenz, Darby Ortolano, and Kari Woolsey. 

Each artist’s work ranges in ceramic making techniques, firing process and design methods. There is a range of surface decoration utilized on each piece, from Fiorino’s use of intricately hand-painted majolica glaze to Dukat’s custom screen-printed and water-etched patterns. Deller incorporates linework through carving, inlaid glazes and custom decals. Ortolano decorates with sculptural floral elements from her real and imagined garden, while Woolsey uses colorful glaze stenciling to imbue forms with abstract and floral shapes. Grimmer, Johnson and Lorenz achieve their rich ceramic surfaces by feeding logs into a wood kiln for a unique atmospheric firing. Grimmer’s forms have functionality in design with washes of intense color. Johnson’s functional and sculptural forms lend their shapes to architectural, geometric construction with wheel thrown ceramics telling narratives from everyday experience. Lorenz also uses sculptural elements, decals and carvings to add poetic narratives and pop culture references to his work.

The reception on Friday, May 3rd is from 5-7pm, kicking off the weekend of the 9th Annual Shawnee Hills Pottery Trail on May 4-5 from 10am-5pm. More information on the Pottery Trail can be found at https://potterstrail.wixsite.com/pottery-trail

This reception is free and open to the public. Please park in the First Christian Church parking lot, located on W Monroe St and S University Ave.