October 28, 2021

Essex Art Center’s current exhibitions stir the imagination and inspire our human capacity to “Shape Things”

by joeyphoenix

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From Essex Art Center

Essex Art Center’s current exhibitions highlight ceramics and the rich and diverse history the medium has had since the organization’s move to their building on Island Street in 1995.

According to Leslie Costello, one of Essex Art Center’s founders, the nonprofit didn’t have room for wheels and a kiln until they moved from Essex Street into their new building, but once they did, clay took off as one of the most sought-after mediums for students to explore.

Shaping Things, a group exhibition, draws its title from the words of artist and activist Theaster Gates. In talking about clay, he said, “It’s not really about the material. It’s about our capacity to shape things.”

The work in this exhibition explores the process and possibilities of working with clay while reflecting on diverse subjects from race, gender, sexuality, and ecological concerns.

Also on view is a dynamic, multimedia installation by ceramic artist Anne Thiam. The work in the artist’s first solo show, Remembered, explores how we all struggle and thrive in different ways due to the environment in which we find ourselves.

Influences from Thiam’s time living in Senegal, Spain, and the Caribbean are evident, as are West African textiles and architecture, the work of Gaudí, and interpretations of natural structures, such as fossils and underwater coral reefs.

Works by Essex Art Center’s Clay Faculty and a presentation of the late Jane Libby’s works are also on view.

Shaping Things and Remembered run from October 22 to December 12 at Essex Art Center. A ceramic sale will coincide with the last two days of the shows on December 11 and 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Check Essex Art Center’s website for additional event information.


Creative Collective’s #NonprofitNovember to highlight nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations North of Boston

This November, Creative Collective is launching #NonprofitNovember, a social media campaign geared towards bringing awareness to local nonprofits and encouraging the public to support. Nonprofit and community organizations foster civic engagement, leadership, and growth for cities, and the role they occupy as cultural touchstones and educational hubs in North Shore communities is difficult to miss. 

Learn more.