1994 Exhibitions 

Jerome Fellowship Exhibition: Joseph Kress and Mary Lucas

January 7 – February 26

Joe Kress' work is elegant, spare, geometric, sculptural and functional. Mary Lucas produced an installation which explored the idea of transformation and was itself transformed over the course of the exhibition.

Teacher as Mentor

March 11 – April 29

Works of faculty and selected students from three of the leading ceramic programs in the country, showing the sometimes subtle, sometimes clear influence of the teacher on the younger artists. The teacher/mentors and their students were: Aurore Chabot, University of Arizona, Tucson, and Tori Arpad and Bryan Warren; Chris Gustin, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and Zoe Primrose and Erica Wurtz; Suze Lindsay, Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina, and Jane Shellenbarger and McKenzie Smith.

Language of Abstraction

May 13 – July 1

Work of six artists from the Midwest who focus on the physical poetry of abstraction. The artists were Sally Brogden, Gary Erickson, Amara Geffen, Yih-Wen Kuo, JoAnn Schnabel and Deborah Sigel. While they came from all over the country, they shared some common elements in their work (use of color, amorphous shapes, texture), and their interest in the connections between art and the environment, human relations and personal spirituality.

NCC Studio Artists Exhibition

July 15 – September 2

A biennial look at the work that is produced by the artists who rent studio space at the NCC; juried by Mark Pharis of the University of Minnesota. Studio artists included in the exhibition were Heather Delisle, Leila Denecke, Kristin Johnson, Shirley Johnson, Irv Knowlen, Joseph Kress, Karin Muchemore, Donovan Palmquist, Gene Palusky, Al Clemente Saks, Susan Spencer, Johanna Steinrueck and Beth Upton.

Under the Influence of Women

September 16 – November 4

The work of four regionally and nationally known women who have made significant contributions to ceramics as artists, teachers and mentors. Included in the exhibition were functional and sculptural works by Linda Christianson, Karen Gunderman, Gail Kendall and Gail Kristensen. The artists submitted statements about their work and about their lives as artists and teachers, which were published in a small catalog, along with the guest curator's statement.

Publication of the catalog was made possible by generous support from five companies, four of which are owned and operated by women: Bags & Baggage, L. Coffey Ltd., Mara-Mi, The Thymes Limited and Dean Witter.

1994 Holiday Exhibition and Sale

November 18 – December 23

Featured work by 58 artists in the Center's annual holiday exhibition and sale. The exhibition provides an opportunity to see a substantial amount of work by a large number of the top regional and national ceramic artists, in addition to serving as a source of major earned income for the artists and the Center.