‘Functional Ceramics’ at the Ohio Craft Museum spotlights unique works

On Apr 4, 2021

Just about everyone needs a coffee cup, a bowl or a plate for food. Why not have one of these pieces that is artistic, unusual and unique?

The exhibit “Functional Ceramics 2021” at the Ohio Craft Museum showcases nearly 90 pieces by 16 national and international artists. Their platters, bowls, jars, mugs and vases are handsome, often surprising and beautifully crafted. Each of the 16 artists — from throughout the United States and Canada — is represented with five or six pieces that are singularly individualistic but complementary as a set.

The annual exhibit is co-presented by the Ohio Designer Craftsmen (which operates the Craft Museum) and the Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster, where the exhibit normally takes place. This year, because of the pandemic, “Functional Ceramics” moved to the Ohio Craft Museum where it can be seen in person or online.

Kim Nagorski, the museum’s assistant director and curator of “Functional Ceramics,” selected the artists for the invitational show. She said she looked for “innovative work that stretched the boundaries of functional pieces and showed a wide range of technique.”

The result is a small but charming exhibition of functional craft.

Dawn Candy, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, designed platters, cups and mugs with a graceful bird motif. Her large white platter with a gold rim showcases a bird on a branch sprouting with new leaves. Birds also serve as images for Shaunna Lyons, of Bakersville, North Carolina; her bowls have terra cotta “feet” (bases) and avian characters on their sides.

Randolph, Vermont, artist Holly Walker’s pieces have a modern flair, especially the “Listening Jar” with its off-kilter lid and handles and the striking “Dot Palette,” a black and gold checkerboard plate whose squares are filled with brightly colored dots.

Earth colors and abstract shapes mark the works of Takuro Shibata, of Seagrove, North Carolina. His vertical “Triangle Jar” is an elegant study in ecru and rose.

The only Ohio artist in the mix is Alison Fawcett, of Dayton, who studied at Ohio University. Her coffee pot, mugs and bowls are adorned with floral and leaf designs and vertical lines.

Andrew McIntyre, of Oxford, Mississippi, creates subtle bowls and jars in shades of cream, olive and blue and accented with small, perforated dots that allow light to pass through.

And Chandra DeBuse, of Kansas City, Kansas, adorns her high-gloss jars and vases with colorful flowers and vines. In her statement, the artist said she uses “narrative imagery, pattern and form to create a sense of play.” That play is evident in her clever salt cellar. Sitting on top is a small squirrel; pick him up and open the container’s lid and his tail functions as the salt scoop.