Flux: 2023 ClayHouston Members’ Show

The ClayHouston annual Members’ non-juried show includes diverse works from current ClayHouston members who reside in and around the Houston area. Ranging from sculptural to functional ceramics, this showcase represents artists from varying levels.

Flux is the state of continuous change, an ongoing process, and in the context of clay and glaze, it is an integral element that facilitates important transformations within ceramics. Clay is a volatile medium that requires constant adaptation to translate concepts into tangible objects; from form to surface, ceramics carry evidence of the maker and the processes used. This dynamic material unites the Houston clay community across all backgrounds, levels, and interests.

Eligibility and Media
This exhibition is open to all current ClayHouston members. Work must be completed within the last 2 years, and not previously shown with ClayHouston. Each work must be made mainly of clay with other media taking a minor role in the piece. Each artist can submit 1 piece (diptych and triptychs included) for the exhibition. Wall mounted work must not exceed 48”x 48” and must weigh less than 50 pounds. All wall mounted work must be delivered ready to hang and be accompanied by appropriate hanging hardware (no adhesives like command strips, or tape, and no butterfly bolts or large bolts). Pedestal work must be no larger than 3’Hx2’Wx2'D and be ready for exhibition. For specific installation questions or concerns, please email the ClayHouston Exhibitions Chair, Naomi Peterson at naomi.peterson@clayhouston.org.

Rules
All works must remain for the duration of the show. ClayHouston reserves the right to photograph work for publicity purposes. Submission of the entry application signifies the artist’s understanding and acceptance of the rules and conditions of the show.

Juror
SARAH DARRO (she/her) is a curator, writer, and visual anthropologist working at the nexus of contemporary craft, art, and design. She has established an intersectional curatorial vision that is invested in reinvigorating museum spaces as forums for discourse, innovation, action, and engagement through experience. She lives and works in Houston, TX, where she is the Curator and Exhibitions Director of Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

Darro was the 2022 Jentel Foundation Art Critic at the Archie Bray Foundation and the 2019 American Craft Council Emerging Voices Scholar Awardee. From 2021-2022, she was the Gallery Manager of the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC; in 2020 she completed a Curatorial Research Fellowship in Modern and Contemporary Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass; and in 2018 she completed a three-year Windgate Curatorial Fellowship at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

She holds a Master’s degree in Visual, Material, and Museum Anthropology from the University of Oxford and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Art History and Anthropology from Barnard College of Columbia University. Her research interests include artist communities and collectives, movement and performance practice in craft, architecturally-influenced design, radical accessibility, systems esthetics, and the life histories and agency of objects.

Awards
Best of Show $150
Best Vessel Category $75
Best Sculpture Category $75

Location
Gallery 100 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards
1502 Sawyer Street, Houston, TX

Important Dates
July 1: Call opens
September 9: Submission due via JotForm
September 18-20: Drop off art work
September 20-21: Install
September 30: Opening Reception
September 23-November 10: Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
November 11: Deinstall and artwork pickup