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March Issue 2004
Nina Liu & Friends in Charleston, SC, Features Works of Caroline Cercone & Arthur McDonald
Caroline Cercone (potter) Arthur McDonald (papermaker)
Nina Liu and Friends in Charleston, SC, is presenting, Ceremonial Elements: Clay and Paper, from Mar. 1 - 31, 2004. The exhibition includes works of pottery by Caroline Cercone and of handmade paper by Arthur McDonald.
Cercone was born in Germany and received an MA in Japanese Studies (Philipps University, Marburg). She completed her research while living in Japan and her thesis explored the Japanese Folk Crafts Movement. Cercone's pottery is created in this tradition and with respect to Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach.
In the United States Cercone studied at the Penland School of Crafts in NC. Recently she was selected a studio assistant for McKenzie Smith and has worked with Will Ruggles and Douglass Rankin.
Cercone's pottery is thrown on a hand-build Leach-style treadle wheel. She uses a high-fired stoneware clay to make functional pots for everyday use. She chooses a warm palette of earth tone glazes and slips to compliment her pottery that is reduction or soda fired. Within the functionality and simplicity of her work lies the potential for daily use and daily ceremony.
McDonald studied traditional hand papermaking in Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), China (Yunnan Province) and Thailand. On two occasions he did a residency with master papermaker Supan Promsen in Lampang, Thailand. His work with paper is directly related to the ritualistic theatre productions (La Mythologie La Pere and a rod-puppet production, Lear Africanus which he staged at the College of Charleston where he is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Theatre.
"In my studio as I cook plant fibers and hand beat them with a Japanese beater I am reminded that I am working in a very ancient tradition. When I use my segata (Japanese frame used to form sheets of paper) to create sheets I find myself adopting a mood of meditation. There is great satisfaction in the ceremony of making paper," says McDonald.
Paper made of Thai kozo/mulberry fiber and daphne fiber from Bhutan forms the basis for McDonald's constructions. He combines manufactured objects (nails, spikes, ritual figures) with natural elements (river rocks, twigs, porcupine quills) in his paper compositions. His works are reminders of the mystery and challenge of ceremonies.
Ceremonial Elements: Clay and Paper includes works with a strong Asian influence. Pottery is presented in relation to fragments of ritual texts created from handmade paper. Functional pottery and non-traditional books suggest the presence of ceremonies in daily life as well as in sacred spaces. Textures and natural colors of clay and of handmade paper are given a full range of exploration and experimentation throughout the exhibition.
For more info check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call 843/722-2724.
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