The Moth Flock Presents: Coffin Holler, by Mike Arpino

Description

Description:

The American South is unbelievably haunted We have fossils of creatures that evolved before teeth Buried under ancient civilizations Buried under the genocide committed against them Buried under the graves of slaves  Buried under rotting plantations Buried under Civil War soldiers Buried under trapped miners Buried under bullet-riddled labor unionists  Buried under rusting “Whites Only” signs We have skeletons from top to bottom  It’s a trunk in the attic with layers of  Black-bordered letters and church programs  And locks of hair And it’s all topped off with a kudzu-choked roadside billboard asking “Where will YOU spend eternity?”

Selected works from Mighty Mud’s members and staff

Selected works from Mighty Mud’s members and staff.

Kendra Barth, Logan Brien, Ellie Kotsianas-Christner, Maggie Connolly, George Habeib, Barron Hall, Danielle Harrison, Vanessa Hartman, Hiromi Kanai, Jake Pinkston, Nora Schenkel, Jacene Witzel, and many more!

Description

Kendra Barth, Logan Brien, Ellie Kotsianas-Christner, Maggie Connolly, George Habeib, Barron Hall, Danielle Harrison, Vanessa Hartman, Hiromi Kanai, Jake Pinkston, Nora Schenkel, Jacene Witzel, and many more!

“Stories in Stoneware”  by Amie E. Hodges + Eliana E. Rodriguez

“Stories in Stoneware”  by Amie E. Hodges + Eliana E. Rodriguez

Description

Stories in Stoneware: the works of Eliana Rodriguez and Amie Hodges

 

As we go throughout our day, we use plates, bowls, mugs, and cups often without even thinking about their origin or creator. Whether made by a machine or a craftsperson, every object in our home has a story to tell. In this collection of work you will find two stories being told. Eliana’s story is one of culture and color. Her illustrative work uses symbolism to explore themes of nature and heritage. Amie’s story is one of self exploration. Her work aims to deepen the connection she has with herself as well as the earth below her as a way of finding peace and balance in her life. Through their different styles of work, Amie and Eliana are celebrating a collection of work whose intention is to establish a connection between people and the objects in their lives.

 

website

https://amiehodges.com/

instagram

https://www.instagram.com/amie.e.hodges/

website

https://www.elianaerodriguez.com/links

instagram

https://www.instagram.com/eliana_e_rodriguez/

“This Never Happened” by Kyle Cottier + Vanessa Hartman

“This Never Happened” by Kyle Cottier + Vanessa Hartman

Description

“This Never Happened” is a collaborative abstract exploration of our boundless capacity to shape the world around us. Materiality takes a backseat as the exhibition delves into the realms of process, experimentation, and the enigmatic interplay of nostalgia and forgetfulness. Kyle and Vanessa infuse play into the nuances of language, navigating the labyrinth of lost and found, and unveiling the intricate tapestry of nature’s nurturing embrace. Amidst dreamlike visions of wild horses and joyous celebrations of hay, personal myths emerge from the shadows, ready to roam freely. In the realm where rules are defined by the horse, we discover that within nothing and something lies the genesis of everything.

 

website

https://www.kylecottier.com/

instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kyle_cottier/

website:

https://www.vanessamhartman.com/#/

instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/van.hartman/

“New Work” by Maggie Connolly

“New Work” by Maggie Connolly

Description

I am classically trained in high craft. This means that every starting point comes from the perspective of understanding materials, processes and techniques. Every journey is considered a conversation between me and the work, where I don’t have an end in mind. Every goal is oriented towards creating connection. I am a serial experimenter, a mad scientist in my studio, intersecting multiple genres within ceramics. I process wild clay, make my own glazes, hand build, wheel throw, monotype transfer, underglaze, overglaze, luster, ceramic decal, upcycle thrifted ceramics, wood fire, electric fire, mason stains, etc. I feel only now everything is starting to coalesce and I am figuring out who I and my work are; how we work together and how we fit into the larger cultural conversation. I truly believe in the concept that hand made functional objects enhance the meaning and beauty of everyday life.

My work combines Eastern training with Western aesthetic sensibilities and materials, trying to create a synthesis between the two. When I first started interacting with American ceramics, it was via Instagram; I noticed that bright, bold colors play a big part of American ceramics, and when I returned, it was one of the elements that I wanted to interact more with, as it was a symbol to me of my Americaness. I am still trying to figure out other identifiers of Americanness in ceramics, but in a lot of ways my schooling remains ingrained in me: my forms tend to be smaller and thinner than the “correct” American size; I don’t chase perfection, letting the chaos of the kiln and materials be what they may and finding the beauty in the randomness.

Website:

https://caoyustudio.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/caoyu_studio/

“Journey + Repetition” by Jake Ingram + Jeremy Myles, AIRs

“Journey + Repetition” by Jake Ingram + Jeremy Myles, AIRs

Description

Jake Ingram is a printer and artist working in Knoxville, TN. He received his BFA in drawing in

2012 from East Tennessee State University and his MFA in drawing with a concentration in
printmaking in 2015 from the New York Academy of Art. He attended Tamarind Institute in 2017
and was awarded his Printer Training Certificate in 2018. He was one of two people selected to
stay a second year as an apprentice and in 2019 he earned the designation Tamarind Master
Printer. In 2020, he opened Jackalope Editions, a collaborative print shop and publishing house
in Knoxville, TN. His interest lies in the synthesis of fine art and craft, therefore his personal
work often involves printmaking and sewing. In addition to lithography, Ingram is trained in
woodcut and intaglio. His work has been exhibited around the US and internationally. When not
hanging out in the print shop you can find him hunting Jackalopes and Bigfoot.

For Ingram, the work in Journey and Repetition is an ode to his love of jackalopes, printmaking,
and technical processes. Ingram approached the residency similarly to his training at Tamarind
Institute, learning the chemistry and technical aspects that go into ceramics. He found that the
similarities between printmaking and ceramics exist on more than a technical level – the sense
of community and what it means to be part of that community is a shared trait between the print
shop and ceramics studio. The ceramic work he produced was created with the help of the
community at Mighty Mud, who took the time out of their schedules to guide and assist him on
this journey.
 

https://www.instagram.com/jackalopeeditions/

https://www.instagram.com/storyh_art/

“Maladaptation: Ecological Iconoclasm”  by John David Allen

“Maladaptation: Ecological Iconoclasm”  by John David Allen

Description

“Putting something called Nature on a pedestal and admiring it from afar does for the environment what patriarchy does for the figure of Woman. It is a paradoxical act of sadistic admiration.” Timothy Morton, Ecology Without Nature

Recent drawings explore humans’ relationship to ecology with a specific focus on animals. Rejecting the common perspective of human dominion, these drawings explore the idea of mutuality in our relationships with other beings.

Materially diverse drawing media are used with an emphasis on dry pastels, a newer approach that encourages a combination of playfulness and control.

In the context of a time when humans have successfully learned to control the surrounding world- to a frightening and uncanny extent- I hope that these works encourage viewers to appreciate what is at stake when we consider environmental loss.

web

https://www.johnallenart.com/

insta

https://www.instagram.com/john.allen.art/

“The Moth Flock Presents: Back to the Woods” by Mike Arpino

“The Moth Flock Presents: Back to the Woods” by Mike Arpino

Description

I find my imagery in the same way I’d find a spiderweb while walking through the woods at night- by stumbling through the dark until suddenly bam!, I’m stricken.

More of a conduit than a creator, I aim to capture the various spirits and critters I see as they blink in and out of the trees and undergrowth between this world and somewhere else entirely. 

I’ve been doing this for ten years this spring, and to celebrate I invite you to immerse yourself in the revelatory folklore of the Moth Flock as I scramble to visualize it, and to join me as I head back to the woods. 

shop

https://shoprala.com/collections/michael-arpino

instagram

https://www.instagram.com/arpinoceramics/

https://www.instagram.com/themothflock/

“Repetition on a Theme” by Barron Hall

“Repetition on a Theme” by Barron Hall

Description

Repetition on a Theme, and some wood fire stuff…

One of my favorite methods of working in any medium and especially ceramics is to work a form to death. What I mean by that is to explore as many possibilities of a specific form or concept in as many ways possible on a daily basis. This may include changing clay bodies, cutting it up and putting it back together, changing mediums, alternate firing methods, etc…

Talent is an overused word in any art conversation. I believe in practice, hard work, and a schedule. “Art is work” and “Work begets work”, Jeffrey Mitchell. In that vein, you must show up errday and put in the “work” to accomplish something worthy, treating art as a job does not diminish its’ significance or beauty.

Mighty Mud is exceedingly fortunate to have a wood fire kiln. We fire it 10-12 times a year which is very often for that type of kiln, it requires many work hours along with a lot of wood. With my repeated form is a selection of my wood fire pieces over the past year.

 

web

https://barronart.net/

insta

https://www.instagram.com/barronart/