UA Museum, Galleries Get Fired Up Over Clay Conference

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – As part of the Alabama Clay Conference 23, The University of Alabama will be hosting several notable exhibits of pottery ranging from the distant past to the here and now.

The conference, set for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 8-10, will feature slide shows, demonstrations and lectures for individuals interested in the ceramic arts. Between 200 and 300 people are expected to attend. For more information on the conference, including late registration, go to http://www.alclayconference.org/registration.html.

As part of the conference, the following UA museums and galleries will be presenting a series of exhibitions:

• Alabama Museum of Natural History: In “Prehistoric Mississippian Pottery Styles of Alabama,” selected examples of Mississippian ceramic vessels from the collection of Moundville Archaeological Park will be on display. Moundville Park is part of The University of Alabama Museums. This exhibition will feature ceramic artifacts from the Mississippian period (A.D. 1000-1550) in Alabama. Many of these objects never have been on public display. The exhibit will include ceramic miniature pots, effigy pipes, cooking vessels, storage vessels, ceremonial vessels and several pots with engraving typical of Moundville themes. Anna Rich, a first-year anthropology graduate student at UA, will curate the exhibit with W. Lowell Baker, professor of art. The museum is in Smith Hall on the UA campus. The show opens Friday, Feb. 8 and runs until early March. Contact: Randy Mecredy, director of Alabama Museum of Natural History, 205/348-2136, rmecredy@aalan.ua.edu.

• Sarah Moody Gallery of Art: The gallery, part of the art department in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, will present the exhibit “Query and Repose: Jack Earl and Tip Toland.” Earl uses historical references to create satirical and often humorous figurative ceramic works. His works are held by the American Craft Museum in New York, The Kohler Collection and other public and private collections. Tip Toland is a nationally recognized figurative ceramic sculptor who lives and works in Seattle, Wash. Works on loan by Toland are courtesy of the artist and private collections. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 8 and runs through March 14. The gallery is in Garland Hall on the UA campus. Contact: Vicki Rial, 205/348-1891, or www.as.ua.edu/art/moody.html.

• Arts Student League Gallery in Woods Hall: A curated exhibit of student work from eight Alabama institutions will be on display from Friday, Feb. 8 through Friday, Feb. 29.

• Ferguson Center: Alabama Clay 23 will be offering exhibitors and participants’ displays as well as demonstrations and presentations during the conference.

Events and speakers at Alabama Clay Conference 23 will be Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9 at UA’s Ferguson Center. The Kentuck Museum in Northport, Ala., will host “1000 Pounds of Alabama Clay,” which opens Thursday, Feb. 7. The conference is sponsored by the Alabama Craft Council with partial funding from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.