Are We There Yet? is on view at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams
July 15 – September 2, 2023
ARE WE THERE YET? is a celebration of Ferrin Contemporary’s 40+ years as leaders in the field of modern and contemporary ceramics. What began in 1979 as a woman-owned cooperative studio and gallery in Northampton, MA* has flourished across the years and the locations to become the international ceramic experts and material champions known as Ferrin Contemporary.
During the course of four decades, the gallery has championed artists whose primary medium is clay. Beginning with a commitment to providing support for living artists, decades-long relationships grew with artists whose works explore traditions and history, deliver social commentary, experiment with the material, and use the medium to challenge themselves to produce new works.
The exhibition program created opportunities for emerging artists, mid-career and established masters who challenged themselves to break with traditional use of material. The gallery earned a reputation for introducing artists, developing careers and creating recognition for an artistic genre that is now fully integrated and defies categorization as craft, design, decorative arts.
It is with great pride and gratitude for us to present ARE WE THERE YET?** and use the process of organizing the exhibition to reflect upon the four-decade path we navigated while pondering the future. It has given me an opportunity to acknowledge the hundreds of artists we’ve worked with through the numerous curated survey shows, solo exhibitions and international art fairs. While reviewing the thousands of objects that passed through our hands, I am recognizing the role we played connecting artists to collectors and now, to museums. I am grateful for the support from the multitude of private collectors whose initial acquisitions are now building important museum collections through their generous donations. Equally important to acknowledge is the role the gallery played among the teams of people who have worked together at each of our six locations – some who began as interns, others as artists to support their practice and since went on to new positions as art professionals or artists with established careers of their own.
Leslie Ferrin, 2023
As part of the exhibition, selected classic works will be presented directly from the artists’ archives or offered by private collectors, illustrating career highlights both in the gallery and online. The exhibition asks us, the artists, and the collectors to reflect on the road we’ve taken and invites the public to join the dialog while we speculate about the future.
* Pinch Pottery was the studio and gallery founded in 1979 by three working artists Leslie Ferrin, Mara Superior and Barbara Walch. The name was chosen as the artists’ practices were untraditional for the time – using hand building techniques and expressive content. The first location was both a studio and gallery located in a repurposed former department store, Thornes Market. In 1987 the business moved to Main Street and Ferrin Gallery was established. Mara continued as an artist, Leslie took on the role of gallery director and Donald Clark joined the partnership. Pinch! is still operating today, run by its new owner Jena Sujat since 2002 and continues to offer works for sale by its founders, Mara Superior and Barbara Walch.
** The title ARE WE THERE YET? references a pair of summer exhibitions titled WE ARE HERE / WE WERE THERE when the gallery opened its location on North Street in Pittsfield in 2007. The gallery was located there until moving to the MASS MoCA campus in North Adams, MA in 2014.
Artists: Chris Antemann, Russell Biles, Cristina Cordova, Raymon Elozua, Sin-ying Ho, Sergei Isupov, Steven Young Lee, Courtney M. Leonard, Beth Lipman, Lauren Mabry, Crystal Morey, Kadri Parnamets, Peter Pincus Paul Scott Mark Shapiro, Linda Sikora, Bobby Silverman, Rae Stern, Mara Superior Jason Walker, Kurt Weiser
Ferrin Contemporary
For more than 40 years, Ferrin Contemporary has been a leading source for contemporary and modern ceramic art. Located on MASS MoCA’s 16-acre campus in North Adams, MA, Ferrin Contemporary serves as both a project incubator and traditional commercial gallery program. Curated exhibitions are both presented in the gallery and in partnership with galleries, museums, and educational institutions throughout the country. In addition to creating opportunities for artists whose primary medium is clay, the gallery also works with private collectors, estates and archives to offer secondary market works for sale and gift to public collections.
Contact
info@ferrincontemporary.com
Ferrin Contemporary
1315 MASS MoCA Way, building 13
North Adams, MA 01247
United States
Images courtesy of the gallery
