Southern Exposure: Flora and Fauna | October 5 to October 28, 2017

Opening Reception – October 5, 7-9pm.

Opening on October 5, Tilt Gallery presents “Southern Exposure: Flora and Fauna", a two-person exhibition of functional and sculptural ceramic works by designer Kelley E. Foy and installation artist Novie Trump. Both artists, currently based in the Southwest, have been influenced by their exposure to life in the South at different points of their lives. The contrast of the Southwest and the New South, places and experiences shared by both artists at different stages, spurred the Southern Exposure collaboration. In this cross collaboration of culture and art both artists explore the vibrant life within the South and Southwest. Foy creates functional porcelain interpretations of the flora and patterns of the two regions utilizing the process of image transfer. Trump creates deftly observed site- specific porcelain installations of  insects and fauna. Bringing the strong Southern tradition of storytelling to clay, Foy and Trump take on the nuance of texture, tone and surface. For Foy, Southern Exposure is as much about cross-cultural translation as it is about coming home. For Trump, it is further mining of the lush verdancy of the South and the vast landscapes of her new desert abode.

Material Impulse | June 23 to August 14, 2017

GVG Contemporary is delighted to present “Material Impulse | a Confluence of Clay Artists,” an exhibition that surveys contemporary ceramics by regional ceramic artists. This exhibition is a collaboration between guest curator Robert Michael Siracusa, who is an Arizona curator and gallerist, and GVG Contemporary in Santa Fe.

GVG co-owner and gallery director Blair Vaughn-Gruler explains, “Robert has owned and directed several galleries in Northern Arizona for over twenty years. He is also a sculptor who has worked in stone and bronze, and creates special practical effects makeup and prosthetics for actors in film. He has had a long passion for materiality in general and ceramics in particular. Since GVG is also driven by a fascination with materials, collaborating with Robert to explore what is going on in the world of clay in the southwest region was an irresistible opportunity.”

“The timeless art of ceramic sculpture has always been one of deep personal expression,” Siracusa explains. “Regardless of whether it is created for necessity or for decorative purposes, the hands of the creator are there, manipulating the material to its end result. It cannot be otherwise.

When I began exhibiting ceramic art in 1997, I was always astonished at the versatility of the material, and moved by the manner with which each artist managed to find something new in every piece and every surface treatment.

Material Impulse: A Confluence of Clay Artists

Opening reception with the artists Friday, June 23 from 5 to 7 pm

Round table discussion with the artists and the guest curator, Robert Michael Siracusa, on Saturday, June 24, from 3 to 4 pm.

Artists included in the exhibition are Magda Gluszek, Ben Roti, Farraday Newsome, Jeff Reich and Novie Trump, all of whom currently reside in Arizona and exhibit nationally.