Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Save the Date: November 5th, 2010 - Warren & Nancy MacKenzie and Midwest Potters

 
Exhibiting Artists

W a r r e n   &   N a n c y   M a c K e n z i e

R o b e r t   B r i s c o e ,    R i c h a r d   C o o t e r ,   P a u l   D r e s a n g ,

M a r e n   K l o p p m a n n ,   a n d   J e f f   O e s t r e i c h

 
200 vessels made by the legendary 86-year-old studio potter Warren MacKenzie will be exhibited in New York November 2010. gallery gen is looking forward to once again welcoming all those who so enthusiastically support MacKenzie's work and will provide a rare opportunity to acquire one MacKenzie piece (per person) from the 200 on exhibit. Artists including Warren MacKenzie will be present on opening night.

gallery gen also selected over 100 additional works of  five other prominent ceramicsts from the Midwest  to be exhibited, together with the works of fiber artist Nancy MacKenzie. (Left: Visitors lining up outside gallery gen hours prior to opening for the MacKenzie Exhibition in 2007)



gallery gen will be sending official invitations via e-mail with details on location and time in the coming weeks. For additional information contact gallery gen at info@gallerygen.com or 718-392-7717.



Photos from Past Exhibition at gallery gen:
"Nancy & Warren MacKenzie and Midwest Potters 2007"


Book signing and a gallery talk by Warren MacKenzie
gallery gen, TriBeCa filled with enthusiastic collectors and fans
Guests choosing their one MacKenzie ceramic
  

Exhibiting Artists:


 
“My favorite pots are those that have allowed me to discover their surprises and hidden beauty only after many years of daily use,” says Warren Mackenzie. The exhibition will feature his functional “Mingei-sota” works designed for everyday use, and will include his representative "drop-rim" bowls. MacKenzie hopes that once his ceramics leave the gallery, they will be put to use and become a part of one's daily life.

Nancy MacKenzie (Left: Nancy MacKezie at gallery gen in 2007) enjoys the challenge of improvising techniques to solve the engineering and aesthetic problems that emerge during construction as well as the process of transforming mundane materials into unique and ambiguous forms that are subject to individual interpretation. Each becomes a one-of-a-kind piece that is designed to engage the eye for many years. Major collections include the Goldstein Museum of Design, St. Paul, MN, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, Issey Miyake, Tokyo, Japan, Minnesota Contemporary Crafts Collection, Minnesota ociety Museum, St. Paul, MN.

Robert Briscoe (Right: Briscoe's ceramic display from "Warren MacKenzie and the Midwest Five" at gallery gen in 2006) has been working in clay for over 39 years. MacKenzie says his simple robust stoneware with little decoration “allows the glaze to speak for the pots.” Briscoe’s work is included in the collections of the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN, the Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI, the Margaret H. Harlow Collection at Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN, Minnesota Historical Society Museum, St. Paul, MN, and The Bindley Collection Gallery, Middleton. WI.

Richard Cooter (Left: One of Cooter's latest work which will be exhibited at "MacKenzie" in November) has a remote studio in the woods of Northern Minnesota. He follows the tradition in which making a pot is a collaboration among clay, fire, potter and user. All of Cooter’s work is wood fired, functional, and very strong with casual throwing and glazing. “Cooter accepts the accidents of the fire and exploits them,” says MacKenzie.

Paul Dresang (Right: Dresang's ceramic display from "Warren MacKenzie and Midwest Potters" at gallery gen in 2007) is primarily interested in the gesture of working the clay with a concentration on shape and various surfaces. Some of these surfaces come naturally through the making of the pot and others are applied after the forming. Dresang’s work is included in the collections of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Logan, UT, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, The Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC, the Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI, the Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC, Southern Illinois University, IL, Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, among others.

Maren Kloppmann (Left: One of Kloppmann's latest work which will be exhibited at "MacKenzie" in November) lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she maintains a studio. “Kloppmann creates very severe crisp forms with a strong contrast in geometric decoration,” says MacKenzie. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally with solo exhibitions at galerie b15 in Munich, Germany, at Red Star Studios, Kansas City, MO, at AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA, and at the Rochester Art Center, Rochester, MN. Her work is in collections at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Mudgee Arts Council in Australia, among others.  
Jeff Oestreich (Right: Oestreich's ceramic display from "Warren MacKenzie and Midwest Potters" at gallery gen in 2007) was trained at Leach Pottery in England. His work is carefully potted influenced by Art Deco of the 1930’s. His curved and painted decorations create an “extremely strong contrast both in shape and color,” says MacKenzie. His recent solo exhibitions include Green Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, AKAR Gallery, Iowa City, IA, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI.

 
For additional information, contact gallery gen at 
718-392-7717 or info@gallerygen.com.