‘National Paper & Clay Exhibition Held at USU for Students’

The 7th annual national juried Paper and Clay exhibition, sponsored by the Art + Design department in collaboration with the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University, is set to showcase student works made with paper or clay. The exhibition will run from February 5 through March 1 at the Tippets & Eccles Galleries.

Entries for the exhibition were initially selected by USU Art + Design Department Head Kathy Puzey and USU Ceramics Lab Manager Todd Hayes. The final jury and awarding of prizes for the top three entries will be conducted by Brooks Oliver, assistant professor in the Department of Studio Art at the University of North Texas and a renowned ceramic artist.

The Paper and Clay exhibition was created to highlight the connection between ceramics and printmaking, celebrating the workshop mentality that both disciplines share. According to USU ceramics Professor John Neely, the exhibition provides students with a platform to participate in a national showcase, with 26 universities and 62 student works being featured this year.

Neely, who has been at Utah State University since 1984, emphasizes the diversity of artistic techniques and approaches on display in the exhibition, challenging the common perception of ceramics and pottery shows being limited to mugs and jugs.

The exhibition not only serves as a means to expose the broader community to contemporary ceramics and printmaking but also acts as a national advertisement for the program. Neely attributes the success of the ceramics program at USU to the exceptional students involved.

Witness the talent of these students firsthand at the Tippets & Eccles Galleries, located on the second floor of the Chase Fine Arts Center, with free admission to the public until March 1.