Opening Reception
Friday, January 25, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
Artist Michael Strand will be present to accept visitors’ misfit cups in exchange for his handmade cups as a part of his piece, Misfit Cup Liberation Project. The opening will also feature two other exhibitions, Constructing Solitude and Roughneck: A Juried ClayHouston Exhibition, as well as open studios by HCCC’s current resident artists from 6:00 – 7:00 PM. Beer sponsored by Karbach Brewing Co.

Artist Talk by Michael Strand
at Glassell School of Art
Friday, January 25, 11:00 AM
Michael Strand will give a public lecture at 11:00 AM, Friday, January 25, in the Freed Auditorium at the Glassell School of Art, 5101 Montrose Boulevard. The lecture is co-presented with ClayHouston and the Glassell School of Art.

Award Presentation & Reception
Thursday, March 21, 5:30 – 9:00 PM
A special award presentation and reception will take place during NCECA’s 47th Annual Conference at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) is pleased to host the 2013 NCECA Biennial, the premier exhibition of ceramic arts in the United States, January 25 – May 5, 2013. The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) organized the exhibition, which coincides with its 47^th Annual Conference in Houston.

The exceptionally wide range of entries and the high degree of visibility of the exhibition within the field make the 2013 NCECA Biennial an unparalleled investigation of contemporary ceramic expression. Organized by NCECA Exhibitions Director, Linda Ganstrom, Professor of Art at Fort Hays State University – Kansas, the biennial includes 39 works by 35 artists selected by jurors Cristina Cordova, Richard Notkin and Namita Gupta Wiggers. Rather than a broad survey exhibition, the 2013 NCECA Biennial represents a unique viewpoint of three leading-edge experts in the field of contemporary ceramic art and craft practice. Cordova and Notkin are world-renowned ceramic artists living and working in North Carolina and Montana respectively. Namita Gupta Wiggers is Director and Chief Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.

More than 740 artists submitted more than 1,360 entries for the exhibition, which represents one of the cornerstones of NCECA’s 47^th Annual Conference in Houston. On-Site Conference Liaisons, Merrie Wright and Jeff Forster, members of the faculty of University of Texas -Tyler and the Glassell School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, respectively, worked with regional planners and NCECA’s board to develop the Houston conference theme, Earth/Energy. In association with the conference, NCECA has planned and sited more than 100 exhibitions of ceramic art that will take place throughout the region. HCCC Executive Director, Julie Farr, commented, “From Galveston to Beaumont and stretching to the Woodlands, no other event of this scope so unites the visual arts community in the greater Houston area. Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is pleased to be the anchor and host of the longest running exhibition during this spring’s concentration on ceramic arts.”

Nicole Aquillano – Boston, MA
Christa Assad – Berkeley, CA
Tom Bartel – Athens, OH
Nicholas Bivins – Seattle, WA
Renee Brown – Missoula, MT
Josephine Burr – Boston, MA
Gary Carlos – Stockton, CA
Lisa Cecere – Wall Township, NJ
Du Chau – Argyle, TX
Emily Connell – Kansas City, MO
Andrea Keys Connell – Richmond, VA
Shenny Cruces – Vacaville, CA
Elizabeth DeLyria – Katy, TX
Sharan Elran – Brooklyn, NY
Léopold L. Foulem – Montreal, Quebec
Teri Frame – Ashland, WI
Chad Gunderson – Bennington, VT
Sarah House – New Orleans, LA
Erica Iman – St Louis, MO
Ryan LaBar – Enterprise, OR
Thomas Lane – Hudson, WI
Lauren Mabry – Philadelphia, PA
Ted Neal – Muncie, IN
Tybre Newcomer – Wichita Falls, TX
Claudia Olds Goldie – Newton, MA
Vijay V. Paniker – Glenview, IL
Joseph Pintz – Columbia, MO
Paolo Porelli – Rome, Italy
Audrey Rosulek – Lolo, MT
Joel Schroeder – Green River, WY
Linda Sormin – Toronto, Ontario
Mark Stafford – Madison, WI
Michael Strand – Fargo, ND
George Timock – Kansas City, MO
Triesch Voelker – Corrales, NM

Above images: (1) Nicole Aquillano, “Home.” Porcelain, inlaid underglaze, glaze. 4.5” x 4.5” x 3.75”. 2012. Photo by the artist. (2) Christa Assad, “Giant Gold Grenade.” Stoneware, glaze, metal pin. 21” x 12” x 11”. 2012. Photo by Tom Story. (3) Renee Brown, “sliced gold nugget, avacadonium, celadonium, bark spray matrix.” Earthenware, porcelain, underglazes, glazes, chrome, acrylic paint, sand, epoxy, encaustic, crystal micro beads. 31” x 30” x 6”. 2012. Photo by David Baumstark. (4) Elizabeth DeLyria, Driftwood Leaf. Stoneware, underglazes, stains. 7.5” x 17” x 13”. 2012. Photo by the artist. (5) Sharan Elran, “Unlimited Edition—1 of 6,227,020,800.” Slip-cast porcelain. 14” x 6” x 6” per vase. 2012. Photo by Paul-David Rearick. (6) Léopold L. Foulem, “Choir Boy and Clergyman” (pair). Ceramic, found objects. 23 cm x 29 cm x 10.5 cm each. 2011. Photo by Richard Milette. (7) Chad Gunderson, “Memories of Huangshan and Asphalt.” Solid cast ceramic, glaze, acrylic. 8” x 10” x 16”. 2012. Photo by the artist. (8) Ryan D. Labar, “Time and Inner Space.” 19” x 25” x 16.” 2010. Photo courtesy the artist. (9) Lauren E. Mabry, “Cylinder.” 13.5” x 11.5” x 11.5.” 2012. Photo courtesy the artist. (10) Ted Neal, “Industrial Teapot.” High iron stoneware, fabricated steel, cast concrete. 8” x 11” x 7”. 2012. Photo by Serena Nancarrow. (11) Paolo Porelli, “Excess” (detail) 26” x 12” x 10.” 2011. Photo courtesy the artist. (12) Paolo Porelli, “Excess.” 26” x 12” x 10.” 2011. Photo courtesy the artist. (13) George Timock, “Vessel KKK.” Slip-cast Herend porcelain, engobe, lusters. 7.75” x 8” x 8”. 2010. Photo by E.G. Schempf. (14) Triesch Voelker, “Delicate Strength.” Porcelain, underglaze. 14” x 14” x 2”. 2012. Photo by the artist.