Email
PrintWorld Cup
Just-announced exhibit is brimful of international talent
Detail of "Auntie Alice Practicing Making Tea for the Queen," by Pattie Chalmers
Still only in his 20s, WNC-based ceramic artist Jason Bige Burnett is busy balancing his own tray, as it were, building a reputation for fine-craft sculpture, especially cups (his work has been featured in numerous industry and cultural publications, including in Carolina Home + Garden's Summer 2011 issue). But his energy runneth over, and he is now aiming to nudge the form to a higher consciousness. Opening Nov. 5 and running through December, "Intrepreting the Cup" is hosted by Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville. Burnett curated the show, the first in a series of international exhibits -- and Crimson Laurel's largest show to date. More than 400 cups from 84 of the world's premium potters will be presented, all handpicked by Burnett for their creators' innovations in concept or technique.
Pattie Chalmers' cups are emblematic, part of larger, whimsical sculptural works that reference domestic narratives. The campy cup also gets its day in the kitsch commentary of Amy Santoferraro, among others. Sometimes the story is embedded directly into the cups' surfaces, as in the work of Ayumie Horie or Shawn O'Connor. Burnett recognizes beauty of form in the vessels offered by Elisa Helland-Hansen and gwendolyn yoppolo.
"Every artist included in the exhibit contributes in some significant way to interpreting the cup," he notes in a press statement.
For more information, see www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com
