FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS: Clay achin'

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FIRST FRIDAY FOCUS: Clay achin'

POSTED: Friday, April 2, 2010, 8:00 PM

Filed Under: Arts | Arts Events | Philly Artists Visual Art

The National Conference on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) is in town this week, which means two things: One, there are roughly 6,000 extra First Friday meanderers in town this weekend; and two, pretty much every single gallery in the Philadelphia area's using the opportunity to showcase ceramic arts. (It also means we get to write headlines like "Clay Achin'." Sorry.) I gave you the rundown in this week's paper (which is excerpted below); visit theclaystudio.org for a full list of exhibits, including one curated by City Paper's very own visual art critic, Robin Rice. Happy hopping! THE CLAY STUDIO >> "Of This Century: Residents, Fellows and Select Guest Artists of the Clay Studio, 2000-2010" celebrates a decade worth of extraordinary work by decorated artists both homegrown and international. Ceramics' inevitable dichotomy of delicacy and substance is represented in unusual ways here, from a porcelain fawn with a rocket on its back (pictured) to a floating pool toy made of sturdy, unpuncturable earthenware. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 5-9 p.m., free, through May 4, Clay Studio, 137-139 N. Second St., 215-925-3453, theclaystudio.org. BRIDGETTE MAYER GALLERY >> How do you create a sphere from a cube? For artist Steve Tobin, the answer is simple: Blow it up. His "Explosive Relationships" solo exhibit is the culmination of "14 years, over 20,000 explosions and 300,000-plus pounds of clay," a lifetime of experiments which seek to expand the possibilities of the clay form. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 6-8:30 p.m., free, through May 1, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, 709 Walnut St., 215-413-8893, bridgettemayergallery.com. ART STAR >> While the Clay Studio looks at painstakingly crafted, unique works of art, "The Souvenir Shop" takes the opposite tack. The crappy, mass-produced tchotchkes we bring back from vacation serve as fodder for an exhibit that explores our nostalgic relationship with junk. Curated by Kyan Bishop, Kate Hardy and Joanie Turbek, the show itself is an overstuffed warehouse of sorts, teeming with examples of the ordinary keepsakes that bring back extraordinary memories. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 6-9 p.m., free, through April 25, Art Star, 623 N. Second St., 215-238-1557, artstarphilly.com RELATED >> First Friday Focus, April 1, 2010

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