A “mudluscious and puddle-wonderful” exhibition is bringing an air of whimsy and new life to the LSU School of Art Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Exhibition Gallery.
“Mudluscious: A Celebration of LSU School of Art Ceramics” highlights the work of 18 University graduates and local artists, said Glassell Gallery director Malia Krolak. Krolak and exhibition curator Christopher Scott Brumfield, a University alumnus and featured artist in the show, began developing the show concept in spring 2016.
The exhibition is a celebration of the University’s ceramics tradition and the graduates who have sustained successful careers as artists and educators in the field, she said.
The artists took the exhibition’s theme, “Mudluscious,” inspired by the E.E. Cummings poem “[in Just-],” and created a diverse array of functional and sculptural works inspired by spring, Krolak said. The completed exhibition features electric kiln, fire blasted, hand molded and other ceramic styles that display the full breadth of pottery’s possibilities, she said.
Krolak decided to build on the exhibition’s varied forms and details when she designed the show, pairing disparate pieces and colors to create a sense of contrast and balance throughout the gallery. A delicate, feminine coffee pot in the gallery’s window stands beside two substantial, earthy pieces, allowing the works to react and build on one another, she said.
Krolak kept the space open when arranging the show to allow for maximum viewing and a sense of flow, she said. The variety in the artwork draws the viewer’s eye across the room, allowing Krolak to tell a cohesive story with the works.
“Everyone has their own little voice, and you’re trying to make them all sing in harmony,” Krolak said.
The medley of voices was heightened by each artist’s unique point of view, she said. While each is connected to the University and surrounding area, many of the artists have moved elsewhere and have been influenced by life in different regions.
Artists sent in work from states including New York, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky. Sin-Ying Ho, who graduated from the University with a master of fine arts, contributed porcelain cups she made while in China, Krolak said.
Krolak, a University alumna, said it’s exciting to see the artists’ sensibilities evolve over time.
“It’s like seeing old friends, but they have a new style,” she said. “It’s exciting to think that all of this talent and all of these amazing artists, who are all very different from each other, at one point all were in the art building.”
Life in Michigan has served as a considerable influence for University graduate Blake Williams. Williams, an associate professor at Michigan State University, said in an artist statement that looking forward to spring is reassuring after the long winter months, and Williams’ art for the show explores the fullness and lightness of flowers and new growth.
Williams said his “Bloom Series” mimics the fragility of flowers while the permanence of porcelain preserves the blooms in a constant state of growth and renewal.

Gallery • 14 Photos

Jordan Marcell

The art of many local ceramic artists is on display as part of the Mudlucious exhibition on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017, at the University's Glassell Gallery in downtown Baton Rouge.