Piedmont senior history student Augusta Gailey of Gainesville, an assistant at the Piedmont College Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art in Demorest, looks over an exhibit of Japanese pottery on display through Jan. 21.
Demorest, GA – A world-traveling exhibit of Japanese studio ceramics is making a two-month stop at the Piedmont College Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art in Demorest.
Some 70 pieces from the collection of the Japan Foundation are included in the exhibit, which will be on display now through Jan. 31. A special reception featuring a gallery talk by Ohi Toshio, one of the artists included in the show, will be held from 5–7 p.m., Jan. 22.
The show is titled “Japanese Pottery: The Rising Generations from Traditional Japanese Kilns.” “What is striking about the show is not only the museum-grade quality of the works, but the variety of glaze techniques and firing processes of the works,” says MSMA director Daniel White. “There are traditional works that are utilitarian and others that hint at use, but it soon departs into new territories and crosses, at times, into realms of pure sculpture. This show has been a year and a half in planning through the Japanese Consulate’s Office in Atlanta. We had pictures of the work, but to see it in person is visually a master’s class in Japanese studio ceramics. With the amount of work on display and an accompanying catalog to guide the viewer, this show delights and informs.”
White says the Piedmont exhibit is the only stop for this show in the Southeast. The exhibit has been mounted in museums in Europe, Indonesia, China, and Africa. From Demorest it will make one more stop in the United States before it travels abroad again.
The museum is located at 567 Georgia Street, Demorest, and admission is free. The museum hours are 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact Daniel White at 706-894-4201.
