“From the Dragon’s Fire,” an exhibition of contemporary ceramics by renowned artists from China, along with ceramics sculptures by West Virginia University art faculty member Shoji Satake, will be on view in the Mesaros Galleries at the Creative Arts Center, beginning Thursday, Oct. 13.
The artists from China are currently taking part in “Shared Journeys II,” a symposium being held at the Creative Arts Center during Oct. 14-16.
Sponsored by WVU, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, and Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China, the symposium will examine ceramic art in China over its 3,000-year history into the present day, with a dynamic mix of lectures and panel presentations, demonstrations, and gallery exhibitions.
Chinese artists taking part in the symposium include: Gong Baojia, one of the leading overglaze ceramic painters of his generation; Li Chao, one of the leading post-1970s ceramic artists; Dai Guangyu, one of the top emerging trimmers in Jingdezhen; Zhan Shaolin, an award-winning master thrower; Lv Pinch Chang, internationally known sculptor; and Yan Bing, one of the foremost experts in underglaze ceramic painting in the field.
Both exhibitions at the Mesaros Galleries will be open through Dec. 8.
In addition, Satake will present a visiting artist lecture Thursday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (Room 200A). The opening reception for the exhibitions will follow at 6 p.m. at the Galleries. All events are free and open to the public.
Exhibitions related to the symposium will also be on view at the Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High St., downtown Morgantown, beginning Friday, Oct. 14, in time for the Downtown Morgantown Annual Arts Walk.
“Large Porcelain Vases from Jingdezhen” will be on view at the Hotel Morgan, 127 High St., also beginning Friday, Oct. 14.
Shoji Satake’s exhibition is titled “DICHOtomic.” Satake is an assistant professor in ceramics and head of the Ceramics program at WVU. He was born in Kyoto, Japan, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He received his bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from The College of William and Mary in 1996 and a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 2004. Satake conducts workshops and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Most recently, he was artist-in-residence at the Robert M. MacNamara Foundation in Westport, Maine, and presented a Summer Visiting Artist Workshop and lectures at Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute, and at Guangxi Art Academy in the People’s Republic of China. Recent exhibitions include solo, two-person, and multiple group shows throughout the United States and China. For more information, see: www.shojisatake.com/
For more information about the Shared Journeys II Symposium, see the website at: http://art.ccarts.wvu.edu/shared_journeys_ii.
Managed and programmed by Curator Robert Bridges and the WVU Division of Art, the Mesaros Galleries organize a diverse and exciting schedule of exhibitions throughout the year. The galleries are committed to showing experimental work that is innovative both in terms of media and content. The Mesaros Galleries and the WVU Division of Art and Design also host contemporary artists of important or growing reputation who work in all media in the Visiting Artist Program.
All Mesaros Galleries events, including art lectures, exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.
Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, from noon to 9:30 p.m. The galleries are closed Sundays and University holidays. Special individual or group viewing times may be arranged upon request.
For more information, contact Bob Bridges, curator of the Art Museum of West Virginia University, at 304-293-2312.
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CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
Phone: 304-293-4359, Email: Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu
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