MOCA Jacksonville has announced its new exhibition, “Facets: Contemporary Expressions in Sculptural Ceramics,” in partnership with the Department of Art, Art History and Design at the University of North Florida. It is on view now through Nov. 26.
The exhibition features work by 11 internationally recognized contemporary ceramic artists working to push the boundaries in the vibrant and rapidly evolving landscape of contemporary sculptural ceramics. Many of them, like artists Iva Haas and Todd Shanafelt, incorporate materials such as wood, metal and fabric into their work in order to explore abstract or mechanical forms; while artists such as Tom Bartel explore the figure through fragmentation and simplification of the human form. Others, like Matt Wilt, synthesize the two, creating forms from composites of the physical body and the synthetic world; while yet others look to the landscape and natural world for inspiration.
The exhibition was curated by Stephen Heywood, professor of ceramics, and Trevor Dunn, associate professor of ceramics.
Additional support for this exhibition was made in part by the City of Jacksonville, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts and the University of North Florida.
MOCA will be upgrading its elevator through Nov. 18, so there will be no upper-level access during this time. The museum will have exhibitions on the first and second floors, with second floor access available by stairs only. This includes the UNF Gallery and “Facets: Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture.” Admission will be free while the elevator is under renovation.
MOCA Jacksonville is located at 333 N. Laura St. For more information, go to mocajacksonville.unf.edu.