15TH ANNUAL WORKHOUSE CLAY INTERNATIONAL

On View: June 28 – September 21, 2025

Reception: Saturday, August 9, 2025, 6 pm - 8 pm
Vulcan Gallery, Building W-16, 1st Floor

A ceramic sculpture resembling a stylized whale with a hollow eye socket and a curved tail, featuring earthy tones and textured surface.

INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE OF CONTEMPORARY CERAMIC ART

The Annual Workhouse Clay International exhibition represents the depth and breadth of contemporary functional and sculptural ceramic artworks being created throughout the country. Ceramic artist and painter, Hillary Kane juried over 220 images to select 50 artworks that incorporate a contemporary spirit as well as technical skill in the material. The exhibition is an exciting opportunity to see a variety of styles and techniques that encompass the field of contemporary ceramic arts making their art across 21 states and the District of Columbia.

Juror Awards, 2025

First place

Jessie Kristy
Maryland

Sovereignty, 2023, Glazed Stoneware, Coiled, 32”x12”x12”
A study in self-reliance and resilience.
Second Place

Brian Grow
Virginia

Porcelain Basket Series #17, 2024, thrown and altered wood/soda fired porcelain, 12”x 16”x7” Sculptural vessel work.
Third Place

Stephen Heywood
Florida

Serving Trough, 2024, Wheel Thrown and Altered Stoneware, 6”x15”x8” Reduction Cooled Wood Fired Stoneware.
Honorable Mention

Linda Ganstrom
Kansas
Invitation: Be Still, 2023, High fired raw clay and painted surfaces, 27”x84”x80”
Three ceramic figure rest on fabric cushions, with one cushion open for a participant to join the group in stillness and contemplation.
Honorable Mention

David Newquist
Virginia
Water tank, 2023, Slab built clay, 8”x6”x4”
Precision through chaos. Tea pot raku fired dans blue glaze.

A woman kneeling on a sandy surface with a stone wall behind her, applying white plaster or paint to the surface.

Juror Statement,
Hillary Kane

It has been a big honor to jury the 15th Annual Clay Exhibition for the Workhouse Arts Center. It has also admittedly been a big challenge to narrow down the impressive number and quality of applicant artworks to a mere 50 ultimate selections for the show. In my process, I have tried to select across a broad range of technical approaches to the medium, as well as stylistic choices. There is some incredible talent represented and many voices and stories therein that need to be seen!

My first reaction to the submitted artwork was purely visual, and then I used the supporting artist statement and/or artwork description to permit deeper feeling and a more profound understanding about each piece. For the prize-winners, I have valued both unique vision as well as expert handling of the material, be it in a figurative, abstract or functional approach.

Hillary Kane is an artist in New England and a co-founder of Gaya Ceramic Arts Center in Indonesia. https://www.hkane.studio/