Lydia C. Thompson's 'Transitions' Tells A Story At Clay Art Center

PORT CHESTER, NY — Openings at the Clay Art Center are always compelling, but an upcoming installation promises to teach us something about ourselves, relating the story of the human experience in pottery.

The Clay Art Center (CAC) will be presenting "Lydia C. Thompson: Transitions" in their gallery and online from April 27 to June 7.

The CAC says that the solo exhibition will feature ceramic sculptures that blend the narratives of urban and rural human migration.

"My current research investigates the ideas of migration and residual ancestral memories that examine space and place that reference human existence," the artist explained. "Through continuous mobility and the physical process of reduction made by nature, human beings create pathways that explore physical space that may produce visual silence, evoke the imagination, offer notions of commodities and value, and illustrate a sense of desperation that provides insights into various cultural practices and traditions."

Thompson says that her artworks "are reminders of the past and current lessons that we need to learn about the persistence and preservation of one’s own culture. My relic series references dilapidated and vacant houses that exist in urban and rural communities. These houses often tell multiple stories about communities that have evolved and changed over time. "

"With this work, I hope to trigger memories that have been suppressed about home loss or evoke emotions that symbolize hope and rejuvenation," the artist added. "It also asks the question of who takes ownership and responsibility for the built environment."

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A hands-on, one-time, "The Built Environment" workshop will also take place on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers say that Thompson's workshop "will explore the house as a metaphor for personal journeys, memories of lived and/or visited places, and structures that you’ve seen in the landscapes as a passerby." Register for the workshop here.

Thompson's artist talk, "Reclaim," can be viewed in the Clay Art Center's Virtual Library, in addition to "The Sustaining Presence," moderated by Syd Carpenter and featuring Thompson as a guest panelist.

Artist Bio

Lydia C. Thompson is a mixed media sculptor, educator, and advocate for the arts. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Ohio State University and her Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She received a Fulbright Hays grant to conduct research on traditional architecture in Nigeria and also received educational grants for the Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center Artist-in-Residency in Denmark, and at the Medalta Ceramic Center in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, and the Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts & Sciences. She received a South Arts Individual Artist Career Opportunity, a National Endowment Grant, and an Artist Support Grant from the Arts & Science Council Grant. Her work blends the narratives of urban and rural human migration. Her work has been included in galleries, art centers, and museums such as the Mindy Solomon Gallery, the Society for Contemporary Crafts, the Baltimore Clayworks, the Ohr O’Keefe Museum, the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, James A. Michener Art Museum, the Mint Museum, the Crocker Museum, Springfield Museum, and the Northern Clay Center. She has completed public commissions for businesses and her work is in private and public collections in the US, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. She has conducted workshops for youths and adults, given public lectures,
and served as a juror and curator for national and regional exhibitions. She is the Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Art & Art History at UNC Charlotte.