Wisch Family Gallery

Ceramics have played a fundamental role in the lives of many for centuries, as objects rooted in ritual, utility, and decoration. The medium of clay and the variety of finishing processes allows for infinite, and at times, unexpected expressive forms. This exhibition presents the work of four groundbreaking contemporary artists whose practices provide insight into the past and ideas for the future. Kathy Butterly, Kahlil Robert Irving, Simone Leigh, and Brie Ruais are pushing the boundaries of ceramics and exploring questions of value, identity, materiality, and the body. While distinctly different, they share a reverence for the medium and its rich, and sometimes complicated history. Together, they provide extraordinary insights into ceramic’s expressive qualities and capacity for individual expression.

Image: Simone Leigh, Hagar, 2020, glazed stoneware, 81.3 x 62.2 x 33 cm / 32 x 24 1/2 x 13 in. Collection of Mary Patricia Anderson Pence © Simone Leigh, Courtesy the artist and Hauser& Wirth. Photo: Dan Bradica

Video | A Journey through Formed and Fired

Join Jason Linetzky, Director of the Anderson Collection at Stanford University, Aimee Shapiro, Director of Programming and Engagement, and artists Kahlil Robert Irving and Brie Ruais in a journey through Formed and Fired: Contemporary American Ceramics. You’ll learn more about this exhibition and discover the artists’ practice in their own voices.

Virtual Tour | Formed and Fired: Contemporary American Ceramics

The exhibition breaks the mold, highlighting artists who are reshaping ceramics in concept and craftsmanship; featuring 11 works by Kathy Butterly, Kahlil Robert Irving, Simone Leigh, and Brie Ruais.

Accompanying Publication | Formed and Fired: Contemporary American Ceramics

This brochure is published on the occasion of Formed and Fired: Contemporary American Ceramics, curated by Jason Linetzky, Director, and organized by the Anderson Collection at Stanford University.

The museum extends its deepest gratitude to the artists and lenders.

Related Article | Kahlil Robert Irving on shaping clay—and our nation’s future

Formed & Fired: Contemporary American Ceramics, which will be on view at the Anderson Collection upon Stanford’s museums’ reopening, presents the work of four groundbreaking contemporary artists who push the boundaries of their medium and explore questions of value, identity, materiality, and the body: Kathy Butterly, Kahlil Robert Irving, Simone Leigh, and Brie Ruais. While distinctly different from each other, they share a reverence for ceramics’ rich and sometimes complicated history, and their practices provide both insight into the past and ideas for the future.

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