Ceramics exhibition travels through Georgian’s art collection 

The kiln is part time machine in the newest Georgian College Campus Gallery exhibition, which transports guests through the 1960s, 70s and 80s by showcasing unique creations from the college’s former ceramics department. 

Kin and Kiln: Shaping Stories is a celebration of the lasting legacy of Georgian’s former ceramics department, which began in 1968 with a class of 23 students in a church basement. It grew to become one of the best ceramics programs in the country at that time with ceramics and glass-blowing expert instructors at Barrie and Owen Sound campuses.

A blue ceramic kettle with a wooden handle sits on a desk.
Ceramic Teapot by artist Roger Kerslake, from the Georgian College art collection, is part of a new exhibition at The Campus Gallery.

The exhibition is at The Campus Gallery, which has been transformed to appear as a dining room to symbolize how ceramics help people come together in communal ways. Musician Brian Kobayakawa is providing the background music for the setting.

By highlighting craft-based practices in an increasingly technological age and exhibiting these works in a traditional dining-room installation, we welcome visitors to pull up a chair, admire these ceramics with friends, and stay awhile.

– Amy Bagshaw, Director, The Campus Gallery, Georgian College

The exhibition highlights pieces created by professors, students and visiting artists of Georgian’s former ceramics department, each hand-selected by current students in the college’s Museum and Gallery Studies program.

They were each chosen “based on the personal connection felt towards the piece,” said Lexus Avila, a student who helped curate the exhibition. “The exhibition process has shaped how we approach and work together to ensure that we all have a voice and story to share.”

An old photo of a person shaping a ceramic artwork.
A photo from Georgian College’s archive shows a professor in the former ceramics department using a wheel to shape a ceramic artwork. The ceramics department ran from 1968 to 1988.

Kin and Kiln: Shaping Stories runs until Feb. 4:

  • Opening reception is Thursday, Jan. 18 from 5 to 8 p.m.
  • The Campus Gallery, D building (D140), Helen and Arch Brown Centre for Design and Visual Arts, Barrie Campus, Georgian College.
  • Regular hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

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