4th Friday Art Shows and Opening Reception @ Art Works!

March brings spring and daylight savings time and a myriad of celebrations: International Women’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, and Easter to name a few. At Art WORKS OUR SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINNING MARCH 1ST FEATURES ART BY WOMEN. On Saint Patrick’s Day we serve green punch and cookies. On Easter, everyone loves an egg hunt, and we have an EGGstraordinary scavenger hunt with Easter prizes.   And there’s the artist meet-ups, figure drawing sessions, the NCECA exhibits that open on March 21st and more exhibits open on March 22nd - 4th Friday. Can't make it on 4th Friday? No worries, we're open every day except Mondays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Plus, parking is easy at the public garage on East 5th Street, and we'll validate your ticket.  Make a day of it by exploring the restaurants in the area. From Continental, Pig and Brew, Jubilee, Iron Clad Pizza, and The Gold Lion there's something for everyone.  NCECA Exhibits at Art Works March 19-23 The wait is finally over! The annual NCECA Conference has arrived in Richmond, and we are thrilled to invite you to come and see the incredible ceramic artwork on display March 19th – March 23rd. On March 21st join us from 5:30 p.m. until 9:15 p.m., for a special reception. Immerse yourself in the world of ceramic art and be amazed by the stunning exhibits throughout the city and at Art Works. Join us for refreshments, music, and the chance to meet the talented artists and fellow ceramic enthusiasts.  4th Friday March 22 at Art Works  Spring is here! Celebrate with us in Manchester on March 22nd with an evening of culture, art, music, refreshment, libations and mingle with talented artists and art enthusiasts. The opening reception is from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. You’ll experience the world of ceramics. And you will see the transformation of discarded items into artwork in the annual Recycled All Media Show. And if you want to challenge your depth perception and optical awareness, Wendy van Boxtel’s exhibit will take you on a magical art adventure. This event is free and open to the public and parking is free. The exhibits continue through April 20th except for Wendy van Boxtel’s exhibit which ends on April 9th. Check our website for specifics for each NCECA exhibit. ________________________________________ Emerging by Wendy van Boxtel Wendy van Boxtel loves playing with depth perception, using continuous patterns and lines alongside sculptural components that seem to emerge right out of the wall and evoke different emotions in different people. Combining painted optical illusions with sculptural elements, her art goes beyond traditional installations, physically and visually extending the boundaries of art. So be prepared to question what you see with your own eyes when engaging with Wendy van Boxtel’s art. As a child in the Netherlands, besides drawing, she was fascinated by how the brain has “its own mind” and can be tricked, or better, seduced by the art of illusions. Looking for a fresh start and making some dreams come true, she took the difficult decision to leave family and friends behind and start the new millennium in the US. With a BA degree in Activity Counseling, she explored various aspects of art and worked as an art facilitator with children who have special needs, designed juvenile lighting, and worked as a graphic artist for several years.  With roots in two different countries, two different cultures, often makes Wendy feel like Alice in Wonderland. There is freedom, longing, and a constant search for balance between two worlds. This feeds the blazing fire of her creativity. The layers in her work often surprise her. Humor is the key to unlocking the emotions which hide in the shadows of the illusion of her art; empathy, compassion, and being yourself. “Luctor et emergo is what we say in The Netherlands when we talk about the constant battle with the sea, meaning I struggle and emerge. Sometimes I wonder if that is a theme in my art but at other times, like Alice, I think, it’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”  Today, Wendy lives in Richmond, VA, with her family of seven. She says, “…once they (her art) are out in this world, out in the open, I start to see what they mean to me. But then, someone else looks at them and a new meaning is born. Something, I think, is wonderful and inspires me to continue this artistic journey that brings me closer to unknown horizons and beyond.” This exhibit will be in the Jane Sandelin Gallery and continues through April 7, 2024. Intersection X Redirection curated by Max Trumpower  Max Trumpower curator of this exhibit explains:  For centuries, craft and culture have converged not only in the process of making, but have expanded into the realm of fine art. At this intersection, BIPOC and queer makers have radicalized the creation of ceramic objects and produced astounding results as a display of identity. Intersection X Redirection is a collection of such artists, who utilize craft as a reflection not only of culture, but of how these identities often intersect.  This coalescence of identities within ceramic craft creates imperishable community bonds and reinforces the importance of solidarity in our field.  Each artist in this exhibition explores their identity through the narrative of sculpture. The artists in this exhibit each have their own influences, techniques, and concepts that inform their work. Each artist holds unique validity in their influences, making techniques, and concepts regardless of work directly relating to identity or not.  It is impertinent in our field to acknowledge and enliven such work for the sake of this work itself, rather than solely for its tokenization. Through this collective making by BIPOC and queer communities, the field of ceramics is undergoing a revolution of reclamation. Despite coming from a variety of backgrounds, the work represented in this exhibition collides seamlessly through the concurrence of our existences and experiences.  As a material, clay holds memory of not only the maker, but the history of a culture. Throughout centuries, we have learned a myriad of information simply from the ceramic objects that were left behind, as evidence and a testament to civilization. These ceramic objects act as a connection point between various cultures, merging ideas between communities that might not otherwise have intersected with one another. By utilizing this material, the artists within this exhibition are attesting to the resilience of their respective identities and serve as a reminder to the larger art community of our permanence.  The sculptural objects represented in this exhibition will outlive us all, whether as complete forms or as mere shards. Regardless, the message remains the same: we are not going anywhere. The exhibit will be in the Port Gallery from March 19th through April 23rd, 2024. ________________________________________ Meet Me at the Intersection curated by Chantel Bollinger The artists in Meet Me at the Intersection demonstrate finding community in material and storytelling through ceramics.  Many artists find themselves at a crossroads of materiality and identity. The artists in this exhibit express their lived experiences and the various communities from which they come. What does it mean to be an artist and exist between the margins of multiple identities? This exhibition explores this question through ceramics and the response is a coalescence of many into the whole, the building of many to stand as one, The exhibit approaches intersectionality politically, personally, and collectively. Meet Me at the Intersection is a deep dive into those many. The exhibit will be in the Centre Gallery from March 19th through April 20th. Curator: Chantel Bollinger is the curator of Meet Me at the Intersection. As a ceramic maker Bollinger is interested in the ways artists from marginalized backgrounds put themselves into their work whether intentionally or otherwise. This exhibit speaks to the ways in which people with intersecting identities use clay to share their unique perspectives and stories. Contributing artists: Cal Duran, Vincent Frimpong, Esther Elia, Cesar Pita, Cortney YellowHorse-Metzger, Jessica Marie Gross, Margarita Paz-Pedro, Harley Torres, Kwakye Oppong Asamoah, Eleanor Heimbaugh, Juana Estrada Hernandez, Chantel Bollinger.   Being Bridges curated by Devishi Seth Devishi Seth, curator of this exhibit, brings together six young artists from diverse backgrounds and explores the interconnection between spirituality and clay—how a state of aliveness is experienced through clay while transforming relationships within oneself. Devishi Seth explains: Bridging different human experiences, clay connects us to one another. Our bodies molded, through clay, act as an extension of the Earth. Becoming a mediator that bridges us to the spirit underlying all phenomenon. Being Bridges expands on the duality of ceramic and human bodies.  As clay brings us together, we use this material to become a bridge for society and to produce a meaningful future. Through ceramic vessels, we can simultaneously reflect and shape our reality through our fingertips. The desire to create with this malleable medium is present across time, across cultures, and across ideologies.  In this exhibit, some works reference specific cultural iconographies, while others use a language of their own. Some pieces revisit personal history, while others use shared experiences. Some are cast from real objects, while others are sculpted from the imagination. Displaying varying subject matter and aesthetic sensibilities, they are connected in their reach. They all serve as metaphorical and literal bridges to connect us with energies outside of ourselves. Through its curation, Being Bridges celebrates the infinite ways in which this amorphous material is used to bridge this everlasting expanse.   The NCECA 2024 conference theme, Coalescence, plays an important role in Being Bridges as it taps into the power clay has, how it shapes us, and our desires to create. How it becomes a spiritual extension of oneself, affecting every particle of our bodies. This exhibit will be in the Corner Gallery from March 19th through April 23, 2024. Artists: Malak Kaki, Devishi Seth, Tao Tao, Eve van Rens, Jeremy Wong, Luqing Zhang. ________________________________________ Manic Ceramic  For the arrival of the NCECA Conference in Richmond this month, we reserved Gallery 201 for a clay exhibit by talented local ceramic artists and potters. Lee Hazelgrove, master ceramic artist and potter is the juror for the exhibit. The exhibit is in Gallery 201.  This extended show will be on display from February 23 through April 20, 2024. There are cash prizes. Click here to submit your entries. NCECA: National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. ________________________________________ RECYCLE ALL MEDIA ART SHOW  The Recycle All Media Show is an annual commentary on awareness of waste and the disregard of the human impact on the planet. Artists make use of materials found and recovered from various states and locations. They recycle, upcycle and repurpose these objects for this exhibit with hope that viewers take notice of our excessiveness as humans and move forward with change. This is a juried show with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The show is open to all artists and all mediums. Any medium is acceptable as long as recycled attributes are included. This exhibit will be in the Skylight Gallery.  Call for entries is February 15th – March 11th, 2024 and artists may submit entries through our online form. More information: Call for Entries    More Events at Art Works in March  ________________________________________Figure Drawing Sessions  Join us for live figure drawing sessions the 1st and 3rd Sundays of March from 1 pm – 4 pm at Art Works. Hosted by RVA Thriving Artists. Click here for information. RVA Thriving Artists Monthly Meet-up  It’s a meet-up. Network with other artists, exchange ideas, have a beverage and chill.                Location: Benchtop Brewery, 434 Hull Street.  March 21st 6 pm – 7 pm.  RVA Thriving Artists Exchange Learn Felting. You’ll love this workshop to be taught by Bebhinn Thomas.  Date: March 4, 2024 6pm – 8 pm  Location: Art Works. Check our website to register. The event is free and open to the public. Women in the Arts Scavenger Hunt Get your clue sheet from the office. Look for the tokens on the walls. Match the clues to the artwork. Pick up your prize in the office. March 1st – March 23rd 11 am – 5 pm  Saint Patrick’s Day  Stop in for green punch and cookies, March 17th 11 am – 5 pm  Easter Egg Hunt It’s an EGGstraordinary scavenger hunt. Look for the eggs, match the clues to the art. Pick up your Easter prize in the office. March 31st 11 am – 5 pm