Habiba El-Sayed, Unstolen, 2023, VR experience (Blender, Unity), Courtesy of the artist
The 79th Scripps College Ceramic Annual, the longest continuous exhibition of contemporary ceramics in the nation, is ongoing and will continue until April 7. The exhibition, The Idea of Feeling Brown, is curated by Jasmine Baetz, Lincoln Visiting Artist in Ceramics at Scripps, and features work by Lucero Aguirre, Karla Ekatherine Canseco, Reniel Del Rosario, Magdolene Dykstra, Habiba El-Sayed, Raheleh Filsoofi, Joanna Keane Lopez, Heidi McKenzie, noé olivas, Claudia V. Solórzano, Christian Vistan, Patrice Renee Washington, and Xia Zhang.
“We are delighted to have Jasmine Baetz serve as guest curator this year,” said Erin M. Curtis, Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. “She has taken an innovative approach to the exhibition, selecting works by artists that engage with queer performance theorist José Esteban Muñoz and his theories of brownness and aesthetics.”
“I invited artists with a range of approaches to ceramics whose work speaks to Muñoz’s posthumously published text, The Sense of Brown,” said Baetz. “Their work conveys historical consciousness, situated understanding, feeling, and emotion.”
“Many of the artworks demonstrate innovative approaches to ceramics,” Curtis added. “They range from sculptural works to immersive installations, and incorporate digital media, augmented reality, and performance.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue featuring an essay by Kristie Soares, assistant professor of women and gender studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. Limited-edition zines featuring interviews with the exhibiting artists, copublished by Christian Vistan and students of The Claremont Colleges, will also be available.
The gallery will be open during the exhibition from 12 to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.