Green Hill Art Center - "By Example" Exhibition

Samantha Henneke in front of Coleopatra- 24 Beetles, porcelain glazes paintings

The exhibition titled "By Example- North Carolina Potters and their Mentors" is on display at the Green Hill Art Center in Greensboro, North Carolina and will be on view until the end of the month- August 26, 2012.

Green Hill Art Center is located in downtown Greensboro across from the Center City Park, on 200 North Davie Street (336-333-7460).

I made "Coleopatra"(beetles not the queen), a wall of 24 glazed beetles. The back ground is a whitish crystalline glaze and the beetles are glazed with a variety of crystalline glaze colors and textures. This is the second installation of beetles as a grouping. The first set was hung in the Gregg Museum on NC State's campus in Raleigh back in 2007, and the beetles were glazed on a gold background.  I was excited about having the opportunity to make another beetle wall installation, the Green Hill Art Center has wonderful space, with a great mix of natural light and gallery lighting.
     Along with the wall of beetles, I threw tall vases that measured 15"-18" in height with image and textural decoration, and crystalline glazes, as well as a series of seven 11"x11" porcelain box shapes with fantasy narrative "A Girl in Red Dress with Dung Beetle". You can see all of the pieces that I have in this exhibition on our Bulldog Pottery Flickr page.

My chosen mentor is Val Cushing. Val was my pottery teacher when I went to Alfred University back in the mid 90's.  He influenced my pottery work as well as is the bed rock for my knowledge and love glazes and understanding of the materials. During one of my first glaze calculation classes he encouraged us to go to the library, I took this to heart and went there whenever I had time. I wandered up and down the Scholes Library aisles, grabbing handfuls of books, and sitting down to look, read, and ponder.

There is a By Example Exhibition Catalog that was printed to go along with the show.  

Ronan Peterson filmed 8 minutes of a gallery walk through and he posted it on You Tube By Example Exhibition.

Val Cushing pottery in the "By Example" Exhibition

Samantha Henneke in front of her  Girl in Red Dress and Dung Beetle series

Decorated glaze vases and "Coleopatra"

Poster of Val Cushing, Samantha's mentor at the By Example show in Greensboro, Green Hill Art Center