September@AMOCA
Exciting changes have been happening in our exhibition galleries! We’ve been hard at work setting up our newest exhibition, Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay. Breaking Ground opens September 10 and celebrates 44 artists who have defined—and redefined—ceramics over the past 100 years. This exhibition will be the first to chronologize the evolution of ceramic art in California solely through the work of women artists, and the first exhibition to be presented across all three of AMOCA’s ground-floor galleries.
Breaking Ground celebrates singular acts of women ceramists and their breakthrough moments, which have altered the course of ceramics; the exhibition presents 126 objects by artists who have been integral to the progression, professionalization, and artistic integrity of ceramics over the past 100 years. You are invited to join us for the opening reception celebrating Breaking Ground on Saturday, September 10.
AMOCA’s Ceramics Studio will be bustling in September. Our fall Studio classes are starting, offering six-week sessions from Wheel Throwing to Hand Building. Registration is now open; our classes tend to fill quickly, so be sure to sign up soon if you’d like to participate. We’ll also offer two 60-minute Introductory Classes on Saturday, September 10. If you’re not ready to commit to a longer class, these introductory sessions are perfect! They’ll introduce you to the studio and teach you the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. If you successfully create a bowl, staff will glaze it with an oatmeal glaze and fire it after the class is completed.
Our Artist in Residence (AIR) program is going strong! 2022-2023 long-term Artist in Residence Nick Vest arrived in August and gave a virtual artist talk on August 23, sharing his past work and his plans for his AMOCA residency. A recording of this talk will be available on our website soon. Breana Ferreira, our other long-term resident in the Ceramics Studio, arrives this month. In addition to creating her own work during her AMOCA residency, Ferreira will be teaching Introductory Hand Building and Beginning Wheel Throwing at the studio during the fall session.
This month we also welcome a new staff member here at AMOCA. Jenifer Fleming, our new Director of Advancement, brings to AMOCA years of experience at organizations including Inner-City Arts, the American Film Institute, and the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. Please say hello to Jenifer when you see her here in the museum!
Are you an AMOCA member? Don’t forget that, among other benefits, AMOCA members get early access to new exhibitions. Members are invited to join us for an exclusive Member Preview of Breaking Ground on Friday, September 9. Member Preview reservations can be booked online, by calling the Museum at (909) 865-3146, or by emailing membership@amoca.org. Want to renew or purchase a membership? It’s easy to purchase or renew online.
Please note that AMOCA will be closed to visitors August 22-September 9, while we complete installation for Breaking Ground. Our next First Friday, our monthly pay what you can event, is on Friday, October 7. Choose your own ticket prices at AMOCA! Reserve here for your October 7 visit.
For discounted admission in September, we invite you to visit the museum during Smithsonian Magazine‘s Museum Day event on Saturday, September 17. Claim your free Museum Day tickets online, and then bring them to AMOCA on Sept. 17.
Thank you for being a partner in AMOCA’s mission to champion the ceramic arts! We look forward to welcoming you to the museum after September 9 — we’re open Friday through Sunday, from 11 AM through 4 PM; you can make reservations online.
Hope to see you soon,
Genevieve Kaplan
Associate Director of Communications & Stewardship
September Programs & Events
Member Preview: Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay
Friday, September 9 • 2–4 PM • In-person
AMOCA members get early access to exhibitions! Be among the first to see Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay by joining us on Member Preview Day.
Opening Reception: Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay
Saturday, September 10 • 4–6 PM • In-person
Join us for an opening reception for Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, on view at AMOCA. Artists whose work is in the exhibition will be present starting at 4 PM, opening remarks will occur at 4:30 PM, and light refreshments will be served. Admission to the event and Museum galleries is complimentary with advance registration.
September Introductory Ceramics Sessions
Saturday, September 10 • 12:00–1:00 PM or 2:30–3:30 PM • In-person • $45
Learn the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel! Complimentary access to the Museum galleries is included.
The perfect way to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun! In this one-hour introductory class, you’ll learn the basics of throwing on the potters wheel. If you successfully create a bowl, staff will glaze it with an oatmeal glaze and fire it after the class is completed – all included in the price. If you’d like to take the piece home with you, you can come back and pick it up.
Member Bonus Days
Wednesdays and Thursdays • 11 AM–4 PM • In-person
Members can now book tickets to visit Museum galleries on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A fun way to enjoy the galleries to yourself!
First Fridays at AMOCA
Friday, October 7 • 11 AM–4 PM • In-person
Thanks to generous support from AMOCA’s Board of Directors, Museum admission for First Fridays at AMOCA is pay what you can (while tickets last). Each month, visit the Museum and choose your own ticket prices!
In Case You Missed It
Virtual Artist Talk with Colby Charpentier
Presented and recorded on Saturday, July 23, 2022
Artist in Residence Colby Charpentier presented an artist talk to share new work and reflect on his 2021-2022 residency in the AMOCA Studio.
Artist Talk: Blooop by Alina Hayes
Presented and recorded on Thursday, June 23, 2022
A recording of the virtual artist talk with artist Alina Hayes to celebrate the exhibition Blooop by Alina Hayes.
One Clay at a Time: Episode 2
Recorded on Friday, July 15, 2022
Episode two of One Clay at a Time features Josh Cloud, a Los Angeles-based artist who just graduated from CalArts and invited us over to his solo exhibition at South Willard, The Only Way Out is Through. Tune in as Cloud, Aliaga, and Solórzano talk about embracing cracks, loving anime and how driving with ceramics becomes everyone’s problem.
Exhibitions on View
Visit Friday–Sunday, 11 AM–4 PM by purchasing tickets online.
Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay
On view September 10, 2022–February 19, 2023, Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay celebrates 44 artists who have defined—and redefined—ceramics over the past 100 years. Many of the Golden State’s most innovative and impactful ceramic artists in the 20th and 21st centuries are women who faced adversity due to gender inequality and were often ignored or overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. These incredibly determined women pushed forward, driven by creativity and tenacity.
Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay is co-curated by Beth Ann Gerstein (Executive Director), Jo Lauria (Adjunct Curator), and Edith Garcia (Professor, California College of the Arts and University of California, Berkeley).
The Artists of Mettlach
This ongoing exhibition presents a selection of works from the Villeroy and Boch Mettlach Collection (donated by Robert D. And Colette D. Wilson). It features original research on notable artists involved in the production of this historic works.