September @AMOCA
September is the perfect time to visit AMOCA! Our new exhibitions, A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach and Cj Jilek: Systematic Erosion, open this month! A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach: Villeroy and Boch showcases scenes of love and relationships as well as larger themes of fantasy, offering an all-encompassing snapshot of the myriad facets of human life within Mettlach, Germany. This fascinating display of Mettlachware—including steins and platters—opens in the Robert and Colette Wilson Gallery on September 9.
Systematic Erosion, Cj Jilek’s installation in the Igal l& Diane Silber Vault Gallery, showcases ceramic and mixed media sculpture addressing social justice for women, exploring the erosion of women’s rights locally, nationally, and internationally. Jilek explains, “By using botanical forms as a metaphor for women, I will be addressing topics such as the changes in women’s health care and other human rights that are withheld from women around the world. The natural and botanical imagery lead to questions about what it takes to nurture and sustain life, and the lines we need to draw between sustaining life, human rights, the environment, and our society.”
September brings many opportunities for you to explore the exhibitions, get your hands dirty, and gain insight from artists and experts. On Friday, September 1, you’re invited to First Fridays—choose your own ticket prices and enjoy current exhibitions, thanks to generous support from our Board of Directors. On view are are From a Gift to a Collection: Igal & Diane Silber in the Armstrong Gallery, and Making in Between: Queer Clay in Gallery B.
Saturday, September 9 is the opening reception for our new exhibitions. Admission to the event and Museum galleries is complimentary with advance registration; artists will be in attendance, and light refreshments will be served.
All are invited to tune in on Thursday, September 14 for Artists in Conversation, a virtual talk featuring Making in Between: Queer Clay artists Alex Anderson and Julia Kunin. Gain firsthand insights about how the inspiration, concept, and process works for these creative individuals. The artists will dive into the cultural and social contexts that have shaped their artistic process; there will be an opportunity for Q & A after the presentation.
Those who are ready to try creating with clay can choose from two one-hour introductory sessions offered on September 15. Introductory sessions are a great way to relax, get your hands dirty, and have some fun! If you’re looking for a more intensive hands-on experience, you can join Tom Coleman’s Experimental Shino workshop beginning September 8, T and Jon Pacini’s Steins, Beer, and Salt Firing workshop starting September 30, or another of our upcoming workshops. Fall 6-week classes in the AMOCA studio begin in October, and registration will open soon! Seats in studio classes and workshops fill up quickly, so be sure to sign up soon if you’re interested in participating.
AMOCA members can continue to enjoy the museum without the crowds on Wednesdays and Thursdays during Member Bonus Days this month. On Wednesday, September 20, Members and their guests are invited to join a Members Tour of From a Gift to a Collection, on view in the Armstrong Gallery through October 8, with Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein. Members also enjoy discounts at the museum store, invitations to exclusive events, and more! Not yet a member or need to renew? You can call us at 909-865-2146 or visit our membership page to renew or purchase a membership online.
Thank you for being a partner in AMOCA’s mission to champion the ceramic arts! We look forward to welcoming you to the museum Friday through Sunday, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Museum tickets may be purchased at the door when you arrive.
See you soon,
Genevieve Kaplan
Associate Director of Communications & Stewardship
Upcoming Programs & Events
First Fridays at AMOCA
Friday, September 1 • 11:00 AM–4:00 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!
Artist Workshop: Experimental Shino w/Tom Coleman
September 8, 9, & 10, 2023 • 9:00 AM–4:00 PM • In Person • $400
This three-day workshop, led by artist Tom Coleman, will introduce you to experimental shino firing techniques; Tom will share tips and tricks he’s discovered along the way.
Opening Reception for Cj Jilek: Systematic Erosion and A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach
Saturday, September 9 • 4:00–6:00 PM • In Person
Join us for an opening reception for Cj Jilek: Systematic Erosion, on view in the Igal & Diane Silber Vault Gallery and A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach: Villeroy and Boch, on view in the Robert and Colette Wilson Gallery. Light refreshments will be served.
Queer Clay: Artists in Conversation
Thursday, September 14, 2023 • 5:00–6:00 PM (PDT) • Online
Gain firsthand insights about how the inspiration, concept, and process works for these creative individuals. This panel of Queer Clay artists will dive into the cultural and social contexts that have shaped their artistic process. The panel will be followed by a Q&A session.
Introductory Clay Class • Wheel Throwing
Friday, September 15 • 5:00–6:00 PM or 7:00–8:00 PM • In Person • $50
Introductory sessions are the perfect way to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun! Learn the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. If you successfully create a bowl, staff will glaze and fire it after the class is completed—all included in the price of the class. If you’d like to take the piece home with you, you can come back and pick it up.
Members Tour
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 • 12:00–1:00 PM • In Person
Join us for a special members tour of the exhibition From a Gift to a Collection: Igal & Diane Silber with Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein. Go behind the scenes and learn about the history and significance of this impressive collection.
Skill Building Workshop: Steins, Beer, and Salt Firing
Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, 2023 • times vary • In Person • $300
Join us for this two-day workshop led by T and Jon Pacini. Participants will improve throwing skills and learn slip decoration, handle-making and attaching, lid-making, and surface decoration for salt-firing.
In Case You Missed It
Capital Campaign: Growing Into Our Future
In August 2023, AMOCA launched the public phase of our first-ever capital campaign to raise $2,000,000 for a facility upgrade that will transform and strengthen AMOCA’s ambitious education, community, and family programs. With your help, we’re making great progress! Learn more.
Exhibitions on View
Visit Friday–Sunday, 11 AM–4 PM.
From a Gift to a Collection: Igal & Diane Silber
On view April 1-October 8, 2023, From a Gift to a Collection: Igal & Diane Silber celebrates AMOCA’s recent acquisition of more than 300 ceramic pieces collected by Igal and Diane Silber. The exhibition presents a selection of 100 works from this unparalleled collection, representing artists from Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Rim, and North America.
Making in Between: Queer Clay
On view May 6-December 30, 2023, Making in Between: Queer Clay shifts the lens of the Making in Between series from national heritage to explore broader influences on identity, centering queerness as an unapologetic presence. Queer Clay features works by historical artists, whose identities have remained largely unseen until recently, alongside contemporary makers.
Cj Jilek: Systematic Erosion
Systematic Erosion is an installation of ceramic and mixed media sculpture addressing social justice for women. Cj Jilek’s exhibition explores the erosion of women’s rights locally, nationally, and internationally. While highlighting women’s rights, the exhibition also has undertones of environmentalism. Systematic Erosion will be on view in the Igal & Diane Silber Vault Gallery September 9–December 17, 2023.
A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach
A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach: Villeroy and Boch showcases everyday life in the 1800s Mettlach, Germany. A Traveler’s Guide to Mettlach, on view in the Robert and Colette Wilson Gallery through June 2025, presents concepts of life, laughter, relationships, and the day-to-day existence of the German people.
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399 N Garey Ave Pomona, CA 91767
909.865.3146 | info@amoca.org
The museum is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, 11 AM–4 PM. Plan your visit by clicking here.
For information about Ceramics Studio hours and availability, please click here for the Ceramics Studio.