January@AMOCA
The new year brings more to explore here at the American Museum of Ceramic Art! If you haven’t joined us in Pomona recently, January is a great time to visit.
We’re starting off the month with First Fridays, our pay-what-you-can admission day. Thanks to generous support from AMOCA’s Board of Directors, you can visit the museum on Friday, January 6 and choose your own ticket prices!
January opens our Winter Session in the Ceramics Studio, with six week classes starting mid-month. Whatever your skill level, we have a six-week hands-on class for you! Select Winter session (January-February 2023) studio classes still have space available; be sure to sign up as soon as possible if you’d like to participate. If you’re not ready to commit to a 6-week class, a one-hour Introductory Session might be right for you! Offered monthly, these classes are the perfect way to get your hands dirty, relax, and have fun! January Introductory Sessions will take place on Friday, January 13. Also this month, the Studio is offering a weekend-long Artist-led workshop with Mette Maya and a multi-day Skill Building workshop with Studio Manager Nathan Stanfield.
Did you know we’re currently accepting applications for AMOCA’s Artist in Residence Program? AMOCA’s is one of only a few long-term fellowship opportunities for ceramic artists on the West Coast; the residency provides artists an opportunity to produce or develop a new body of work. Both long- and short-term fellowships will be offered in 2023-2024, thanks to support from Laguna Clay and the Windgate Foundation. Prospective applicants are invited to attend a virtual Information Session on January 11.
Later this month, artists of all ages and skill levels are invited to participate in our Food Fiesta family day workshop. On Sunday, January 29, join Education Manager Carly Lake-Irigoyen as she tours us through Christina Erives’s installation in AMOCA’s Vault Gallery. Then, we’ll sculpt our very own food varieties using air-dry clay and decorate them with tempera paint. This workshop encourages children and adults to explore culture and family connections through a delicious lens!
If you’re looking to travel a little further afield this month, head out to Culver City to check out Wende Museum’s current exhibition (De)constructing Ideology: The Cultural Revolution and Beyond, which takes ceramics from China’s porcelain capital of Jingdezhen as a starting point to explore the history and artistic production of the Cultural Revolution. This show investigates the relationship between art and ideology, as well as the agency of the artists working within restrictive frameworks. Also of note: Bari Ziperstein, whose work is on view at AMOCA in Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, designed the curtains currently hanging in the Wende’s East German guardhouse!
We have some more great programing coming up in February, too, including a Spanish-language tour of Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay and another exclusive Members Tour led by Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein. Stay tuned for more details! And, if you’re an AMOCA member, don’t forget we offer ongoing Member Bonus Days on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week, when you can visit the museum and explore our exhibitions without the crowds.
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 or reserved online.
Hope to see you soon,
Genevieve Kaplan
Associate Director of Communications & Stewardship
January Programs & Events
First Fridays at AMOCA
Friday, January 6 • 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 in Residence Information Session
Wednesday, January 11, 2023 • 12:00–1:00 PM PST • Online
Join us for a conversation with AMOCA staff, alongside current/former resident artists, to learn more about the Artist in Residence program, which is accepting applications this month. To learn more about the program, including an application and information on past and current residents, click here. The application deadline for 2023-2024 AMOCA residencies is January 31, 2023.
Introductory Session • Wheel Throwing
Friday, January 13, 2022 • 5:00–6:00 PM or 8:00-9:00 PM • In Person • $50
Introductory sessions, offered monthly, 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.
Artist Workshop • Mette Maya: Abstractions in Clay
Saturday & Sunday, January 14 & 15, 2023 • 10:00 AM–2:00 PM • In person • $250
Join Danish artist Mette Maya in the AMOCA studio for a two-day workshop on surface exploration and alternative building techniques.
Skill Building Workshop • Soda Firing with Nathan Stanfield
January 28 & 29, and February 1 & 4, 2023 • times vary • In person • $350
Join Nathan Stanfield, AMOCA’s Studio Manager, in the AMOCA studios for a multi-day Soda Firing workshop.
Food Fiesta • A Family Workshop
Sunday, January 29, 2023 • 11:00 AM–1:00 PM • In person • $15
AMOCA invites you to explore the food sculptures of Christina Erives and create your own food favorites out of clay. AMOCA’s family workshops are for all ages and everyone is welcome!
Breaking Ground: Recorrido en Español
Saturday, February 4, 2023 • 11:30 AM–12:30 PM • In person
Únase a nosotros para un recorrido en español de la exhibición Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, dirigida por la gerente de exhibición de AMOCA, Pam Aliaga. Join us for a Spanish-language tour of the exhibition Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay, led by AMOCA’s exhibition manager Pam Aliaga.
In Case You Missed It
AMOCA’s 2022 Year in Review
Thank you for valuing AMOCA’s mission to champion the art, history, creation, and technology of ceramics. Your support provides funds for teaching artists and supplies for our educational programs, underwrites our exhibitions and catalog expenses, and inspires us to craft a bigger and bolder future for AMOCA. You can make a gift any time at https://www.amoca.org/give.
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–March 12, 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 these historic works.