Alfred University faculty, students, alumni are participants at 2024 NCECA Conference
Alfred University will be well represented at next week’s 2024 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference, which opens Wednesday, March 20, in Richmond, VA, and runs through Saturday, March 23. More than 80 Alfred University alumni, faculty, and students are taking part in the four-day event, highlighting the impact, strong relationships, and intersections Alfred University has in the field of ceramic art.
The 58th NCECA Annual Conference, “Coalesce,” is being held at various venues in Richmond, and features a large number of exhibitions, panel discussions, presentations, and more.
“Rendered Fusion: Clay, Connection, Attention” is the title of the NCECA Annual 2024 exhibition. An opening reception is set for Thursday, March 21; it will remain on view through May 4, 2024. Artists affiliated with Alfred University chosen to participate in the exhibition are Rice Evans ’16 BFA, Lydia Thompson ’85 M.F.A., Jing Huang ’20 M.F.A., Elissa Armstrong ’02 M.F.A., Cynthia Morelli ’86 B.F.A., and Albert Pfarr ’90 M.F.A.
Two Alfred University students—Spencer Cheek and Sophie Gibson—have works included in the Juried Student Exhibition. April D. Felipe ’03 B.F.A. is a juror for the student exhibition. A reception is set for Friday, March 22; the exhibition will remain on view through March 24, 2024.
Four Alfred University alumni, including faculty member Paul Briggs ’92 M.F.A, assistant professor of ceramics, are represented in the exhibition, “Like the Dust Settles in Layers, So Does the Story,” on view at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center in Richmond. Other Alfred University alumni showing work in the exhibition are Sana Musasama ’87 M.F.A. and Adero Willard ‘’95 B.F.A. A reception for the exhibition, organized by Lydia Thompson ’85 M.F.A., is set for March 22. It will remain on view through Aug. 17, 2024.
Several Alfred University alumni and faculty will have work shown in “Women Working With Clay: A Shared Purpose,” an exhibition of work by former regional presenters at the Women Working With Clay Symposium at Hollins University. Andrea Gill ’76 M.F.A., professor of ceramics emerita, and Linda Sikora, professor of ceramic art, are among those with work in the exhibition.
Fourteen alumni and faculty will participate in the exhibition “Ashtrays: Class or Trash,” on view at Abode, in Richmond, March 19-24, with a reception set for March 21. The exhibition, in which a group of artists explores the ubiquitous and discounted form of the ceramic ashtray, is organized by Alfred University alumnus Peter Morgan ’05 M.F.A. Walter McConnell ’86 M.F.A., professor of ceramic art, also has work in the exhibition.
Briggs will serve as a demonstrating artist, with his presentation, “Every Pinch Counts,” being offered on Thursday and Friday, March 21 and 22. The focus of Briggs’ demonstration will be on hand-turned (pinched) ceramic vessels and pots.
Nicki Green, assistant professor of ceramics, will participate in the panel, “Where Do We Go From Here,” on Friday, March 22. A group of LGBTQIA+ identifying educators will gather to discuss how to create space, empowerment, and solutions to support their academic communities.
Nicki Green, assistant professor of ceramics at Alfred University, will participate in the panel discussion at the 2024 NCECA Conference.
There are several other exhibitions with notable Alfred representation, including “The Road to Demarest,” with 16 faculty, former faculty, alumni, and local residents; and “50 Years in the Making: The Clay Studio Residents and Alumni” with seven.
Current Robert C. Turner Teaching Fellow Eugene Ofori Agyei has work in two exhibitions: “The Medium is the Message” and “Unsettling Extractions.” Several Alfred University alumni are represented in each of those shows.
The 27th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition is the premier annual juried ceramic competition for Kindergarten through Grade 12 students in the United States and is designed to highlight outstanding creativity with clay by school aged youth. Each year, Alfred University awards five scholarships to participants in the exhibition, including the Val Cushing Memorial Scholarship, which provides full tuition. The other four—the Wallace C. Higgins Memorial Scholarship, Marion L. Fosdick Memorial Scholarship, Theodore A. Randall Memorial Scholarship, and William D. Parry Memorial Scholarship—provide 90 percent of tuition.