i/form: Clay onto Art: Seven Contemporary Ceramicists April 17, 2009

Market Street Gallery is pleased to present "i/form: Clay onto Art," an exhibition of contemporary ceramic sculpture, featuring the work of seven Northern California contemporary artists.

Participating artists include: Sherri Cavan, Rachel Cox, Reiko Kubota, Maggie Malloy, Oli Quezada, Don Santos and Maria Sosina.

This exhibition examines the application of the material, clay, onto a sculptural art that connects form to content, concept and context. From the time of the Bay Area Figurative movement of the early'60s, west coast clay artists have built a reputation of producing intensely modern ceramic pieces that stretch the meaning of the medium. For ceramic artists, this movement gave rise to a revolution. With a cry of "let freedom ring." clay artists have moved far beyond creating decorative and utilitarian objects with their ties to the past, and now have influences and connections to the contemporary art world.

Market Street Gallery, with guest curator Maggie Malloy, has organized an invitational selection of local ceramic artists who emphasize the process of pushing clay onto art in ways that connect material form to content, and historical context. These sculptural works encompass many ideas: narrative, political, comical, religious, spiritual, cultural, and confessional in nature.

Market Street Gallery exhibits work of established and emerging artists of the San Francisco Bay Area. Exhibitions include all categories of work, including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, fashion, street art, installation art and film and video media.

Located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood near the corners of Market St. and Van Ness Blvd., the gallery is one of several in the area that are within walking distance of each other. Muni access: Civic Center Station.

Free.

Official Website: http://marketstreetgallery.com