A FANCIFUL NOTION: 2013-14 Artist in Residence Lindsay Scypta and Barbara Rittenberg Memorial Fellow Ron Geibel

Clay Art Center presents
A FANCIFUL NOTION: 2013-14 Artist in Residence Lindsay Scypta and Barbara Rittenberg Memorial Fellow Ron Geibel
From the perfectly groomed exterior to the intricately planned meals that occur on the interior, A Fanciful Notion explores the perception and reality of the home. Lindsay Scypta and Ron Geibel use their intricate use of ornamentation as common ground.
Clay Art Center is proud to present A FANCIFUL NOTION: 2013-14 Artist in Residence Lindsay Scypta and Barbara Rittenberg Memorial Fellow Ron Geibel, an exhibition featuring the decorative functional pottery of Lindsay Scypta  and Ron Geibel’s  porcelain topiaries. The exhibit will run from June 7- July 26, 2014 with an opening reception on Saturday, June 7  from 6-8pm.  Admission to the gallery and the SHOP at CAC, featuring one-of-a kind handmade pottery and sculpture, is free. Also on exhibit in the Studio: Westchester Community Foundation Valentine & Clark Emerging Artist Fellow: Gabriele Sia fishman
Ron Geibel and Lindsay Scypta  joined the Clay Art Center community in September of 2013. As they worked and taught alongside one another this year, they each utilized every minute to build bodies of work for their exhibition. Scypta dissects components of the home, where the table as a place of social intimacy and the dinnerware as the objects that define the choreography of the meal while  Geibel’s work questions whether what lies on the interior truly matches the exterior.

About her work Lindsay states: “My tableware pivots around notions of the table, and social intimacy. The table addresses all of the senses from seeing the dressed table to the gracefulness of the cup lifting to your lips. I want my work to afford people a sense of togetherness and community. I use food as a way of interpreting the world where the tableware creates rituals through decorum, and the table to build camaraderie. As the maker it is my greatest wish to see these objects in use in the world, and most importantly, through their utility, the necessity of the table within the home becomes indisputable.”
About his work, Ron asks many questions. “How do we choose what to expose and what to conceal about our personal lives? What are the consequences when secrets are revealed publicly? Who are the chosen recipients of this information? These questions form the foundation for my artistic process.  I investigate the possibilities of using the “private” to examine the “public.” How does the public react when confronted with what is usually kept private? The perfectly groomed exterior with the manicured lawn and trimmed shrubs represents the idea that, “everything is perfect.” Creating an inconspicuous exterior is a strategy used to display objects that reference the private parts of people’s lives, issues concerning, sexuality, gender and identity that are typically kept hidden.”
Joining us from Columbus, OH, Lindsay Scypta completed a BFA in Art & Design from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Lindsay has been a summer intern Anderson Ranch Art Center and an artist-in-residence at Ashland University. Lindsay completed her MFA Ohio State University, following her thesis research to England, visiting the Wedgwood Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum and Brighton Palace.

Ron Geibel grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 2007, he received a BFA in ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He has been an artist in residence at Red Lodge Clay Center and The Chautauqua Institution’s School of Art. In 2013 Geibel received his MFA from the University of Montana. Currently, Geibel lives in White Plains, NY and is the 2013/2014 Barbara Rittenberg Fellowship recipient at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY.

Clay Art Center is a not-for-profit ceramic art organization offering exhibitions, clay classes for adults and children, studio spaces for clay artists and outreach programs in the community.  It is located in the heart of Port Chester at 40 Beech Street, Port Chester, NY 10573.   Gallery and SHOP hours are Monday through Saturday, 10am-4pm or by appointment.  For more information or images, please contact Caitlin Applegate at caitlin@clayartcenter.org or 914-937-2047.