Gallery Reception and Clay Body Station for "Flesh Vessels"

Join NIAD and Oakland-based curator and ceramist Chinzalée Sonami for a special gallery reception.

For a playful twist, the opening reception will feature a "Clay Body Station"—an interactive ceramic experience where participants can choose from an array of uniquely crafted body parts to assemble their own whimsical, one-of-a-kind figures.  Complete with a variety of ceramic pieces and potentially vibrant clothing options, this creative workshop not only adds a layer of fun but also reinforces the exhibition's themes of self-expression, individuality, and the joy of creation. 

Flesh Vessels is a ceramics exhibition that invites artists to investigate the inherent bond between our bodies and the ceramic forms that echo their being. Ceramics are inextricably tied to the body. Whether molded into vessels for everyday use, sculpted for aesthetic appreciation, or anything in between, clay mimics flesh and our bodies are the vessels. This ancient bond is both reflected in creation myths across cultures, where humanity is often formed from clay or echoed now in the modern day term "clay body" which ceramicists and potters use to describe the clay material utilized.