NCECA Show, curated by Martha.  Artists: Andrew Gilliatt, Chris Pickett, Emily Free Wilson, Jana Evans, Martha Grover, Meredith Host, Paul Donnelly & Rain Harris, Sunshine Cobb

There are certain design elements and motifs that have resonance for all humans across the globe.  Often they are created by nature, and then repeated or distilled into patterns by artists.  They can be mixed up and used in a variety of forms which we find mesmerizing.  One such element is the humble “dot.” The dot is such a simple element, but it has universal appeal. 

Dots are everywhere!  The rocks in a river appear as colored dots.  Animals wear dots.  We decorate our walls and clothes with dots.  Flowers attract pollinators with dots.  Some of us have dots on our faces.  We make language with dots and cover our toilet paper with dots.  Even our digital “Dot Com” world is literally dots—TV, computer, and printed images are all made up of dots. 

The concept for this show is to bring together nine artists who all use dots in their work and to examine the many reasons and ways in which a simple dot can be incorporated in pottery—surface drawing, glaze design, glaze resist, carving, relief, piercing, etc.  Patterns of dots can express nature, movement, humor, culture, or concealment—universal topics that connect with all audiences.  Some of the artists look to the natural world and mirror its use of dots, others gravitate towards the man-made world and industrially produced dot patterns.  Others still use the dot as form and negative space rather than surface decoration.  Each individual artist takes this very simple element and uses it to express many ideas.