Stubborn presents a collection of works inspired by classical statuary, particularly torsos and heads, transformed with the unexpected incorporation of industrial objects. Through this juxtaposition, the exhibition invites viewers to reconsider the legacy of Western values and our perceptions of various aspects of life. In contrast to his previous series, Prado intentionally relinquished total control over the creative process, allowing it to unfold with less restraint. Although he continues to draw inspiration from classical sculptures as his primary reference, this time he explores diverse associations that emerge organically during the act of creation. Overall, he perceives in this series a profound struggle to define his own identity. His education as a Western artist, deeply rooted in the traditions of classical Greco-Roman art and Catholic pictorial imagery, has always been a significant influence. While these elements have permeated his career, in 'Stubborn,' they converge, establishing a unique and uncanny dialogue.
Last evening, the exhibitions Stubborn, a solo show by sculptor Carlos Enrique Prado, and Converging Plateaus, a group exhibition by MFA students from the University of Miami, were inaugurated. The event drew a large crowd, including professors from the university’s Art Department, artists, and the students' families. The opening of both exhibitions reaffirms the sustained and fruitful relationship between MoCA-Americas and the University of Miami.
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The Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas is working diligently to finalize Converging Plateaus and Stubborn, exhibitions set to open next Friday as part of the ArtEd Connect program in collaboration with the University of Miami (UM). Converging Plateaus presents to the audience the works of a diverse group of Fine Arts students, while Stubborn features a new series by the renowned ceramicist and professor Carlos Enrique Prado, who is showcasing his second solo exhibition at the Museum. The museum closely follows the work of emerging talents from the local art education scene.
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Boris Danilov, a Ukrainian master in the arts of ceramics and porcelain and a resident of the Fine Arts Ceramic Center, visited the museum on the morning of Thursday the 16th to deliver some of the pieces for his first solo exhibition in the United States. The exhibition features a collection of hand-painted plates and decorative mosaics crafted and produced in the FACC workshops. His works exhibit a style of figuration rarely seen in the West.
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In Miami, you hear a lot about art, but not so much about craft. James Herring's work in ceramics fuses the two. Herring eschews the title of "artist" and sees the resurgence of crafts and craftsmanship as a necessity for human growth in modern times. An outspoken supporter and practitioner of the maker movement, Herring has maintained a presence locally by doing demonstrations and leading classes and workshops on the ancient craft.
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In close collaboration with the Fine Art Ceramic Center, the annual juried exhibition for its members was open to the public from Friday, February 9, through Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas. This year's exhibition featured works from forty members, in various formats and techniques. The show was juried by Kelly and Kyle Phelps, nationally recognized collaborating artists, twins, and art professors based in Ohio.
READ MOREConceived by art collector Leonardo Rodríguez, owner and founder of the former Kendall Art Cultural Center —now the Kendall Museum of Contemporary Arts of the Americas—the Fine Arts Ceramic Center emerged in 2020 with the purpose of creating an artistic project based entirely on the art of ceramics. A workshop equipped with all the necessary resources and tools to produce high-quality artwork on-site was set up in a space adjacent to the Kendall Art Center. Fifty artists were invited to create works on ceramic plates. The result could be seen in the first ceramic plate art exhibition titled "Fine Arts of the Plate," inaugurated on November 27th of the same year.
Since then, the workshop has continued to add new pieces to the collection and has started the production of murals, sculptures, and installations. It has organized workshops, inviting renowned artists, and works to bring ceramics education and practice to the community. The Fine Arts Ceramic Center participated as a guest in the recently concluded NCECA's 57th Annual Conference, Current, in Cincinnati, Ohio from March 15-18, 2023.
Currently, the center is working on the simultaneous creation of nearly 200 pieces of art by a similar number of artists from both Cuba and the rest of the Americas. With the same spirit as the first day, the FACC strives every day to disseminate and promote within its community the history, beauty, and above all, the immense possibilities of ceramics as a support for the most surprising and groundbreaking works of art.
The Rodríguez Ceramics Collection is composed of ceramic works from over 70 artists, beginning with the initial 450 ceramic plates which inaugurated the collection back in 2020, the RCC has expanded to include ceramic murals, sculptures and innovative installations. All designed, developed and fired at the Fine Arts Ceramic Center.
The RCC is mostly composed of over 500 hand painted ceramic plates, each created with by individual artists in Leonardo Rodríguez's permanent collection; invited to translate their signature style from canvas to ceramics. The RCC has expanded to include up to 70 artists to date, with more being invited to produce and contribute to the collection every year.
The integration of ceramic murals into the collection was based on the desire to meld the tradition of a wall-hung work of art, with the innovation and beauty of the ceramic medium. The utilization of hand painted ceramic tiles gave the invited artists the chance to produce and design on a larger scale. The murals constituted the second phase of ceramic production in the FACC.
Sculptures and installations make up a growing part of the ceramics collection. Made entirely of ceramic the FACC's development of large-scale sculptures and installations demonstrates how ceramics is able to be taken to new and daring heights. The sculptures in the collection are the result of the creativity and ingenuity of their artists.
