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.Abel Folgar for '100 Creatives Miami New Times' | December 27, 2016
Herring crafts pieces — functional sculptures. Principles of beauty, community, utility, intuition, and fidelity to materials guide a practice where process embodies content. He concludes that the development of forms through serial work and repetition as a tool fosters an intuitive process. The use or functionality of his work is a crucial element in gauging its success. While visual presence is significant, equally valuable is the experience conveyed when his creations are handled, touched, and employed in daily life. He acknowledges that a vase, for instance, is incomplete until it hosts a floral arrangement, a teapot unfinished until it brews tea; the intimacy of functional objects that invite interaction, touch, holding, and dining offers a pathway to transformative experiences. His work is not designed but evolves through this process. It is unfinished until it finds use.
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.
These artists commented that they considered it a privilege to serve as jurors for the 74th Miami Ceramic League Juried Exhibition. They thanked the President of the Miami Ceramic League, James Herring, and the many students with whom they shared an exciting and enriching workshop. They evaluated the images through an online platform and relied on their professional experiences working in the academic sector (universities). Furthermore, they reiterated that one of the things they enjoyed most in their careers as professors was the opportunity to analyze art created by both student artists and professional artists currently working in the contemporary art scene.
The opening was attended by a large audience, mostly made up of artists and ceramic art enthusiasts. Art lovers from the community were also present and continued to visit the exhibition over two weeks. The artists, for their part, enjoyed a warm evening where they had the opportunity to mingle with their peers and admire the pieces they had conceived over the last year.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas and the Fine Arts Ceramic Center presented their exhibition "Unlikely Assemblages" as part of the 57th Annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference, which took place from March 15th to 18th, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The Annex Gallery, located next to the Pendelton Art Center and directed by photographer and cultural promoter Jens G. Rosenkrantz, hosted the exhibition, which will run until April 29th, 2023. "Unlikely Assemblages" showcases the works of three prominent Cuban creators who are based in South Florida.
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On the morning of Sunday, February 19th, the exhibition "Artist Set the Table" was inaugurated, curated by the hARTvest project in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas of Kendall. This exhibition makes available to the public over one hundred plates made by important Cuban artists. A good number of families visiting Pinecrest Gardens this Sunday stopped to enjoy the exhibition throughout the day. The park serves as a perfect stage for community artists to reach a diverse audience that might not visit galleries, thereby promoting not only entertainment but also artistic education and fostering art among new generations.
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The Fine Art Ceramic Center and Miami Ceramic League are teaming up to promote and educate the public on ceramic arts. The Miami Ceramic League recently hosted an annual exhibition in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas, featuring renowned ceramicist Tom Coleman as the keynote speaker. The event provided a platform for artists to showcase their latest creations and network with fellow creators for several hours. The evening was filled with creative and motivational experiences, and attendees gained a deeper appreciation for this unique art form.
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The Fine Arts Ceramic Center integrates into The New MoCAA museum. The exhibition "Ceramics: Omnipresence Matter" is organized, encompassing the complex connotations of identity, belonging, and diaspora. It concerns the artist's narratives, history, and social context. It's a total departure from how traditionally the ceramics collection has been presented. Ceramics have become a source of inspiration and expressiveness for a selection of artists presented as part of the FACC collection.
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