Ecumene: Global Interface in American Ceramics invites us to investigate essential questions about the nature of creative action in the early 21st century. In computer science, interface refers to a point of interaction between components that allows them to function independently while communicating and working with other parts of a system. The range of ideas and approaches to clay working in this exhibition demonstrate that while this confluence of interconnectedness and independence is pervasive, it can also be discomforting. Artists influence culture, but what influences artists? Why and how do we create and what are the consequences of our work? Although it has been widely held that art has always shaped the culture around us, how can art serve as a vehicle for social criticism, reveal notions of identity or ways of living in empathy with the planet and its inhabitants?
