ARTIST SERVICES

rooted in thoughtfulness and curiosity. Though Allgood’s ceramics are often grounded in practicality, they maintain a particular whimsy and environmental aesthetic. The forms and use of her pots and objects are meant to enrich what she calls “quiet acts of self-reliance”: They are watering cans for gardening, bowls for knitting, utensils for cooking, and bookends to organize reading. Though Allgood is thoroughly involved in the making and conceptualizing processes, the magic, nature, and mystery of relinquishing her work to the powers of the soda kiln is currently an important part of her practice.

Additional work by Allgood can be found on Instagram at @mostlygoodpots.

Warren Mackenzie Advancement Award

Launched in 2014, the Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award honors the educational legacy of Warren MacKenzie. Recipients of the award can research new techniques or processes, study with a mentor or in an apprentice program, visit other ceramic art centers or institutions for classes and workshops, collaborate with artists or other media, or travel. The grant period is 12 consecutive months, from June 2023 to May 2024. Through this year’s selection process, one recipient was selected to have their proposal funded.

Cecilia Lu

Cecilia Lu is a Chinese-American artist based in NYC. Her art practice engages multi-generational and familial histories in the context of mourning and nonwestern healing practices. She works primarily in installations composed of ceramics, video, performance, and printmaking. She received her BFA from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). She has had solo shows at The Soil Factory (Ithaca, NY) and The Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art (NY); and participated in group shows in the String Room Gallery (Aurora, New York), Community Arts Partnership ArtSpace (Ithaca, NY), Williamsburg Art and Historical Center (Brooklyn, NY), and more. Most recently, she was a ceramics artist-in-residence at Woodstock Byrdcliffe (NY).

Additional work by Lu can be found on Instagram at @zcecilialu.

Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients!

The 2023 selection panel participants for the Early Career Artist Residencies and the Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award were Adam Chau, Sharbani Das Gupta, and Janina Myronova.

The panel was overwhelmed by the number and quality of the applications that were received. All of these portfolios demonstrated a sense of creativity that extends beyond the traditional paths of research. The panel was interested in supporting emerging voices that would amplify overlooked perspectives in the field and applications which demonstrated a thirst for growth in the community of artists at NCC. Even with these guideposts, they found their decisions incredibly difficult to make with so many strongly-qualified applicants.

Please watch our website and our winter newsletter for future application deadlines. If you would like to host a presentation on our grant programs at your school or institution, or if you have individual questions about the programs, please contact Sean Lofton at seanlofton@northernclaycenter.org.

Lastly, we would like to offer a special thank you to all of the 2023 applicants. Your interest in NCC’s grant programs and your applications help to keep our arts economy strong by demonstrating the exceptional talent and diversity present among early career ceramic artists entering this wonderful field.