From cultural commentary and personal introspection to nature and the universe, the juried art competition Ink & Clay 43 exhibits 103 intriguing and eclectic pieces of ceramic, clay, ink, printmaking and mixed-media art.
The exhibition runs through Oct. 26 at the W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery in Building 35A. Winners of the competition will be announced during the opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This year, more than 230 entries were received. An independent jury of artists and arts professionals evaluated the work based on technical skill, originality of the pieces and the judges’ preferences.
Along this year’s featured pieces:
- Zengo Yoshida’s “1-SuperHeros, 1-EmojAttack, 1-Manga (comic) Invasion” from the Pro Wrestler Masks for Millennials & Generation Z Series; porcelain slip cast, underglaze paint, cone 6 glaze
- Gwen Samuels’ “Closed Encounters,” ink-based digital images printed on transparency, hand-stitched
- Howard Steenwyk’s “Goddess!” silkscreen print with “visitor interactive” filter
- Jeff Reed’s “The Escalator,” ink on wood panel
- Gina M.’s “Reluctant Surrender,” ceramic, oil glaze, wire
- Naoto Ishikawa’s ”Kumo-no-Ito” (“The Spider’s Thread”), partially painted clay vessels on painted board

“This show is decidedly more political than past years, with many pieces focusing on cultural or global issues,” says Michele Cairella Fillmore, curator of the W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery and the Huntley Art Gallery. “The show provides an evolution of work from the literal to the literary and geometric to organic representations of nature.
Established in 1971, Ink & Clay is an annual competition that calls for works that incorporate “any variety of ink or clay as a material.” The jurors for Ink & Clay 43 are Anne Martens, curator and media writer for the J. Paul Getty Museum; Joan Takayama-Ogawa, ceramics artist and faculty at the Otis College of Art and Design; and Nancy Haselbacher, a graphic designer and fine artist, as well as a teacher of printmaking at the Otis College of Art and Design.
The W. Keith and Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery (north end of Building 35A) is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/kelloggartgallery, email artgalleries@cpp.edu or call (909) 869-4302.