"Edge" Exhibit Features Works by Meadows Professor

Edge, a new exhibit of works by SMU Meadows Assistant Professor of Art Brian Molanphy and Merrie Wright, chair of the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Texas at Tyler, works toward expanding perceptions of what can be done with clay. Curated by Chris Blackhurst, exhibitions manager at Texas A&M Commerce, the exhibit is an examination of circumventing “normal.”

Molanphy’s series pousse challenges not only the perception of line, but also the materiality of the clay itself, using oxygen-starved fire to force a luscious, dark-skinned surface. “Like my 2013 exhibition, encapsulations, pousse emerges from the wall to make a more explicit 3D presence,” says Molanphy. “However, in pousse, lines emerge instead of volumes. pousse is also inspired by asparagus crowns; the title refers to both “sprout” and “slapdash."

Of Wright’s work, Blackhurst says through the use of camouflage, her urban wildlife challenges the viewer’s perception of time, space and reality.

An elected member of the International Academy of Ceramics, Molanphy has exhibited in national venues such as the New Mexico Museum of Art and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, and in international venues in Canada, Korea, China and several European countries. After receiving a fellowship and an M.F.A. in ceramics from Pennsylvania State University, Molanphy was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the National Manufactory of Sèvres, France in 2006. The Camargo Foundation and the Brown Foundation awarded him fellowships for study in France in 2010.

Previously, Molanphy taught at Colorado College, Pennsylvania State University and the Alberta College of Art and Design. He moved from Marseille to join SMU Meadows in fall 2011. In 2012 he was awarded a Meadows Summer Fellowship and a University Research Council grant for research on marbled clay. Supported by another University Research Council grant while on research leave for the 2014-15 academic year, Molanphy is making ceramics at artist residencies in Denmark and France.

Eastfield Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 972-860-7329 for details.