Limestone Professor Carolyn Ford Has Art Featured In Three National Exhibits

Limestone University Professor of Art and Program Manager Carolyn Ford now has her ceramic artworks featured in three nationally juried exhibitions.

Ford’s art is currently on display in California and Tennessee, and in an online exhibit based out of Illinois.

“Hella Cups,” juried by Jamie Bates Slone and Justin Paik Reese, is being held at Applied Contemporary Gallery in Oakland, CA. Ford’s underglaze beer pint entitled “I’d Tap That” is one of the 100 cups exhibited out of 330 entries. The Applied Contemporary gallery exhibits works focused on craft media and practices to elevate the perception of “Craft” in the larger context of “Art.” The exhibit was open to national and international artists. Currently open, the exhibit will run from through October 23. All works are available for sale at https://www.appliedcontemporary.com/.

“Ceramics,” juried by Chase Gamblin, selected Ford’s sgraffito platter “If You’ve Got Time to Lean, You’ve Got Time to Clean.” Forty artists are featured in this online exhibit hosted by the In Art Gallery based out of Edwardsville, IL. The collection can be viewed at https://theinartgallery.com/ceramic. The piece previously received Best in Show this March at Knoxville, Tennessee’s A1LabArts exhibition “Grit.”

“Material Mugs VI: Underglaze” juried by Michelle Ettrick is being held at The Companion Gallery in Humboldt, TN. This exhibition is now open and will run through October 31. It can also be seen online, featuring cups expressing the full range of surface possibilities – underglazes that are trailed, painted, sprayed, transferred, washed, gobbed on, inlayed, etc. Ford’s two works selected from her “Stupid Phrases” series can be viewed and purchased by visiting https://companiongallery.com/.

“I’m extremely happy to have works exhibited and published representing sabbatical research as a maker and a mentor,” Ford said. “Juried shows are an art equivalency to scholarly publications in other disciplines. While on leave, I have done extensive testing and experimentation with ceramic underglazes. All three shows utilize this surface embellishment. By applying to juried shows, I hope to set examples for my students in all that I ask of them.

“They get to see the creative process from idea development, creation, to exhibition, failures and successes, to professionalism and work ethics needed for final exhibition and publication,” she continued. “Art is a perfect tool to teach collaboration, communication, and build a thick skin. My Limestone co-workers and I are passionate about preparing our students for the real world after graduation.”

Ford’s works are published, exhibited nationally, and belong to the Asheville Art Museum’s permanent collection. She is a member of Cherokee County Alliance of Visual Artists where she recently participated in The Midas Touch exhibit with her mixed media “Dolly Parton.” She has several works in the current “A Place of Our Own” exhibit at the Limestone University Hines & Riggins Center.

Ford recently completed her artist residency at Mission Clay Art + Industry at Mission Building Products in Phoenix. The clay art column she worked on during her time there was on display in Sacramento. For more information on her work, visit www.carolynfordart.com.