Richard Carter
Hate, 2010
7’ H X 5’ W X 16” D
Wood fired stoneware, found objects
“(Re) Form” at the H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute About the exhibition
“(Re)Form” explores recent work by graduates of the KCAI ceramics program from the late 1960s to the pres- ent. Curated by Catherine L. Futter, the Helen Jane and R. Hugh “Pat” Uhlmann Curator of Decorative Arts at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the exhibition will include pieces primarily in ceramics that have been completed in the last two years and display a wide range of perspectives. The artists invited to participate in the exhibition include well-known, mid-career and emerging artists who offer a variety of viewpoints — from the vessel and functional work to sculptures, installations and performance art.
Victor Babu, retired professor of ceramics, described the ceramics program at KCAI: “There was a nice mix of information pouring into the department. The students ended up, along with the faculty, in some kind of soup to which flavors were being added, and it got richer and richer and more complex.” “(Re)Form” demonstrates the diversity of artistic expression in KCAI’s vibrant ceramics program.
Artists in the exhibition incldue Richard Carter (’85), Josh DeWeese (’84), Cary Esser (’78), Teri Frame (’06), Andrea Gill (’73), John Gill (’73), Chris Gustin (’75), Sarah Jaeger (’85), Maren Kloppmann (’93), Nathan Mabry (’01), Andrew Martin (’79), Nobuhito Nishigawara (’99), Richard Notkin (’71), Tia Pulitzer (’01), Bobby Silverman (’80), Jesse Small (’97), Chris Staley (’78), Justin Stewart (’03), Akio Takamori (’76), Irv Tepper (’69), Dan Teran (’07), Kurt Weiser (’72), Casey Whittier (’09) and Arnie Zimmerman(’77).
About the curator
Catherine Futter has been the Helen Jane and R. Hugh “Pat” Uhlmann Curator of Decorative Arts at the Nel- son-Atkins Museum of Art since March 2002, overseeing a collection of 12th through 21st century European and American decorative arts, including period rooms, furniture, metalwork, ceramics, ivories, glass, enamel and textiles. At the Nelson-Atkins, Futter completed three reinstallation and interpretive programs for the European and American decorative arts collections. She also has developed the collection, especially in the area of works from about 1850 to the present, and conducted research on objects in the collection. She has served as the curator for two pioneering scientific and art historical projects, one on a rare mid-18th century japanned room from Turin, Italy; the other a survey of Staffordshire slipwares from the late 17th to early 18th centuries. Futter also is working on an important, ground-breaking exhibition of decorative arts made for display at inter- national expositions and world’s fairs from 1851 to 1939.
Before joining the Nelson-Atkins, Futter was the curator of decorative arts and historic houses at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Va. While at the Chrysler Museum, she worked on plans to restore and reinterpret two 18th century houses in Norfolk; reinstalled the European pre-1800 galleries; organized an exhibition of the Chrysler’s silver collection and developed the permanent collection. Before moving to Virginia, she was as- sociate curator in the department of decorative arts, sculpture and architecture at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In Minneapolis, Futter worked on various reinstallation projects and organized several exhibitions includ- ing exhibitions on modern design, Chinese export porcelains and New England decorative arts and paintings brought to the Upper Midwest in the 19th century.
Futter has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Medieval and Renaissance studies from Duke University and a Master of Arts degree and a Ph.D. in the history of art from Yale University. Her dissertation was on the 19th century New York interior decorating and furniture-manufacturing firm Herter Brothers. Although she is a generalist in the field of decorative arts, her specialization is in American and European decorative arts from 1850 to the present.
HONORING THE PAST/CREATING THE FUTURE
