Belger Arts Center Launches 10 Exhibitions to Celebrate NCECA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Kansas City, MO—Starting March 16th, over 5,000 artists will converge in Kansas City for the 50th annual National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference. Kansas City’s arts community is responding in force, presenting nearly 100 exhibitions dedicated to clay in galleries and museums throughout the region. Ten of those exhibitions will be presented at the Belger Arts Center and its satellite location, Belger Crane Yard Studios.
“Kansas City is becoming an important destination for contemporary ceramics,” says Michael Baxley, Gallery Manager of Belger Crane Yard Studios. “The incredible history and reputation of KCAI’s ceramics department draws artists here. Belger’s commitment to supporting and exhibiting their work helps keep them.”
The approximately 450 ceramic sculptures, vessels, and tiles on display at Belger assert the power and versatility of this ancient medium as a means for modern-day artistic expression.
The first NCECA exhibition, Every Semester: Collecting KCAI Ceramics, opened on January 8th. Desire and The Garden Party open February 5th. The remaining 7 exhibitions will open in early March.
Belger’s NCECA repertory includes exhibitions curated and presented by the Lighton International Artists Exchange, the Morean Arts Center, Florida CraftArt, and the Archie Bray Foundation. “It’s important for us to have a larger discussion about contemporary art…to see how artists across the country and even around the globe are redefining our notions of ceramics,” says Evelyn Craft Belger, Executive Director of the Belger Arts Center.
A special pre-conference workshop, “A Legacy of Making,” held at Belger Crane Yard Studios, features Kansas City Art Institute alumni John Balistreri, Chris Gustin, and Matt Long. Known for his large-scale sculptures, Balistreri holds a patent for 3D printing in clay.
2016 marks the 4th time NECEA has held its annual conference in Kansas City. NCECA selected Kansas City for this golden anniversary celebration because the city’s “horizon connects farmland with cultural complexity…an amalgam of global traditions and local vision.” This description captures the nature of contemporary ceramics and is beautifully illustrated by Belger’s suite of exhibitions.
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