Since 1989, Cleveland’s The Sculpture Center has helped cultivate emerging artists throughout the region by offering support and exhibition space. On Friday, the center will launch its first all-ceramics exhibit featuring 10 clay sculptors. The exhibit is called “Surface and Structure” and is on display through March 2026.
“Clay kind of embraces imperfection [and] the idea of collapse and a number of different things that we’re seeing in the ceramics world today, Grace Chin, executive director for The Sculpture Center, said.
For some, going to art exhibits and understanding sculpture can feel inaccessible. Chin hopes that clay is “more relatable,” citing pinch pot projects that often happen in school. Both the reception and the exhibit are also free.
“It’s really featuring this region as an important part of what’s happening [in ceramics] across the country,” Chin said. “It’s a really exciting moment, and it’s important that people see ceramics as sculpture.”
Prior to moving to Cleveland, Chin studied sculpture in New York City. She spent years running her own small jewelry business, before pivoting to arts management.
The exhibit focuses on talent sourced from three regional institutions that “treat ceramics as sculpture”: the Cleveland Institute of Art, Kent State University and the University of Akron.
The 10 artists whose work is on display include Seuil Chung, Kristen Cliffel, PJ Hargraves, Drew Ippoliti, Peter Christian Johnson, Anna Kruse, Eva Kwong, Keenan O’Toole, Seth Nagelberg and Philip Soucy.
Tickets are free, and the opening reception is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland. The exhibit is also on display Wednesday through Saturday from 12 - 5 p.m. through March 28, 2026.