American Stoneware, Thomas Hunter Project Space at Hunter College, New York, 2019
Referencing 17th-to-19th century stoneware crocks, 20th century song lyrics, and recent political upheavals, the work in this show combines signs, symbols and forms that embody and embrace the American experience. The work draws particular inspiration from the slimy, grotesque world depicted in the 19th century snake jugs crafted by the Kirkpatrick Brothers of Anna, Illinois, along with the verdant, joyful stoneware crocks made by David Jarbour in Alexandria, Virginia in the 1820s. Building on Merkel Hess's previous explorations of plastic, everyday containers such as 5 gallon buckets, this new body of work includes 2 liter soda bottles, Kool-Aid Man pitchers, and wheel-thrown ceramic Cheetos bags, which all deepen and expand the artist's exploration of what it means to be a ceramic vessel maker.
