The Everson Museum of Art Shows David MacDonald's African-Inspired Stoneware

Written by Callum O'Shaunessey Monday, 20 June 2011 22:37

Syracuse, NY.- The Everson Museum of Art is pleased to present "The Power of Pattern: New Work by David MacDonald" from June 25th though September 18th. David MacDonald's artist statement reads, "The principle concern of my art is the articulation of the magnificence and nobility of the human spirit; a celebration of my African heritage." For more than four decades, David MacDonald has masterfully created richly patterned utilitarian objects from clay that have come to symbolize tremendous integrity and endurance. Despite the nation recognition MacDonald has earned for his superb work, he remains committed to, and most content when he is producing functional works of art in beautiful forms that will be touched, held, and most importantly used by people who will admire and appreciate their inherent beauty. This exhibition highlights the artist's vision of functional beauty through an extraordinary body of work–a labor of love–produced in the past year.

Early in his artistic career, David MacDonald turned to his African heritage for inspiration in his work. Although he is currently exploring other sources of inspiration such as traditional quilt patterns and the intricate pattern designs produced by European cultures, the many examples of surface pattern and decoration found in textiles, utilitarian objects, body ornament and architecture present among the diverse ethnic groups of sub-Sahara Africa continue to inform MacDonald's work on many levels. He utilizes a combing technique with strong ties to the Nigerian tradition to create intricate pattern designs on the surfaces of vessels and plate forms. Combing involves wetting a custom-made comb across the surface of the clay to create parallel furrows. The monumental plate in the Everson's collection is an excellent example of this technique and characteristic of MacDonald's work. Plate (1984) is a large, deeply carved, footed stoneware form almost 28 inches in diameter. The carved imagery on the surface is a geometric design dominated by a six-pointed star with semi-circles joining each point. A circular pattern fills the center circumscribed by a larger ring.

David MacDonald is recognized nationally not only for his dedication to outstanding craftsmanship in clay but for his commitment as a mentor and teacher to a generation of aspiring artists and students. In April, 2011 he was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) at the annual convention in Tampa, Florida. NCECA is the largest ceramic arts organization in the world and the Excellence in Teaching Award is one of their highest honors. He was the recipient of the Everson Museum Medal in 2008, an honor bestowed on those who have made a marked difference on the local arts and culture community. Although David MacDonald has been active at the Everson for decades as a member of the Collections Committee as well as a panelist for the 2000 Ceramic National Exhibition, this is his first solo exhibition at the Museum. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Ceramics Program at Syracuse University's School of Art and Design where he taught for 37 years. Recently retired from teaching full-time, he was eager to get back in the studio and focus on making new work for this exhibition, one of which will be added to the Everson's permanent collection, made possible with funds donated by the Social Arts Club and the Howard Kottler Testamentary Trust.

When the Everson Museum of Art opened its present quarters in 1968, it was dubbed "a work of art for works of art." As the first museum design by internationally-acclaimed architect I. M. Pei, the Everson's design has been credited with launching Pei's world-famous career and putting the museum at the forefront of contemporary architecture. The Everson Museum of Art's roots extend to the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, which was founded in 1897 by George Fisk Comfort, a well known art educator who also helped establish the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts' inaugural exhibition was held in 1900. Within twenty years of its founding, the Syracuse museum made two character-setting decisions. In 1911, it declared that it would seek to collect only American art (the first museum anywhere to do so), and in 1916, it purchased a small group of porcelains from Syracuse potter Adelaide Alsop Robineau, who is today considered one of America's finest ceramists and whose work is known throughout the world. The first decision has led to a permanent collection comprised largely of American paintings, sculpture, drawings and graphics that date from Colonial times to the present day. Among the better known works in the collection are "Portrait of George Washington" by Gilbert Stuart, "The Peaceable Kingdom" by Edward Hick and "Corn husking" by Eastman Johnson. Today, the museum's permanent collection also includes works by Charles Burchfield, Morris Louis, Helen Frankenthaler, Michael Tracy, Nancy Spero, Carrie Mae Weems and Barbara Kruger. The Everson also established one of the first video art collections in the United States, and today holds the largest video collection in the world. The Everson's second decision was the impetus behind the museum's long-term commitment to the ceramic arts. The first purchase of 32 Robineau porcelains was soon followed by the acquisition of 44 additional pieces of her work. In 1932, the Ceramic National exhibitions were established in her memory. This important series of exhibits not only represented the sole national platform for the exposition of ceramics during its early years of operation, it also enabled the museum to amass one of the most comprehensive holdings of American ceramic art in the nation. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.everson.org

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