Filled Up 4, A Ceramic Cup Show to exhibit at USI’s New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art

The University of Southern Indiana New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art (NHGCA) is proud to present Filled Up 4, A Ceramic Cup Show, in partnership with New Harmony Clay Project. Filled Up 4 features ceramic cups by contributing artists around the United States, juried by noted ceramic artist Pattie Chalmers. 

The exhibit opens at 3 p.m. and will host a public opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, November 11, featuring a juror’s talk and an award announcement.  

An additional public reception for Filled Up 4 will be held Saturday, December 2 in conjunction with Christmas in New Harmony from 4 to 6 p.m. where visitors can remove purchased works from the Gallery.  

Partnering with New Harmony Clay Project, over 80 submissions were received, 57 of which were accepted by the juror. The cup, one of ceramics' more iconic productions, has been used as a metaphor, a sculptural element, a sculptural foundation and a functional daily piece of dinnerware. Whether you choose to fill your cups with beverages, food, pencils, or ideology, this exhibition will feature a multitude of handmade creations from artists across the country. 

Chalmers currently serves as a Professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.  Professionally, Chalmers has exhibited in group exhibitions on five continents, in six countries and in 34 states. She has had six solo exhibitions in the past five years. Recent exhibitions include The Mudmaid Museum at the Sheldon Art Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and Imperfect Ramblings at Merwin Gallery at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. Chalmers has taught at the University of Minnesota and Ohio University. 

She earned a bachelor’s in fine arts degree in printmaking in 1994 from the University of Manitoba and a master’s degree in fine arts in ceramics in 2001 from the University of Minnesota. 

New Harmony Clay Project (NHCP) is an artist residency and educational center located in historic New Harmony, Indiana. NHCP fosters an environment that supports the investigation of new ideas and work in the ceramic arts. It was established in 2015 by Lenny Dowhie, an internationally known ceramic sculptor and Professor Emeritus of Ceramics at USI. 

NHCP is supported by the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation, Efroymson Family Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation and Lenny and Anne Dowhie Trusts. The goal is to encourage emerging and professional visual artists/ educators in ceramics by giving them quiet space and time to develop a new body of work. The Clay Project is located within the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Ceramic Studio in New Harmony, next to the Roofless Church. 

The NHGCA promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region and is an outreach partner of USI. The gallery is located at 506 Main Street in New Harmony, Indiana. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit the NHGCA website, or call 812-682-3156.  

This exhibition is made possible in part by the Lenny and Anne Dowhie Trust, Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, and the Indiana Arts Commission, which receives support from the State of Indiana and the National Endowment for the Arts.