The Practice is the Point

William and Anna Jane Schlossman Gallery 

Can clay help better the world?

The Practice is the Point celebrates the union of artistic and social practice, by exploring the ways artists create, listen, and react to the needs of their communities. The exhibition stems from a long running thesis by NDSU professor, Design School Director, and ceramic artist Michael Strand, who argues ceramic artists have a proclivity for working with communities to help create positive change. His belief is that the relationships and skills required to be a ceramic artists can function as a scaffold for other community-based projects. Each artist and organization featured in this exhibition has a different approach, using their time, knowledge, art, or ideas to listen and create change in the world. Featuring work from artists Julia Galloway, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Eddie Dominguez, Steve Hilton, Paul Wong, Amber Ginsberg, Fargo Public School students, and more, this exhibition will bring you on a path of love and hard work to help you see that the practice really is, in fact, the point.

Plains Art Museum thanks our generous PlainsArt4All members and donors, and our Organizational Partners for their support. Additional support provided by The McKnight Foundation, FM Area Foundation, The Arts Partnership, The FUNd at Plains Art Museum, and the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funds from the North Dakota Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

left to right: Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Love us like You Love our Food (my neck, my back series), 2020, Kohler Co. Porcelain, 8 x 8 x 4 in. • Brett Kern, Ceramic Inflatable T-Rex, Low-Fire, Slip Cast, Electric fired, 15 1/2 x 13 x 8 in. • Eddie Dominguez, The Pond, 2021, Ceramic tile 37 x 33 in., Courtesy of the artist