Piedmont University, Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, 567 Georgia Street, Demorest, Georgia 30535
Ceramic “canvases” hanging on the walls showing people you may know, may have seen, or at least feel like you know, expressing emotions that you have felt and experienced, and a gallery with busts and figures that are very serious and also whimsical all at once, conveying messages about the world that appeal to you to comprehend and understand; this was our feeling stepping into the the newest ceramic exhibition at the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art, one of our favorite and finest museums in North Georgia. Artists Jennifer Graff and Thaddeus Erdahl respectively each work with ceramics to create their respective bodies of work that made us smile, laugh, think, stop in our tracks, ask questions, and want to hear and learn more from the artists, which was our privilege at the March 5th opening and artist talk. Hosted by the Director of the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art and Assistant Professor of Art, Rebecca Brantley, a full house were treated Thursday with an artists’ talk and opportunity to ask questions, and to laugh. Jennifer Graff shared that her works are crafted and made with humor to show that the most interesting and exciting parts of being human are funny, and can be whimsical, especially in the challenge and face of all that is serious. Thaddeus Erdahl shared that his ceramic and mixed media works were part social observations, part humorous satire with a subtle narrative like one of the flagship works that Erdahl shared was an observation of the greed of the money-making beef and cattle industry of Brazil, in a stop-you-in-your-tracks stand-alone work that was a utility work table with a meat grinder on one side creating money, and the very realistic gentlemen on the other side representing the cattle industry openly with a hat made with steer horns, inscribed with promotional and advertising messages from the Brazilian cattle and beef industry. This was one of the many works on display that attract and keep your attention.
As for the form and design of her works, Graff shared that she sets her ceramic “paintings” against white to highlight the colors – very interesting to learn that the firing process can alter the colors of the ceramics and change them entirely, so sometimes Graff is working with a different piece after it is fired.
Erdahl also often starts with white ceramic molds and builds layers of mixed media ingredients on that to create his 3 dimensional all around busts and sculptures that he “ages” using techniques he learned from his father who restored and repaired antiques and could make something new look over a hundred years old. Whether wrinkles in his figure’s faces or the wrinkles of their clothes, Erdahl’s figures appear aged and sometimes mysterious, hiding a story or social observation you want to figure out.
Graff shared in response to a question from the audience that some of the subjects in her works were actual people she knows, actual friends, and others were inspired by photos, but Graff is capturing the emotion and expression of the person first, so her works inspire questions about what is the person experiencing and feeling, rather than who they are.
Erdahl shared that his time in the studio is an alternative to the computer and social media that consume so much of all our time, and some of his favorite and finest works were crafted, inspired, and created when he was in the studio without a clear goal or intention, when he was just “creating.” That is a talent and expertise and skill that I admire so much, that both these artists possess, and that I definitely do not possess which is why I admire these artists and their works so much and love writing about them and sharing them. This show, like all the shows at Mason-Scharfenstein are welcomed highlights in the North Georgia art scene, and we highly recommend planning a visit to Piedmont to see this latest installation, and their permanent collection, and also the Rhett Turner photography exhibit as soon as you can. We always visit the restaurant across the street Holden Oversoul for one of the finest meals in North Georgia, and recommend making it an evening of art and fine food. Please let the docents and team at Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art that you read about them on North Georgia Culture, and after seeing this new exhibit, we wager you will still be thinking and talking about it.
