Bleached Coral Totems, Climate Change
52"H x 15"W x 15"D
American Museum of Ceramic Art, 2016, solo exhibition.
Warmer oceans cause Bleached Coral Reef
Totems to stand starkly bleached, like scarred memorials. Inspired by Japanese Kokeshi, a haunting white abstract figurative form, with a perforated cylinder topped by a disc with its center punched out, faces blindly accusing us of this environmental crime.
Outdoor solar LED lights to power these totems. Fifty shades of white glazes create visual variety.
In 2016, as the artist-curator of the 73rd Scripps Ceramic Invitational, the longest-running US clay show, we strategically mounted this Climate Change solo exhibition at the neighboring American Museum of Ceramic Art to educate people visiting both shows.
We are sliding into an environmental disaster. Climate change poses increasing risks to our ecosystems, from extreme weather to rising seas. We must achieve zero greenhouse emissions, create new technologies, and adjust to change.
Artists must become leaders.
American Museum of Ceramic Art, 2016
