“STEEP”: The Princeton Arts Council has announced a call for ceramic art for a national exhibition exploring the possibilities of the teapot. Adam Welch, ceramist and executive director of the CAP, will be part of the jury. (Teapot by Adam Welch)
The Princeton Arts Council (ACP) is now accepting submissions for “Steep: A National Teapot Exhibit”, exploring the endless possibilities of the idea of a teapot. The exhibition will be judged by Adam Welch, ceramic artist and executive director of the ACP.
The submission deadline is March 7, 2022 and is open to all artists 18 or older living and working in the United States. The work must address the idea of a “teapot” and have been created primarily in clay/ceramic within the past two years.
Current show awards include Best of Show ($250), Jury’s Choice ($100), and Honorable Mention ($50).
Juror Adam Welch is executive director of the Princeton Arts Council and an artist, critic and educator. Welch’s art is about making and decorating. His writings question artists and the activities of contemporary art. As an educator, Welch encourages students to inquire and create, to examine worldviews, and to awaken their understanding of self and the world and the relationship between the two.
Welch has participated in 37 solo or group exhibitions in the United States over the past 10 years, including at the Arts Council of Princeton, MoMA PS1 and White Columns in New York, and AIR Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, with solo exhibitions at Hunterdon Art Museum, Kean University, Princeton Day School and Northwestern College, as well as several curated, group and invitational exhibitions across the United States. His art has been featured in four books, including Best of 500 Ceramics: Celebrating a Decade in Clay and 500 Ceramic Sculptures: Contemporary Practice, Unique Works. Additionally, over the past 10 years, he has published 48 scholarly essays, reviews, and catalog essays.
Prior to joining the Arts Council of Princeton staff, Welch worked at Greenwich House Pottery since 2003. In 2007 he was appointed Deputy Director and in 2010 appointed Director. In 2010, Welch was named a lecturer at Princeton University, where he continues to teach. He holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth and a BFA with a minor in Art Education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
“I have always looked at the teapot with anxiety and admiration,” Welch said. “When you see a good teapot, you know it. In fact, I admire the teapot as an object of contemplation more than a utilitarian object. However, now that I have a small collection of teapots, I can appreciate the function too. I’ve wanted to be on the jury for a teapot exhibition for some time – I can’t wait to get a chance to see the works from all over the country.
To learn more and submit, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.