JANUARY 19, 2018 OPENING RECEPTION 5 - 7 PM
EXHIBIT JANUARY 19- FEBRUARY 9, 2018
For years, Don Reitz lived and worked in Clarkdale quietly creating masterpieces at the Ranch. Few in the Verde Valley were aware of the place and the magical activities afoot there. Reitz is considered one of the fathers of modern ceramics, an artist who expanded the medium beyond functional tableware to immense, provocative works of abstract art. His work is in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and many others.
Over the years, many assistants came to the Reitz Ranch from out of state to apprentice with Don and fire his wood-fire and salt kilns. Others were fortunate enough to be invited to work in teams to fire the Japanese style kilns, a process that lasts for days and requires overnight shifts. They were also invited to watch celebratory unveilings after the firings concluded and the kilns cooled. Don described the highly anticipated unveilings as sometimes Christmas or sometimes Halloween, in reference to his fearless experimentation with alchemy and the firing process. This group exhibition is presented in the same spirit, by sharing the latest Reitz Ranch unveiling with the public.
The Ranch has recently been purchased by artist Sheryl Leigh-DaVault and her husband Ted DaVault who were drawn to the legendary property and the Verde Valley arts community.
“Many of the artists featured in the show who are working to rebuild Reitz Ranch are steeped in the local clay art community or the communities in their hometown. That overlap and cross-collaboration is common in clay arts and was something Don helped inspire.” - Kelley E. Foy, Exhibit Curator and Gallery Manager.
The exhibition, Rebuilding and Reimagining Reitz Ranch, is about Sheryl and Ted and the group of artists who have joined them to build on this vision. Courtesy of the Reitz Family, the show will include pieces by the late Don Reitz. The following local and national ceramic artists who are working with Reitz Ranch will also be featured: Kent Adams, Kelley E. Foy, Jonathan Cross, Ian Hall, Jeff Heeg, Nena Jacobs, Heidi Kreitchet, Frank Krevens, Matt Long, Lawrence Meagher, Ben Roti, Mat Rude, Tim Sinson, Preston Tolbert, Sara Tolbert, and Dexter Woods.
The exhibit runs through February 9, 2018 at the Verde Art Gallery of Yavapai College, 601 Black Hills Dr., Clarkdale, AZ. For more information and gallery hours, please visit: http://yc.edu/v5content/art-galleries/verde.htm
Many of the participating artists will be present at the opening.
For more information about Reitz Ranch and the workshops and classes offered, visit: https://reitzranch.org/about