Local Student Chosen for National Art Exhibition

A sculpture created by Loomis Chaffee senior Abigail Adams, of Feeding Hills, MA, was recently selected for the NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Conference Exhibition. The sculpture, titled Peacock, was one of 150 selected out of more than 700 from across the United States and will be on display as part of the exhibition in Seattle, which runs from March 28-31.

The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition is an annual juried ceramic competition for Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12) students in the United States. Designed to showcase the best K12 ceramic work made in the country, the exhibition takes place in a different city each year in conjunction with the annual conference of The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). In addition to being part of the exhibition, which was attended by more than 6,000 people in previous years, winning students also receive a beautiful poster, catalog, and CD with the names and work of the winning students. Scholarships and awards are also presented to many of the winners.

“I have never enjoyed a project as much as this one,” said Abby.  “I would actually take the pieces out of the ceramics studio and sit in my room, watching movies and carving.” Abby noted that the transition between the larger pieces and the smaller ones often left her wondering what the final piece would look like. “By the time I got to glazing, however, each little piece actually joined to become a whole work and I had to make sure to glaze to reflect that.”

Loomis Chaffee Head of the Art Department Jennifer McCandless, who also teaches Abby said, “[She] is a totally self motivated artist, coming in to work in the studio even when not enrolled in a class. She finds great solace in working in clay and her pieces have an attention to detail and poetic quality about them that is rare. Never at a loss for ideas, Abby is constantly inventing and her work has that sense of play as well. I am so proud of her winning this award and her opportunity for a national show, catalog and scholarship opportunity!