By Christine R. Walsh

The kitchen table is where you sit down with your loved ones to reconnect and share your day. But as we get caught up in the latest family development, we might be unaware of just how much art surrounds us, even as we enjoy a meal. A new exhibit at The Worcester Center for Crafts called “The Art of Dining ~ Vegetative States” reminds us that beauty is as close as the coffee mug you use each day.

“’This exhibit is an annual event and fundraiser at the Krikorian Gallery that started two years ago,” says Chad Sirois, Public Relations Coordinator at the Center. “And the show actually has two parts; one part is the ‘Art of Dining.’ Candace Casey, who is the curator of the show, invites 50 artists ~ national, regional and local ~ to participate. The idea is to promote awareness of crafts in everyday life and take a closer look at serving ware.”

The show will have pieces created using ceramic, metal, wood and glass and they’ll be displayed on tables throughout the gallery. According to Sirois, the works range from the beautifully utilitarian to the whimsically fantastic, turning the gallery into a Alice in Wonderland mad tea party of sorts. To date, his favorite piece is one from the 2011 show.

“It was a plate, a little spoon, and a bowl and it looked like something you had just pulled off the bottom of the sea,” Sirois remembers. “The bowl was tiny, red and looked like a sea urchin. The plate was a stone color. The spoon was gold with an end that looked like a fish tail. It was stunning.”

The other portion of the show is a photography exhibit by Adam Laipson entitled “Vegetative States.” The incredible pieces will focus on landscapes and various flora.

The show runs from September 13 – October 31, with an opening reception on September 13 from 5:30 – 8pm.

The kitchen table is where you sit down with your loved ones to reconnect and share your day. But as we get caught up in the latest family development, we might be unaware of just how much art surrounds us, even as we enjoy a meal. A new exhibit at The Worcester Center for Crafts called “The Art of Dining ~ Vegetative States” reminds us that beauty is as close as the coffee mug you use each day.
“’This exhibit is an annual event and fundraiser at the Krikorian Gallery that started two years ago,” says Chad Sirois, Public Relations Coordinator at the Center. “And the show actually has two parts; one part is the ‘Art of Dining.’ Candace Casey, who is the curator of the show, invites 50 artists ~ national, regional and local ~ to participate. The idea is to promote awareness of crafts in everyday life and take a closer look at serving ware.”

The show will have pieces created using ceramic, metal, wood and glass and they’ll be displayed on tables throughout the gallery. According to Sirois, the works range from the beautifully utilitarian to the whimsically fantastic, turning the gallery into a Alice in Wonderland mad tea party of sorts. To date, his favorite piece is one from the 2011 show.

“It was a plate, a little spoon, and a bowl and it looked like something you had just pulled off the bottom of the sea,” Sirois remembers. “The bowl was tiny, red and looked like a sea urchin. The plate was a stone color. The spoon was gold with an end that looked like a fish tail. It was stunning.”

The other portion of the show is a photography exhibit by Adam Laipson entitled “Vegetative States.” The incredible pieces will focus on landscapes and various flora.

The show runs from September 13 – October 31, with an opening reception on September 13 from 5:30 – 8pm. Admission will start at $30 per person, all pieces on display within the exhibit are available for purchase, and the night promises to be a fascinating one.

“The Worcester Technical Vocational High School caters the event and they do demos so you can really experience how people create art out of food and make wonderful table displays,” Sirois says. “The Worcester Garden Club also comes and they make floral arrangements inspired by the table settings.” The arrangements range from very literal interpretations to very abstract. Some of the local artists will also be in attendance.

Explains Sirois, “The show is just a great opportunity to take a closer look at the cups, the plates, the dishes you use and to recognize your own table as a sort of canvas.”

For more information, visit  www.worcester.edu/WCC/default.aspx.

Photos: (previous page, top to bottom) Lyn Brown; Jane Wallace Floral and Marion Angelica Ceramics; and Robin Whitney Floral 2 in Tyler Gulden Ceramic Vase.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 at 8:56 am and is filed under Entertainment, Vol. 29. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.