Current Exhibition


March 8, 2003 through April 13, 2003

Reception: Sunday, March 16, 2003, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Arts Benicia Gallery 991 Tyler Street, Suite 114 Benicia, CA 94510



Beginning on March 8 and continuing through April 13, Arts Benicia will host Terra Forma, a juried exhibition of ceramic sculpture.  Bay Area artist Arthur González will serve as juror for the exhibit, and will also show a significant piece of his work.  The opening reception will be on March 16, 2:00 p.m. at the Arts Benicia Gallery.

Shortly after the middle of the 20th century, the position that ceramics held in the art world took a decided shift.  Artists such as Robert Arneson, Viola Frey, and Peter Voulkos created work in clay that took its place with the most eminent sculptors in contemporary art, paving the way for artists to use clay as a medium of artistic expression.  Richard Shaw, Ron Nagel, David Gilhooly, Arthur González, and Robert Brady have added to the richness of the genre, and ceramic departments all over the country have undergone transitions developed to accommodate sculpture students wanting to use the medium.

Terra Forma is a juried exhibition featuring regional artists exploring the varied possibilities offered by ceramics.  The work featuring in Terra Forma represents a diverse range of expression, emphasizing the many techniques artists use to manipulate and interpret clay.

Juror Arthur González' commitment to working in clay developed at the University of California at Davis, where he studied after receiving his MA in painting at California State University at Sacramento.  After receiving his MFA at Davis in 1981, he moved East, to a residency at the University of Georgia at Athens; and then to the East Village in New York, where in the early 1980s he began to receive widespread public recognition for his rough, mysterious clay figures which seem to have sprung from the earth, rife with secrets.

González has taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts since 1991, where he is now an Associate Professor and head of the Ceramics Program.  He is represented in numerous private and public collections, including The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento; Rutgers University; The American Craft Museum in New York; The Oakland Museum; and the Mexican Museum in San Francisco.  He has received many honors, including four NEA Artist Fellowships, a Gerbode Foundation award, a California Arts Council Fellowship, and was twice the recipient of The Virginia Groot Foundation Award.

Artists exhibiting work in Terra Forma include Berkeley artists Lesley Baker, Mort Cohn, Nina Lyons, and Jordan Mello; San Francisco artists Amanda Best, Kin Kwok, Alison Petty, and Tiffany Schmierer; San Jose artists Ed Clapp and Trey Hill; Sacramento artists Holly Curcio and Cyndy Giachetti; Concord artist Saira Grube Knipping; Boulder Creek artist Laurie Hennig; Vallejo artist Suzanne Long; Oakland artists Nathan Lynch, Peter Morgan, Phyllis Pacin, and Jean Pfann; Napa artists Claudio Naranjo and Rita Ann Wilson; and Benicia artist Derek Weisberg.

Arts Benicia Center Gallery is located at 991 Tyler Street, Suite 114 in Benicia's Arsenal district. 
Gallery hours are Friday, Saturday & Sunday from noon to 4 PM, or by appointment.  Admission is free.

Arts Benicia is a non-profit organization with a contemporary gallery exhibiting the work of selected fine artists and artisans of California with emphasis on Benicia artists. Adjunct activities include poetry readings and workshops, slide shows and talks by exhibiting artists, as well as music and dance events. Arts Benicia is Benicia's official arts body promoting culture and the arts in the area.