New Year, New Exhibitions

“Works in Clay” by Jill Davis Schrift, lecturer in art, and “Quality Uncertainty: The Market for Lemons” by New York-based artist Greg Smith will be on display in the Faulconer Gallery from Friday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, March 16.   

About “Quality Uncertainty: The Market for Lemons”

Smith draws inspiration from Nobel Prize-winning economic research, American car culture, and classic “road movies” for this video installation. Smith’s videos and installations pivot around machines and hand-made devices with precise engineering and haphazard artfulness, creating an ideal customized vehicle. 

Smith received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University before pursuing a career as an artist. He is the recipient of a 2013 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship based on his proposal for “Breakdown Lane.” Comprised of his makeshift cameras, plastic lawn furniture, a bathtub, and a used Lexus ES300, the work will have its debut at the Faulconer Gallery – one of two video installations on view.

About “Works in Clay”

In her second solo exhibition at the Faulconer Gallery, Schrift creates ceramic work to transform and enrich the daily routine of eating and drinking to an artful experience. In the vase series, Schrift brings together traditional vessel forms with contemporary techniques to activate the surface of clay. 

Schrift has been a lecturer in art at Grinnell College since 1988, teaching ceramics, drawing, and introduction to the studio. Past exhibitions have included her pastel drawings of the annual Paris beach at the Bibliothèque Marguerite Audoux, Paris; collages at Les Vergers de l’Art, Paris; and pastel drawings, collages and ceramic work at the Grinnell (Iowa) Regional Medical Center and at the Grinnell Arts Center. 

Public Events

Faulconer Gallery will host the following public events during the joint exhibition:

• Fri., Jan. 24, 4:15 p.m.: Opening reception. Light refreshments served.
• Mondays and Thursdays, 12:15 p.m.: Yoga in the gallery for beginners and experienced practitioners. Co-sponsored by Live Well Grinnell. Mats are provided. 
• Sat., Feb. 1, 1:30 p.m.: Enjoy making functional and playful clay forms at Community Day with artist Jill Davis Schrift, view a demonstration by Schrift, and tour the exhibitions. 
• Thurs., Feb. 6, 4:15 p.m.: A roundtable discussion with Elizabeth Graver, professor of English at Boston College, and author of “The End of the Point.” A reading from Graver will follow at 8 p.m. Sponsored by Writers@Grinnell.
• Thurs., Feb. 20, 4:15 p.m.: In “Objects of My Affection,” artist Jill Davis Schrift will talk about the development of her work over time. 
• Tues., Feb. 25, 4:15 p.m.: Artist Greg Smith will discuss the relationships between the process, the content, and the structure of his piece “Breakdown Lane.”

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and admission is free. Faulconer Gallery is located in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.