Opening Reception Thursday, October 4, 2007 from 5pm – 8pm

A reunion of artists and ceramicists affiliated with the Mary Schiller Myers School of Art at The University of Akron over the past forty years is celebrated in the new exhibition: All the Difference – Works in Clay, at the Emily Davis Gallery in Folk Hall, 150 E. Exchange St., Akron.

Running Oct. 1 through Dec. 2, this comprehensive retrospective honors the experience and creativity of present and past advanced ceramic students, faculty, visiting artists and art educators who have all been connected to the Myers School of Art. Donna Webb, well-known ceramicist and professor at the Myers School of Art since 1981, originated the concept for this exhibition, and many of the exhibiting artists have worked with her in the past. Webb received the 2007 Arts Alive! Award as this year’s outstanding Arts Educator from the Akron Area Arts Alliance.

The opening reception is free and open to the public on Thursday, Oct.4, 5 – 8 p.m.

Guided by Webb, co-curators Beth Lindenberger, artist and adjunct faculty at the Myers School of Art, and Rod Bengston, gallery director, have assembled over 400 unique works in clay from more than 100 artists. These fascinating and imaginative pieces range from miniatures to Kirk Mangus’s life size “Soldier.”

”Although the objects are so stylistically different, the show achieves a sense of unity through its integrated design of almost 40 custom-made display tables”, explains Bengston, talking about the challenges of mounting the exhibition. “Approximately a third of the tables provide illumination from underneath, which literally spotlights the works.”

Concurrently with the exhibition, a series of discussion sessions and lectures will take place throughout October and November, culminating with the closing panel discussion on Saturday, Dec. 1, from 3 to 5 p.m., at The University of Akron’s Student Union Theatre. Titled “Changes in the Craft World,” the panel will feature guest scholars Graham McLaren, Bruce Metcalf, and Dorothy Shinn discussing the historical impact and future of ceramics.