Garth Clark CFile Review

I'm surprised and humbled by Garth Clark's generous review of More Possibilities. He writes of the exhibition, "Each object is remarkable, sculpturally convincing, self-standing, independent, without a runt in the litter. And the more I come back to his art, the more it grows." He continues, "His conceptualism arrives at that rare mix of an intuitive sensualist with a powerful command of material. This is probably my favorite combination in art: intelligence that does not overburden the objects’ autonomy. Indeed, if I found a work alone with no knowledge of McConnell’s practice the visceral sculptor’s bite would be as strong."

Read the full review here.

"Shades" at The Bedfellows Club Featured on Art Viewer

"Shades" was recently featured on Art Viewer, which "promotes contemporary art through a curated selection of documentation of art exhibitions and events."  

Curated by Jess Hirsch and Haynes Riley, this latest iteration of The Bedfellows Club, a periodic exhibition series that inhabits an inhabited bedroom, set up in the home of Layet Johnson, of Little Rock, AR. For images of the exhibition, follow the link here.

5 x 5 x 5 at Red Lodge Clay Center

"5 x 5 x 5 features five current and contemporary ceramic artists who each submitted five pieces. This exhibition explores the ceramic medium in a smaller scale, featuring artists who were required to create artworks that do not exceed five inches in any direction."

The artists included in this exhibition are: Shane Harris, Linda Lopez, Nathan Prouty, Giselle Hicks, and Mathew McConnell.

February 5th to 26th
The Loft Gallery

Work by Nathan Prouty

One-day Demonstration at GHP

Interested in picking up a few bad ceramic habits? Here, I'll present all my best tricks in under six hours! 

Friday, February 5th. 10AM-4PM
Greenwich House Pottery
16 Jones St., NYC

Solo Exhibition at Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House

Just a few days away... come join me for an opening featuring my latest work, "More Possibilities for Distance and Mass."  

From the press release: "McConnell is a provocateur, engaging a dialogue of appropriation, originality and authenticity almost entirely outside the purview of the ceramics sphere. A cerebral artist, McConnell’s approach to art is analytical and pragmatic using others art as a catalyst for his own."

JANUARY 8 – FEBRUARY 5, 2016
Artists Reception: Friday, January 8, 6-8 PM
16 Jones St, NYC

"Shades" at The Bedfellows Club

Again, in its peripatetic way, The Bedfellow's Club has installed itself in a bedroom at 722 S. Valentine St. in the Capitol View/Stifft’s Station neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas with an exhibition opening January 2, 2015 from 5–9 pm. Shades is co-curated by Jess Hirsch and Haynes Riley and features work from: Michael Assiff, Aaron Blendowski, Mariel Joan Capanna, Dante Carlos, Caroline Charuk, Lauren Cherry & Max Springer, Sara Condo, Anaïs Daly, Lindsey Dezman, Matt Ducklo, Derek Ernster, Ron Ewert, Kristina Gerig (with fellow Nike design team members Rob Williams and Courtney Clarke), Mia Hall, David Humphrey, Shana Kaplow, Seth Keller, Jacqueline Laurita Cortese, Sarah Leflar, Linda Lopez, Mathew McConnell, Adam D. Miller, Anthony Pearson, Jerry Phillips, Armando Ramos, Greg Stimac, Austin Swearengin, Wesley Taylor, Ezra Tessler, Anne Vieux, and John Zane Zappas

Ceramics Monthly Profile, November Issue

This month my work has been featured in Ceramics Monthly, by writer Kathleen Whitney. It was a pleasure speaking with Whitney in preparation for the article, and I'm quite happy with her analysis of the work. It's one of the most rewarding aspects of being a studio artist—having someone take the time to critically assess years of hard work spent toiling away in the studio. You can find it in the November issue or, the pdf is here.

Upcoming Solo at Greenwich House Pottery

I'm humbled to be part of Greenwich House's current exhibition series. For years, GHP has been elevating the field and smartly positioning themselves as a hub for the renewed interest ceramics has been experiencing in contemporary art. I hope that if you're in the NY area, you'll make some time to come out for this show of all new works. The opening is scheduled for January 8th. More details to come.

Visiting Artist at University of Iowa

Iowa City? Sure! Invited by my good friend, Andrew Haley, and hosted by Eiza Au and the ceramics area, I'll be spending a couple of days hanging out with students, doing studio visits, and giving an artist talk. I'm looking forward to spending some time at this program with its long and venerated history.

If you're in the area, stop by for the lecture. It's scheduled for:

Wednesday, October 14 at 7:30pm, Art Building West, 116 141 North Riverside Drive, Iowa City, Iowa

One Nite Standard at LaLaLand

I'm happy to be part of Sam King's latest experiment at LaLaLand in Fayetteville. I don't often show locally, but I'm really excited for this one-evening event. Sam writes of the series, "The platform is simple: small group exhibitions, featuring one work per artist for one night only. The series embraces the absurdity of attempting to understand an artist’s oeuvre based on any single work by that artist, and the excitement of discovering unexpected synchronicities when multiple artists show side by side."

All info is listed on the flyer --->

Artist Lecture at Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film

I'm happy to be hosted by the sculpture area for a short visit, where I'll be giving an artist talk, and doing studio visits with students. If you're interested in sitting in on the artist talk, please contact Ariel Lavery at Watkins College.

The talk is scheduled for the afternoon of September 3rd.

"Let's Just Say What We Mean" at Eastfield College

Linda and I are presenting our first ever two-person exhibition in Dallas, Texas this month. Although we work side by side, and have been in a few group shows together, this will be the first time that we have been able to take some of the work that we have made over the past few years, and simply place it together in the gallery and let it speak to each other. After seeing up the show, we're quite happy with the results, and hope that if you are in the Dallas area you make some time to come out and take a look. 

The show is up until April 24th.

"Constructed" at Eastern Oregon University's Nightingale Gallery

I'm pleased to announce my participation in "Constructed" at Eastern Oregon University.

Curated by Peter Johnson and Cory Peeke, the press release states, "The sculptors, all with a background in ceramics, embrace an aesthetic that emphasizes the works’ constructed nature. This is done in several ways by highlighting a form’s structure and process of creation, as well as through an employed aesthetic that emphasizes its manufactured or artificial nature. In many cases the work may be constructing an alternative reality, examining artificial constructs, or emphasizing the process of construction as metaphor. In all cases, the constructed nature of the work fuels the meaning drawn from the objects."

Other artists included in the exhibition are: Dylan J. Beck, Zimra Beiner, Andrew Casto, Chad Curtis, Christopher Dufala, Lauren Gallaspy, David Katz, Ryan Labar, Linda Lopez, and Matt Ziemke.

The exhibition will be on view through Friday, Feb. 27. Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Out of Necessity review in Ceramics: Art and Perception

I'm feeling very flattered this month... In his review of the exhibition Out of Necessity (curated by Jason Hackett), Adam Welch writes, "The most striking works are those of Mathew McConnell and Sin-ying Ho. McConnell's ambitious What it Means to Move (2013), are rough-hewn, exaggerating their manufacture while creating emotional distance. The colour and density of the arrangement are indicative of anguish, apparently the result of a struggle between creation and creativity. As McConnell explores the line between authorship and simulation, his work is the inevitable reciprocity." You can find the full article in issue 97 of Ceramics: Art and Perception.

Self, Theft, and Inspiration by Glen Brown

This month, the first feature-length profile of my work has been published. Many thanks to Glen Brown and Ceramics: Art and Perception for the excellent coverage. To read the article, pick up a copy of issue 96, or click this link to view the pdf.

Intersecting Editions at The Castle Gallery, College of New Rochelle

This month I'm pleased to have work in the Castle Gallery of the College of New Rochelle. Curated by Sarah Rowe and Rachel Sydlowski, "This exhibition challenges the traditional assumption that artists pursue one material and methodology at a time, by showing the complex dialog between print and ceramic media. Though the two disciplines each developed through independent paths, with unique histories of technique and artistic styles, artists in this exhibit embrace “a post-disciplinary spirit” that goes beyond strict roles of ceramic artist or printmaker. By blending identities the artists have opened new avenues that combine techniques from both disciplines." 

Other artists in the exhibition include Dylan J. Beck, Alison Carey, Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Christine Facella, Future Retrieval, Sin-ying Ho, Jessica Kreutter, Scott Rench, Hope Rovelto, Amanda Small, and W.A. Ehren Tool.

2014 Watershed Summer Session

I'm excited that Linda and I will be spending some time in Maine this summer. We were lucky enough to be invited by Paul Donnelly and Rain Harris, and we're looking forward to some relaxing days filled with lobster rolls and knick-knack hunting at Big Al's.

Session IV: ARTISTIC INTERSECTIONS
July 27-August 8, 2014
AIA Leader: Paul Donnelly
with Dylan Beck, Chandra DeBuse, Tommy Frank, Rain Harris, Linda Lopez, Mathew McConnell, Kyle Triplett and Amy Santoferraro
This session will bring together dissimilar artists who work in diverse ways, yet whose work intersects through conceptual and material processes. The critical dialogues resulting from the interaction of ideas and methods of working will result a rich and varied environment that will foster new ideas and creativity.

Under the Table Review

In December of 2012, I was fortunate to have been included in Margaret Meehan's excellent exhibition "Under the Table," at Fort Worth Contemporary Arts. It was one of the highlights of my year, showing alongside the stellar artists Kate Gilmore, Thomas Muller, Kristen Morgin, Akio Takamori, Ben Brandt, Jeffry Mitchell, and Sculpture in Love with Architecture. Fast-forward a year, and we finally have this published review of the exhibition, by Collette Copeland in Ceramics Art and Perception.

If you get a chance, take a look at the article in issue 94. Or, if you can't find it on the newsstands, you can view the article as a pdf here.

Ceramics Monthly Review

"Out of Neccessity" was reviewed in the February issue of Ceramics Monthly. Author, Owen Duffy writes, "The elongated installation and presentation of What it Means to Move allows its diverse visual components to act like a segueing flow of discordant information. Thus, questions about the relationships between the individual elements are sure to playfully arise as viewers make their way from one end of the display to the other. Somewhat like surfing the web, one is able to navigate the work's apparently random visual information. What it Means to Move conveys a palpable level of currency, especially considering contemporary society's over-infatuation with the digital and its vast, arbitrary flows of data and images."

Arrowmont's Ceramic Surface Forum

I will be making work in Gatlinburg this week—as a member of the Ceramic Surface Forum. We're happy to be paired with great artists from all over the country, and really blown away with the hospitality of everyone at Arrowmont. It's cold and snowy outside… perfect weather for makin' work! Artists attending the forum this year are: Dylan Beck, Donna Flannery, Eric Knoche, Jill Foote-Hutton, Lindsay Oesterritter, Josh Copus, Luba Sharapan, Forrest Gard, Erik Haagensen,Brooks Oliver, Lindsay Rogers, Stephen Creech, Kyungmin Park, Jocelyn Howard, Andrew Avakian, Daniel Lee, HP Bloomer, Linda Lopez, and Rachel Garceau. An especially big thanks goes to Jason Bige Burnett, who put us all together!