You were cordially invited to Jared Britton’s senior BFA exhibition titled Damages on April 24^th 2016, from 1 to 3pm at the Parkinson Art Gallery in Millikin’s very own Kirkland Fine Arts Center. Jared’s biography welcoming art exhibition goes to his art showcase about his process and influence reads “Our playful selves. My designs are experimental and child-like in that they pieced together like building blocks. I have always been the one to tell/laugh at cheesy joke but not to forget about the crazy world around me. My work is ever changing, torn between piecing together simple forms and incorporating color. In clay, I start by wheel throwing each piece of my pots, measuring, smoothing and trimming along the way to get the precise size and shape I envision. Once dry, I stack the various pieces to create my new forms. The process of creating each pot is never the same, even down to the last firing. I use a firing method that utilizes table salt, which vaporizes at a high temperature and reacts with the clay body to create a glazed-like neutral finish. By spraying glaze onto my pieces I create linear designs that transform a traditionally organic vessel into forms that are described as masculine and architectural.

I began as a graphic designer, but soon discovered my love for the complexity and technique of ceramics, which shares many elements in common with my graphic design. I start my process by searching the internet, consulting with fellow artists, reading history books, and browsing Instagram for inspiration, taking mental notes on what I like and what will push my boundaries. I finally compile and create my new designs in my head, on paper, or while constructing and then continue to play.” What that in mind we enter the space and we are exposed to art that both daring and hauntingly beautiful all around us, hanging up on walls, a full structure taking up a small corner of the gallery and atop of white pedestals baring their name like “Alfed and or Three Figs” as well hanging up in the lower gallery. Jared Britton is joined by photography by Carly Conway and Anna Schwartz. All I have to say about all their work is that it was the very definition of the adage “art should disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.”

All the art was well thought out and definitely followed the theme of the exhibition “Damages.” Jared’s “play on building and building blocks like Legos” was a playful use of structure that many people young, old and in-between, friends/family etc. came to enjoy and couldn’t get enough off. They were encouraged to start from the beginning from the gallery and take a look down to the lower gallery and then peruse any art they wished to see again while munching on some fantastic refreshments. There was pottery under the moniker “Pink Bucket” that was almost sold by 1:30 pm. That name came about because it would be Jared Britton’s company name if and when he ever has one.  The exhibition was titled “Damages” due to at first the indecisiveness of all three artists then Carly Conway came up with because it captured her photography yet, Jared and Anna both agreed it fit well with and described their art as well so it stuck and quickly became their art exhibition title. The title especially goes well with Jared’s pottery because although “the neutral colors of his pieces aren’t damaged per say, they are very weathered which is a form of damage”, so to speak. All the art the exhibition was dark but still really cool and you definitely see the heart and soul and hard work all the artists put into their respective works.