Connected Spaces
Michael F. Rohde and Cheryl Ann Thomas
American Museum of Ceramic Art, US
12.03- 21.08.2022
Photo: two works included in the exhibition Connected Spaces. Pictured left: Michael F. Rohde, Heart (detail), 2016. Tapestry: wool, silk, natural dyes. 36 x 32 inches. Photo by Andrew Neuhart. Pictured right: Cheryl Ann Thomas, Gold Cipher, 2020. Porcelain. 34.5 x 17 x 15 inches
Connected Spaces presents nearly 50 artworks by California-based artists Michael F. Rohde and Cheryl Ann Thomas. This assembly of ceramic sculptures and woven tapestries is focused on a recent series created by the artists through a year-long artistic exchange in 2020-2021. The exhibition will also include pieces by both artists beyond the series to provide context.
Michael Rohde and Cheryl Ann Thomas are longtime friends whose art practices were markedly different: Rohde, a weaver, worked with threads and loom; Thomas, a ceramist, utilized clay and kiln. The exhibition’s genesis developed from the concept of interchange: the act of mutually giving and receiving and the exchange of ideas. The artists first identified the common ground in their art practices from this launching site and asked critical questions about their motivations and commitments.
Michael F. Rohde, re: Party of Three: Gold (left) and re: Party of Three: Pink (right), 2021. Handwoven tapestry: silk, wool, natural dyes, 30 x 24 inches (each) framed. Photos by W. Scott Miles
Cheryl Ann Thomas, Party of Three, 2020. Porcelain, 18x16x12 inches (Gold, left), 32.5x13x13 inches (Gray, middle), 17x13x13 inches (Pink, right)