Layers is an exhibition by graduating MSEd-Secondary Education in Art student Ryan Widel. Here’s what Ryan has to say about the exhibition:

“My show is for my Masters of Secondary Education – Art Education. As a teacher I’ve always been fascinated by all the different individuals that come through my classroom door.  There are so many layers that we as humans put on ourselves and layers that others place on us.  These layers could be good or bad, physical, mental, spiritual etc…the list goes on.

My chosen medium of ceramics is one that has followed me since I took it in high school.  It has dictated many layers in my life as it was one of my majors in college, and now I’m a 12 year veteran HS teacher of ceramics.  Ceramics allows itself to be layered…it invites it.  It is a process that contains layers of creating. With different construction methods, texture techniques, applications of color and firing methods the combinations of layers are endless. My Cup series mainly focuses on how we handle the cup.  I was driven by the question of what a handle is….Past that I began being intrigued by the different ways these cups had to be held and drank out of simply because of the manipulation.  This reminded me again of my students and how each one must be handled different as they are so very unique. My Wall/Plate series thinks about how layers in our life can hold us back from our true function.  I believe most people search for happiness by adding more and more layers not realizing they are only covering a hole that will never be filled with the layers.  The more layers that I place on the plates, the further their function as a plate gets taken away. So on one hand my work is about my fascination with the layers that uniquely make us all different, yet also how these layers could be holding us back from our true function.”

Exhibition runs from August 1-24. The reception will be held on the First Friday Art Walk, from 6-10pm, on August 3rd.

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