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“Handmade”, an exhibition of modern and contemporary ceramics from the collection of Mitch Gathings, can be viewed in the Glassblock Gallery in the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center on UAM’s Monticello campus from February 4 through March 18, 2022. The exhibition focuses on pottery and vessels from Gathings’ collection.

Gathings is the instructor of ceramics at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He received his Bachelor of Arts in studio art from UAM in 2011, his Master of Arts in Teaching from UAM in 2013, his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics and drawing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2015, and his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Indiana University in 2020. His interest in making pots and vessels led him to begin to collect ceramics in 2008. His collection has grown to include over 500 pieces that range from museum-quality pieces to everyday functional pottery. Some of the more prominent artists in his collection are Peter Voulkos, Betty Woodman, Ron Nagle, Richard Shaw, Rose Cabat, and Roberto Lugo.

In a statement about the collection, Gathings said, “From a young age through interactions with my father, I understood the importance of an object and what it means to acquire it. Many different objects have influenced my art making. While work from my collection does not always resemble the work I make, they still connect through material and process.”

The exhibition is open to the public now through March 18. The gallery’s hours are Mondays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.