First Friday Focus

Carolyn Huckabay's First Friday Hit List

by Carolyn Huckabay

Swan Float, by Christyl Boger, white earthenware and glaze, 2010 John Carlano/ The Clay Studio

The 44th annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts lands in Philadelphia this week, which means that nearly 100 area galleries are hosting correlating exhibits that focus on all things molded, glazed and potted. But hold the groans: Maybe it's time you got over your preconception that ceramic art is just the stuff of craft fairs, stodgy living rooms and second-grade art class projects. NCECA's presence here means a potential uptick in First Friday meanderers by about 6,000; join the ranks and get schooled on a legitimate, but underappreciated, art form.

The Clay Studio

Pulling all the strings to make sure NCECA runs hitchless, Old City's Clay Studio doubles as conference liaison and exhibit headquarters. With a self-explanatory title, "Of This Century: Residents, Fellows and Select Guest Artists of the Clay Studio, 2000-2010" celebrates a decade worth of extraordinary work — roughly 30 pieces — by decorated artists both homegrown and international. Ceramics' inevitable dichotomy of delicacy and substance is represented in unusual ways here, from a porcelain fawn with a rocket on its back to a floating pool toy made of sturdy, unpuncturable earthenware. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 5-9 p.m., free, through May 4, Clay Studio, 137-139 N. Second St., 215-925-3453, theclaystudio.org.

Art Star

Eastern State Penitentiary

Speaking of possessions, Rocky Lewycky's "The ESP Project" takes the idea of prison theft — inmates poaching each other's cigarettes, money, sometimes even lives — and turns it on its head. He'll line Eastern State's Cellblock 10 with 980 urns — one for each prison cell, occupied by criminals for more than 140 years — and then give them all away. (The historic prison hosts a handful of exhibits in addition to Lewycky's project — expect cells turned into caves, an installation of thousands of bones and Stars of David, and models of what incarcerated brains might look like after years of solitary confinement.) "The ESP Project," Sat., April 3, 1-6:45 p.m., exhibits through May 14, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave., 215-236-3300, easternstate.org.

Painted Bride Art Center

For Clay Studio artist-in-residence J.J. McCracken, looking at art is not enough. His "Hunger, Philadelphia" project, a performance installation featuring actors covered in wet clay, makes use of kaolin, a soft substance used to create fine china — but which also serves as a source of nutrition in undeveloped countries. Proceeds from the show will go toward creating a community garden for Stenton Family Manor, a Mount Airy homeless shelter. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 5-9 p.m., free, through May 15, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, paintedbride.org.

Bridgette Mayer Gallery

How do you create a sphere from a cube? For Steve Tobin, the answer is simple: Blow it up. His "Explosive Relationships" solo exhibit is the culmination of "14 years, over 20,000 explosions and 300,000-plus pounds of clay," a lifetime of experiments which seek to expand the possibilities of the clay form. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 6-8:30 p.m., free, through May 1, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, 709 Walnut St., 215-413-8893, bridgettemayergallery.com.

And Then There's ...

For a respite from all the fragility, a few galleries remain ceramics-free in April. Among them, Ryan John Art Salon features the photography of Temple architecture prof Howard Brunner, who's interested in the gritty textures of our urban spaces. Opening reception Fri., April 2, 6-9 p.m., free, through April 30, Piazza at Schmidts, 1050 N. Hancock St., 215-925-6900, ryanjohnartsalon.com. ... If those extra 6,000 First Friday bodies have frightened you into temporary hibernation, tune in from the comfort of your uncrowded couch to WHYY-TV for its new Friday Arts program, this month featuring stained-glass artist Judith Schaechter, plus a segment on UPenn's Institute of Contemporary Art. Fri., April 2, 8:30 p.m., WHYY-TV, whyy.org/video.

(carolyn.huckabay@citypaper.net)