Ceramics Meets Social Practice - Amanda Leigh Evans Artist Talk

 

Amanda Leigh Evans (https://amandaleighevans.com/)

Today I had the opportunity to attend an artist talk given by Amanda Leigh Evans. Amanda is an artist working at the intersection of ceramics and social practice. I was curious what this intersection would look like, as I had not heard the term "social practice" before. Ceramics, as many of us may know, involves working with ceramic materials such as clay and often involves creating pottery, tiles, figurines, sculptures, and more. Social practice is a form of art that involves social engagement and is participated in by a group or community. The work done by Amanda Leigh Evans combines these two art forms in a unique and engaging way. Much of Amanda's work deals with raw materials, gardens, agriculture, ceramics, and collaborative practices, and is focused on our social and ecological interdependence. As human beings, we are deeply connected and reliant on not only each other, but on the environment as well. Amanda's work really reflects and highlights this connection. 

Amanda Leigh Evans in collaboration with Krysta Williams with chefs Farida Hadid, Blanca Hernandez, and Paula Hernandez, The Global Table, 2016, 2-month series of participatory dinners

One of the works presented by Amanda that I particularly enjoyed was The Global Table. The Global Table was a 2-month series of participatory dinners in which two chefs prepared meals that were personally or historically meaningful to them. Participants were invited to not only come together and share a meal with one another, but also engaged in ceramic plate glazing, sharing recipes and rituals, and forming a small publication. Amanda created and brought with her what she describes as "half-finished" ceramic plates, then dinner participants finished them by decorating and glazing them. The act of collaborating on a physical artwork such as ceramic plates that participants can take home with them combined with the social experience of sharing a meal together I can imagine created a strong sense of connection and joy for those involved.

Amanda Leigh Evans, Social Sculpture, 2014, participatory public sculpture

I personally have never worked in a collaborative setting with other artists, so I asked Amanda how an artist can become involved in larger community projects. Amanda has participated in collaborative works with a collective of LA artists known as Project 51, the communities she lived in during artist-in-residence programs, and schools that she is involved with. Her advice to artists looking to engage in social practice artwork is to seek opportunities through local colleges such as Sacramento State or the California College of Arts in the Bay Area, or to try to start one! I really appreciated her advice as it is a reminder that we are all capable of starting something that can become larger than ourselves.