Off Center, Blue Line Arts’ annual competition, highlights the dynamic medium of clay, and 2022 is no exception. No single technique or artistic approach dominated some 160 submissions, and works included Japanese-inspired tea bowls, portraits of world leaders, and biomorphic sculptures. Such diversity, of course, may be attributed to the malleability of clay, but it also demonstrates the pluralist society in which we live. Not surprisingly, Northern California’s strong Funk tradition still resonates with some artists, but there is also a resurgence of the vessel, be it functional or sculptural, while others situated ceramics in the domestic context to evoke memory and loss.

Given these different manifestations of clay, my criteria for choosing a piece to be exhibited also varied according to the category and turned largely on how successfully the work expressed the maker’s objective, be it functional or artistic. Charged with the task of choosing three prize winners, I relied on the criteria of innovation of concept and quality of execution.  
I congratulate all the exhibitors.  What is clear from your submissions is that the ceramic medium is in good hands.

- Rachel Gotlieb, Ph.D.