Coming In June – 2 new Exhibitions at OVERLAP, located at 112 Van Zandt Avenue in Newport, RI
Both exhibitions will have an opening reception on Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Cathy Della Lucia
In the lower exhibition room, “Peripheral Decoys,” Cathy Della Lucia creates sculptures from interlocking units of carved wood, ceramic, and 3D-printed forms that are juxtaposed with utilitarian items from work and play, such as deep-sea fishing pole mounts, motorcycle repair stands, and gym equipment. Her modular sculptures bridge the gap between fragment and whole. Made up of found, altered, and fabricated forms, they display a variety of distinct surfaces that range from an array of smoothly sanded and polished hardwoods and laminated plywood to lustrous and matte ceramic glazes, soft translucent gradients of airbrushed dyes and dense opacities of industrial paints.
Built through repetitive assemblage and disassemblage, the sculptures reflect on the fragmentation and the subsequent gamification strategies we employ to navigate and focus in everyday life, as well as the concept of sculptural objects as decoys that embody both action and form, and exist simultaneously as imitation and reality. She says “To recognize a decoy requires deconstruction— a peeling back of sensory layers to detect misalignment of familiarity.
Also on view, on the upper level, “Same Rain, Same Stars”, an immersive collaborative installation by Eamon Brown, Judd Schiffman, and Athena Witscher, will consist of ceramic vases, ceramic relief tiles, and full-scale wall drawing and paintings. Considering the shared natural world as raw material, “Same Rain, Same Stars” is a playful intervention with the gallery and each other’s creative practice: Brown’s psychedelic patterning and sculpture, Witscher’s utilitarian pottery and textiles, and Schiffman’s ceramic relief tiles. In this experimental exhibition, these artists collaborate through the common experience of being artists, friends, and parents.
Links to artists websites:
Cathy Della Lucia has exhibited her work in the US, Denmark, and South Korea.
Recent exhibitions include Radial Gallery, University of Dayton (OH), Kniznick Gallery,
Brandeis University (MA), Abigail Ogilvy Gallery ( Boston, MA), and Piano Craft Gallery
(MA). She has completed residencies at Vermont Studio Center and The Blue House
(Dayton, OH). Cathy holds a BA in Studio Art from Xavier University and an MFA in
sculpture from Boston University. She currently teaches sculpture as an Assistant
Professor of Studio Art at Boston College.
Athena Witscher (b. 1984) is an artist, youth educator and mother living and working
in Providence, RI. With a BFA in ceramics from RISD, Athena works with clay to make
functional objects for everyday use. Athena’s simple, expressive aesthetic reflects her
Japanese heritage as taught to her by crafting with her mother and grandmother.
Judd Schiffman (b. 1982) is a Providence, Rhode Island based artist. He has lectured
at Harvard University Ceramics and Brown University, and participated in residencies
at the Zentrum fur Keramik (Germany) and Millay Arts (NY). Schiffman earned his MFA
from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his BA from Prescott College. Schiffman’s
work has been exhibited throughout the United States, including at The Valley (NM),
Oddkin Gallery (RI), Jane Hartsook Gallery (NY), Maake Projects (PA), 1969 Gallery
(NY), Headstone Gallery (NY) and Inman Gallery (TX). In 2016 he received an emerging
artist award from the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts. Schiffman is
currently Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Providence College.
Eamon Brown (b. 1973) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Providence, RI. He earned
an MFA in sculpture from RISD and BFA from Umass Dartmouth. He was assistant
professor at Boston University and visiting professor at MassArt and Brown University.
He has had residencies at The Mattress Factory (PA) and Yaddo (NY) and his solo and
collaborative work has been exhibited at Biennale d’art contemporain de Lyon (France),
Deitch Projects (NY), Stairwell Gallery (RI), Grounds for Sculpture (NJ), Stockton
College Gallery (NJ), and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (CA)