Featured | 2017 Year-in-Review: Cfile’s Top 5 Articles

As we wind down another successful year of Cfile.org, we’d like to take a look at some of our favorite posts from 2017. Whether they were controversial, hilarious or simply beautiful, they made us take a second visit, question and reevaluate our ideas of what the field of contemporary ceramics is and how it is evolving. And as such, we’re always grateful for you, our readers, for your inquisitive, thoughtful comments and questions. You challenge us to take another look. Cfile.org could not exist without you.

1. James Marshall’s Liminal Space

I admittedly cop to being somewhat of a ceramic neophyte when I began writing for Cfile.org. James Marshall’s Black Interfusion was the first exhibition I had the pleasure of covering that turned that switch in my head. So much so, that I enrolled in my first hand building class with James. I’ve come out the other side, and as a result, have developed a deep and profound respect for the artistic process of ceramic art creation. What I mean here, for all our sakes, give this man a round of applause.

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/exhibition-dark-matter-explorations-with-james-marshall/

2. Bill Rodgers’ Ceramic Kitsch Take-away

I’ve known Cfile contributor Bill Rodgers for a long time (We used to work for the same newspaper back in the day. Don’t tell him I told you), and as much now as I did then, I think Bill is one of my favorite writers. His dark humor and wit pervades his writing, and I appreciate that because he has the gumption to let you in on it.

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/video-collectible-kitschy-ceramic-toys/

3. Garth Clark + Gustavo Perez

This year, we launched Casita Confessions with Garth Clark, our new podcast featuring off-the-cuff conversations (which is made apparently and purposely clear once you listen) between Garth and his guests, and we especially love this one between Garth Clark and ceramist Gustavo Perez. This selection is a two-for-one because Garth also wrote a lovely review of Perez’ exhibition Autorretrato (Self Portrait) in Veracruz, Mexico, just as Perez prepared for his stateside exhibition Lines at Peters Projects in Santa Fe, and the whole reason we were able to snag Perez for our podcast.

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/podcast-casita-confessions-ep-02-gustavo-perez-and-garth-clark/

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/exhibition-gustavo-perez-most-overwhelming-exhibition-of-the-decade/

4. The WHY Question

Bravo to Marie Claire Bryant on her investigation into the disappearance of the UK’s traditional ceramics education programs. Many of our readers responded in varied and interesting ways, but the take-away is that this piece had us all critically thinking about what the ceramics classroom of the future will look like.

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/the-why-question-delving-into-the-disppearance-of-the-uks-ceramics-education-programs/

5. Mona Lisa of the Loo

I have no business aggregating this list without including our anthology of critical writing on the seminal work of Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. I know this post links you to our paywalled Ostracon 3, but the essay included within the post itself is a must-read of expository writing by Garth Clark on the world’s #1 contemporary art object. If nothing else, do yourself a favor and take the time to read this essay.

http://cfileonline.wpengine.com/garth-clark-marcel-duchamp-fountain-mona-lisa-of-the-loo-reaches-its-centenary/

We invite each of you to create your own Top 5 list in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you as to what articles you found most interesting/important/disturbing/etc.