‘The Artery Menagerie’ showcases animal-inspired ceramic sculptures
Local and visiting artists display their ceramic pieces at The Artery’s annual exhibit
By TALAR KESHISHIAN — arts@theaggie.org
On April 3, The Artery premiered their annual ceramics exhibit, “The Artery Menagerie.” Located in the main gallery room, the exhibition displays an assorted collection of ceramic sculptures from local and visiting artists.
Brigitte Chertok, one of The Artery’s managers and the curator for the exhibit, explained the history behind “The Artery Menagerie.”
“This is the second year I have installed ‘The Artery Menagerie,’” Chertok said. “Previously, The Artery organized the California Clay Competition (CCC) for 35 years. It was much more work to organize it because there were artists from all over California.”
The CCC ended in 2022, prompting The Artery to take a new direction with their ceramic displays. The gallery initiated “The Artery Menagerie” to pair with the annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Arts (CCACA) hosted at the John Natsoulas Gallery; the two exhibits, however, are unaffiliated.
“The CCC was organized at the same time as the Natsoulas Gallery organized the [CCACA],” Chertok said. “Since they started, the previous manager here decided we should do something ceramic every April to go with it.”
“The Artery Menagerie” features 41 ceramic interpretations of animals from 20 different artists, eight being regular members of The Artery’s gallery itself. Chertok described the reasoning behind her decision to centralize animals as the primary artistic focus of the exhibit.
“I did it last year, and I think people enjoy the animals, especially in Davis because we have a big vet school,” Chertok said. “I think we’re going to keep doing [the animal theme].”
“Border Wings,” by Judy Catambay, is a piece that uses ceramics as a method of reimagining realistic animal figures. The sculpture visualizes an owl in abstract form, blending vibrant colors with painted imagery to comment on immigration and cultural pride.
“It reflects the tension between flight and fracture — wings meant for migration and hope, yet held back by barriers” Catambay said in an Instagram post.
The exhibit’s ceramic sculptures are diverse in their animal portrayals, varying in shapes, sizes, colors and textures. Chertok outlined the variety of artistic styles represented at the exhibit.
“Any interpretation of animals work[s],” Chertok said. “It could be animal sculptures or painted animals on pots. Last year, we had plates with animals painted on them. As long as there were animals on it, it was fine with me.”
Since its opening in 1974, The Artery has played a central role in Davis’ local art scene. The gallery features a variety of different artistic mediums, ranging from paintings to ceramics, photography prints, jewelry, clothing, woodwork and more. As an artist's cooperative, members of The Artery have the opportunity to not only sell their art, but to display their work in rotating exhibits.
“We have a different show every month,” Chertok said. “In general, it’s one artist who presents a show, but sometimes we have group shows. We try to have this mixed balance of art that people can enjoy. That's why we try to have this space for 50-60 artists. We like the rotation to have new artists all the time and bring people in to see their work.”
Chertok explained The Artery’s aim to showcase various types of products to welcome members of the Davis community.
“We always try to have smaller prices for students,” Chertok said. “They're welcome to enter the store and look around even if they don’t buy anything. We’d love to have them.”
“The Artery Menagerie” is open to visitors until April 27. For more information about The Artery and their exhibits, visit their website or Instagram account @arterydavis.
Written by: Talar Keshishian — arts@theaggie.org