The Arkansas State University–Beebe Art Department is proud to present the featured artworks of Anthony Bockhold. A reception for the exhibit will be held Friday, Aug. 30, from 6-8 p.m. Admission is free and the gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the month of September.
“This exhibit displays pots from three large wood atmospheric kilns in Arkansas and one in Connecticut, which require many people working around the clock for many days to operate,” said Bockhold. “It was during my later college years that I discovered an affinity for atmospheric firings.”
Bockhold earned a degree in ceramic arts from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and later attended the atmospheric firings studies at Oark with artist Stephen Driver’s fast firing technique and using anagama wood kilns. In 2018, he began working in firing a soda kiln at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, formerly Arkansas Arts Center.
“Nothing exists in isolation. Communities are intrinsic to almost every form of life. This show focuses on that fundamental interrelation of beings. All the pieces in this show are fired in atmospheric kiln conditions, where the very air around them influences their final appearance,” said Bockhold.
Bockhold said that even the placement of every pot in an atmospheric kiln influences the others around it. “I have chosen for my subjects, groups of animals to echo that interdependence as many species congregate together for mutual benefit,” said Bockhold.
“Throughout my life, the connections that I have with nature have influenced my very being,” said Bockhold. “It was camping trips as a Boy Scout that first ingrained my love for nature. Years of walking, hiking, camping, and canoeing from the southern U.S. to the pacific northwest, then and now, have left impressions on my soul.”
“Through this all I have found mutually minded people that share the sense of community in not just ceramics and art but also life. It has been a true journey finding a voice to tell a part of my story and a community to help me realize it,” said Bockhold.
The England Center Art Gallery is located at 201 North Orange Street in Beebe. The gallery presents works of art by students and featured artists throughout the academic year. Admission is free and the gallery is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact Thomas Fernandez at (501) 882-8913 or the England Center Art Gallery reception office at (501) 882-4495.
ASU-Beebe is the only two-year college in central Arkansas that offers an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree. The AFA degree has an emphasis in vocal music or instrumental music, theater, graphic design or creative arts enterprise. This degree is a comprehensive two-year curriculum designed specifically for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
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