Centennial Art Center is proud to present a summer pop-up exhibit, Cross Pollination, featuring the solo exhibition of renowned Nashville clay artist, Audry Deal-McEver. Deal-McEver’s ornate functional ceramics invite viewers to carefully observe and engage with the work’s intricate forms and botanical surface designs. Her clay practice investigates the historical relationship between humans and their interpretations of natural floral forms in illustrative designs, symbols, and patterns.

Each form possesses moments of both delicacy and drama as elegant sculptural additions interact with the sweeping curves of each pot. Some forms lean into the organic motifs of the floral surfaces, while others become almost architectural. The floral designs on each piece stand out in muted earth tones against the pure white stoneware, linking together and flowing from one pattern to the next. Each pot’s surface illustrations are entirely unique: the designs are based on Deal-McEver’s own interpretation and memory, sourced from her study of historical botanical symbols. In this way, she joins the long lineage of humans translating nature onto objects, interacting not only with the outdoor world, but with one another, across cultures and time.

• Please join us for an opening reception from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 21, 2024.

• The exhibit will remain on display in Centennial Art Center’s gallery until July 17, 2024.

Audry Deal-McEver is a Nashville-based, full-time clay artist. Deal-McEver has exhibited her work in over 50 shows across the United States. These exhibitions include prominent venues such as the Museum of Ceramic Art, the Customs House Museum, the Disjecta Contemporary Arts Center, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and various nature centers and botanical conservatories.