Tiffany Thomas
Each fall, The Bascom Clay Symposium brings nationally recognized ceramic artists to the Highlands‑Cashiers Plateau for a day of demonstration, conversation, and shared learning.
Since 2009, the gathering has grown into one of the region’s most anticipated meetings of makers, students, and lifelong learners, offering free public access to thoughtful, process‑driven engagement with clay as both material and language.
This year, on Saturday, September 26, Alexander Thierry, Andrew Godfrey Shaw, and Tiffany Thomas take the studio floor for an in‑depth exploration of surface treatment in contemporary ceramics.
Andrew Godfrey Shaw
Each artist approaches the surface in a distinctly different way.
Alexander Thierry composes intricately layered wheel‑thrown vessels using custom screen‑printed underglaze transfers, arranging photographic and botanical imagery across the clay in a sticker‑like fashion. Drawing from personal photographs and the plants he encounters, Thierry treats decoration as a form of storytelling.
Andrew Godfrey Shaw has spent the past decade moving beyond the wheel into a bisque‑mold practice; his demonstration focuses on carving clay ring molds and rolling slabs of two clay bodies, techniques central to a body of work he calls The Bridge.
Tiffany Thomas builds in frost porcelain, hand‑carving wet clay additions that resemble gemstones and crystals before finishing many pieces with gold or mother‑of‑pearl luster. Her utilitarian forms carry an inward sensibility, at once playful and deeply personal.
Alexander Thierry
Alongside the symposium, the Joel Gallery presents Ceramic Artists of the Bascom Clay Symposium: Andrew Godfrey Shaw, Alexander Thierry, and Tiffany Thomas, an exhibition of selected works on view September 5 through November 16.
Now in its 16th year, the Bascom Clay Symposium continues its tradition of bringing influential ceramic artists to the Plateau. The event embodies The Bascom’s mission to create visual art experiences that inspire and empower individuals and communities through seeing, thinking, and doing.
Thanks to generous supporters, the symposium is free and open to all. Demonstrations run 10:00 A.M. to noon and 1:30 to 4:00 P.M. For registration and additional details, visit thebascom.org.
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