Sculpture Space NYC is pleased to present Distinctive Hybrids - University of Massachusetts/ Dartmouth Ceramics MFA Graduates 2024-2025
Distinctive Hybrids - University of Massachusetts/ Dartmouth Ceramics MFA Graduates 2024-2025
Dates: June 13- July 12 2025
Opening Reception: June 13, 6pm-8pm.
Space NYC-Center for Ceramic Arts once again marks their commitment to feature a new generation of artists working in ceramics through this annual exhibition, showcasing a diversity of works by recent MFA graduates of the program in ceramics at University of Massachusetts/ Dartmouth. Through this curated exhibition, Sculpture Space NYC – Center for Ceramic Arts wishes to highlight emerging global directions within the ceramics field.
This exhibition highlights innovative sculptures that incorporate the theme of duality into the making process as well as the formal outcomes. Both conceptually and structurally, each artist expresses their personal narrative by splicing and fusing techniques and materials traditionally kept apart. The works are hybrids, commingling clay with different materials to explore contemporary concerns of place, memory, hope and curiosity.
Worms, plants, robots, wood, and ice are used to texture surfaces in unique ways to reinforce artistic objectives. Ceramic techniques are meshed with robotics, photography, weaving, and glass works. This exhibition features sculptural works by recent MFA graduates from the UMass Dartmouth Ceramics program alongside their faculty professor and artist, Rebecca Hutchinson.
Artist statements and Bios:
Ruth Dozens
Statement - Made of clay and found materials, my work presents an inquiry into value - what is saved and repaired versus what is thrown away. These sculptures honor useful objects through the use of patina and scale. Challenging today’s consumer culture that values convenience over resourcefulness, I introduce repair systems to recognizable man-made forms. Pallets are foundational to our economy, but often overlooked and frequently relegated to the stream of waste. Interweaving feelings of hope and futility, I subvert the expectation of the discarded object to comment on human ingenuity in our current urban environments.
Bio - Ruth Douzinas is an artist based in New York City with a background in environmental engineering. She primarily makes ceramic sculpture, and also works with fiber and found materials. Ruth received a BA from Dartmouth College in Ecology and holds a MS from Stanford University in Environmental Engineering and Science. Her work has been exhibited nationally and most recently won best of show at the Earth & Fire 2025 National Exhibition.
Fallon Navarro
Statement - My practice explores the spaces we inhabit—both physically and emotionally. Rooted in everyday objects and architecture, I build intricate ceramic forms that hover between presence and absence, creating moments where the boundaries blur. Through slow, repetitive gestures, I manipulate clay into layered sculptures. These gaps and openings echo structures meant to contain, and reveal the quiet tension between what is visible and what is hidden. By emphasizing the play of light and shadow, I invite reflection on the porous nature of identity and belonging, exploring how these boundaries are continuously shifting.
Bio - Originally from Arizona and now based in New Bedford, MA, Navarro holds a BFA in Ceramics from Arizona State University. She has participated in numerous residencies, including Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (Newcastle, ME), Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT), and New Bedford Research and Robotics (New Bedford, MA).
Anis Beigzadeh
Statement: Rooted in exploring home, identity, and feminine strength, my works showcase the transformative power of combining ceramics with other craft disciplines.
Each artwork serves as a symbol of hope, resilience, and defiance. Through a blend of both traditional craft and innovative techniques, my sculptural work invites the viewer to immerse themselves in the intricate beauty of Iranian aesthetics, and multiplicity of materials, while engaging in a dialogue on the empowerment of women’s choice. I challenge traditional gender roles and my work advocates for a more inclusive and empowering artistic discourse.
Bio: Anis Beigzadeh is an artist from Iran, deeply influenced by the vibrant culture of Kerman, a city renowned for its Persian rugs, expansive deserts, and sun-drenched landscapes. A recent MFA graduate in Ceramics from UMass Dartmouth, she received the Distinguished Artist Fellowship Award 2022-2025. Anis is the recipient of Best in Show at the Innovation Exhibition Umbrella Art Center, MA.
Jillian McEvoy
Statement: My work is fueled by a deep curiosity of the hidden worlds that often go unnoticed. I'm captivated by the intricate forms of microorganisms, insects, fossils, and other creatures overlooked due to their size, environment, or place in natural history. Through ceramics, I illuminate these life forms, often creating immersive installations that invite exploration and engagement while hoping to spark a sense of wonder.
Bio: Jillian McEvoy earned her BFA from SUNY Cortland. Recent residencies and exhibitions include Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and True Ecology at East Manning Projects, Providence RI.
Rachel Mulcahy
Statement: My work draws inspiration from wild and invasive flora that thrive in the margins of human habitation, flourishing on roadsides and reclaiming vacant spaces.
Using tiles as a surface for imagery, I challenge the conventional perception of these species, transforming them from mere weeds into subjects of profound beauty and contemplation. By highlighting moments in nature that reveal the hidden intricacies of the natural world I invite viewers to reconsider the parallels to the human experience such as growth, struggle, and beauty.
Bio: Rachel Mulcahy is an emerging ceramic artist from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Art Education from Syracuse University.
Marilyn Perry
Statement - My work is a visual, tactile and visceral response to the wonder of the northern landscape and how it has changed over geologic time. The glaciers and ice fields enfold many millennia of memory. The work highlights that which lies beyond our delicate humanness. It dwells in the land of paradox: the paradox of loss and beauty, the paradox of separateness and interconnectedness.
Bio - Throughout her career as a crisis and trauma therapist, Marilyn discovered her affinity for clay. A graduate of the Anderson Ranch Advanced Mentorship Program, Marilyn was a winter resident at Watershed Center for Ceramics and has participated in shows at NCECA, Sacramento and Anderson Ranch Art Center, Aspen, CO.
Rebecca Hutchinson
Statement- My sculptural assemblages are influenced by ecosystem dynamics and environmental concern. My main interest has been looking at the quality of coexistence and structural functionality found in nature and the beauty of species manipulation, which in nature observes a balance of the fragility of its surroundings while maintaining the essence of need and individuality. My work focuses on the respect for process and the endless influences found in nature. Formally and structurally, my interest is in the details: quality of craft, connections, and structure, and conceptually an understanding of all physical parts to the whole. Using materials such as fired and unfired porcelain, upcycled old clothing made into handmade paper, harvested willow, and industrial surplus, I create large mixed media installations that are influenced by the structural engineering qualities found in nature.
Bio - Rebecca Hutchinson's sculptural work is informed by observations of the natural world, drawing inspiration from what she sees as its resilience and resourcefulness. Ranging in scale from site-installation museum projects to gallery sculpture, the work is a profusion of color harmonies, floral textures and absorbing detail. Found embedded in her work are locally sourced materials—native and natural as well as industrial and domestic cast-offs. The work is attentive to the emerging concerns of the Anthropocene: sustainability as an ethos, hybridity as a strategy, and growth as a set of negotiations. Her current work explores the theme of navigating boundaries both conceptually and aesthetically. As a Professor at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth she has taught Undergraduate and Graduate Ceramics for over twenty years. Rebecca Hutchinson’s sculptural work has been shown nationally and internationally at venues such as: the Everson Museum of Art, the National Museum for Women in the Arts, Daum Museum, Burlington Contemporary Art Center, Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, Keramikos International Della Ceramica D’Arte, Italy, Belgium, South Korea, and Vendrell Biennale of Vendrell, Spain. Her work has been published in over 80 publications around the world and she has been awarded numerous grants, fellowships, and awards.
Sculpture Space NYC - Center for Ceramic Arts is a non-profit 501(3) (C) dedicated to promoting contemporary visual art focusing on the research and exploration of three-dimensional work with an emphasis towards ceramics. SSNYC-CCA‘s mission is to stimulate creativity, new ideas and collaboration in ceramics-based investigations. Artists, designers and craftspeople of all backgrounds converge in this center to experiment, learn, make, reflect and grow artistically.
Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday: 2pm-8pm
Location: we are located at 47-21 35th Street, Long Island City NY 11101, near the 33rd
Street/ Rawson Street stop on the 7 train.