"Outline" by Judd Schiffman

The Jane Hartsook Gallery is pleased to present Judd Schiffman’s first solo exhibition in New York City. The work in this show is a selection from his larger series of the same name, in which he uses clay to explore personal narrative, especially as it pertains to rites of passage and fatherhood. Each group of high relief tiles is bound by a ceramic frame, making these compositions appear to be portals or perhaps even religious tableaus. With imagery inspired by illuminated manuscripts, medieval bestiaries, his young daughter’s drawings, and his own inner life, these clay “drawings” are both playful and eerie. Schiffman hopes that this exhibition sparks honest conversations, not necessarily about his work, but because viewers feel more comfortable revealing their inner lives after seeing his.

Judd Schiffman is a Rhode Island-based artist. He earned his MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his BA from Prescott College. His work has been shown at 1969 Gallery (New York, NY; 2020), Brown University’s Joukowsky Institute (Providence, RI; 2019), and University of Colorado Art Museum (Boulder, CO; 2015), among others. He has held residencies at Millay Colony (Austerlitz, NY), Arch Contemporary Ceramics (Tiverton, RI) and Zentrum fur Keramik (Berlin, Germany). Schiffman was selected as a NCECA Emerging Artist in 2017. He is currently Visiting Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Providence College.