Spring Break
A collector is celebrated for his passion for ceramics
Ashley Abernathy
Issue date: 9/16/08 Section: Features
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The gallery holds seven large exhibits each year, with Holland's being the first.
"It's a really excellent collection … it's from around the world," said Thomas Braswell, interim director for the Gray Gallery.
The exhibit is a collection of Holland's pottery and contemporary ceramics that he has collected throughout the years.
Holland, who is an artist himself, has been an avid collector of ceramics since the early 1960s, and has previously donated items to the school of art and design.
"In 1998, Holland started donating part of his very large personal collection of ceramics," Braswell said.
Holland's purpose for donating more than 400 pieces of ceramics to the school was to provide a hands-on educational experience for students studying ceramic art. According to Braswell, Holland chose to donate to ECU because of its ceramics program, which is one of the largest in North Carolina.
People who come to visit the exhibit will notice that much of the work in Holland's collection features North Carolina pottery.
However, many of his pieces come from across the world from places like Australia, England and Mexico.
Holland has more than 80 of his collected pieces in the gallery, including the first two he purchased in 1961 at an art museum in Asheville, which began his massive collection.
"These were the first two 'serious' pots I bought," Holland said.
The exhibit offers a variety of ceramic pieces including teapots and bowls that have been separated into specific categories.
"I've clustered types of ceramic pieces so you can see similarities and differences at the same time," Braswell said.
The school of art and design is expecting to receive some of the ceramics in the exhibit as another donation from Holland.
The exhibit will continue through Oct. 1 and is free to the public.
An opening ceremony will be held Sept. 18 at 5 p.m. in the Francis A. Speight Auditorium with a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Gray Gallery. In addition, from Sept. 18-19, a symposium, "Ceramics in Higher Education and Its Future," will be held in Speight.
Holland will be attending both events with six other ceramic artists from around the country who will be giving their own presentations, and a panel discussion on ceramics and education.
"I expect a very large crowd," Braswell said.
The Gray Gallery is located in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.
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