John S Miller and Craig Clifford

 - Scene and Unseen
September 22 - November 5, 2023

Craig Clifford is fascinated with the boundaries that attempt to delineate “high” and “low” art, using unconventional glazing and slip casting methods to demonstrate the liminality and dichotomy in design and art through complex and layered works. Clifford is particularly interested in re-contextualizing imagery that could seem trite or cliche through humor and uncanny juxtapositions.

Madison based artist, John S. Miller, is fascinated by the intimate connection between our eyes and minds, particularly the way we can form a mental image of three-dimensional space from two-dimensional visuals. Working primarily in screen and digital printing, Miller uses his art making practices to explore a variety of aspects of scientific research including: wave mechanics, optics, botany, geology, ecology, and ornithology. 

20th Annual Ceramics Invitational
September 22 - November 5, 2023

For the 20th year, Abel Contemporary Gallery will host an invitational of new works by ceramicists from across the country. One of our most anticipated exhibits, the show will be available in person and online, featuring the work of: Rickie Barnett, Tom Bartel, Lisa Belsky, Wesley T Brown, Sandra Byers, Winthrop Byers, Rob Cartelli, Kelly Connole, Chase Gamblin, Daniel Garver, Mark Goudy, Lynne Hobaica, Tom Jaszczak, Kyle Johns, Kate Marotz, Marlene Miller, Rachelle Miller, Ryan Myers, Charlie Olson, Matt Repsher, Liza Riddle, Katie Bosley Sabin, Juliane Shibata, Timea Tihanyi. 

No. 5: In Memoriam: Carol Chase bjerke

September 22 - November 5, 2023

Before her death in 2022, Carol Chase Bjerke organized and catalogued her life’s work, an immense task which included the artwork occupying the walls and storage spaces in her home and studio, as well as the numerous works in public and private collections across North America and abroad. This retrospective, co-curated by Chase Bjerke through written instructions she drafted prior to her death, will include the four large binders that catalogue her many bodies of work for viewers to experience firsthand. Examination of these books reveals common threads running through artworks that at first glance seem less connected than one might expect in the output of a single artist. Chase Bjerke created an array of artwork including artist books and large scale installations and felt there was a strong correlation between these two mediums, saying of the subject “both allow for the expansion of ideas beyond a single image, and both incorporate space and time for immersing oneself with the art”. All of Chase Bjerke’s work included repeated patterns and motifs, and examples from these bodies of work will also be included to view in the gallery. This exhibition of the work of Carol Chase Bjerke will be the fourth solo feature of her work at Abel Contemporary Gallery.