With great pleasure we announce our jurors for Celebration of Clay 2026: Liz Hunt of Santa Fe, Serít deLopaz Kotowski of Taos, Mary Sharp Davis of Albuquerque.
Elizabeth Hunt
A rolling stone might gather no moss but I think it gathers a much more interesting patina. I have lived in many places in my life from London, England to Kingston, Jamaica to Detroit, Michigan to Long Beach, California to Chicago, Illinois and now Santa Fe, New Mexico. This restless nature directly affects my work and I can move from one series to the next in the blink of an eye. This might not be comfortable for people to figure out what my work is about but it has kept me interested in clay for about 30 years. Clay has the potential to become anything and it is that potential which is at once both daunting and electrifying.
Liz is the Head of Ceramics at Santa Fe Community College where this year's exhibit will be held.
Liz Hunt.
Serít Inez deLopaz Kotowski
Born: In a vacuum
Named: Sherrie Inez Kotowski
Re-Named: Serít Inez deLopaz Kotowski
Serit del Bosque Studio
Currently: Still breathing. Still curious, still outspoken and unbearably shy in a bold way; in other words, unpredictable and many times contrarily fickle.
Past lives: Cat X 9 including a scaredy cat. Student, teacher, caretaker, gardener, dabbler, dancer, lover, nurse, mother, maker, sailor, voyeur, child, adult, rebel, fool, creator, destroyer, loner, hermit, daredevil, heartbreaker, earth shaker, firebrand, warrior, idiot, chicken shit… to name a few in no particular order.
Intention: Live life to the fullest and ultimately leave only beauty in my wake.
The Thread: Artist and Participant.
For decades now I have taken many chances, challenges and dares that have been offered up. My experience lies in the things I leave behind.
Serít deLopaz Kotowski.
Mary Sharp Davis
Some history:
After moving from Las Vegas in 1971 I returned to Albuquerque Where I had previously earned a BFA in painting and drawing from UNM. Being a new mother at the time and working as a sign printer I wanted to get back into the arts and when I first experienced someone throw a tall vase from a lump of clay I was enchanted. I had no wheel or kiln but took a community college class through UNM where I learned to handbuild. A couple of years later I joined a wheel throwing class and learned the basics about throwing and glazing and made friends with women who owned a studio and allowed me to fire there. Except for a few Ghost Ranch (when I could afford them) workshops with the newly formed NMPCA, I created my own studio workspace in the South Valley of Albuquerque. I loved the fact that clay offered such 3-dimensional versatility and was so tactile. It is truly an alchemical experience! At first, I used a pit fire and sand blasted method to give my pots a sense of age and wear. that the dessert inspires. My new husband and I built our first kiln from bricks salvaged at an old brick yard that when fired, bellowed fire from every crack and cranny. That was a disaster waiting to happen! Several months later we built our first soft brick kiln with help from someone that knew what they were doing and it was a cone 10 dream come true. Years later I transitioned to an electric kiln and cone 6 firings. At age 80 I broke down my studio as I could no longer deal with the heaviness and work involved. I am now focused on painting once again but am still a lover of all that is clay!
Mary Sharp Davis.
