Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jefferson Davis Campus Fine Arts Gallery is offering an exhibition of works by Ky Johnston through December 1. There will be a closing reception on December 1 from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. in the gallery.

Johnston has a varied art practice with a focus on ceramics.  Other works include painting, printmaking, and graphic work as well as performance and recorded music. Born in Mississippi, he spent his early childhood in both Mississippi and Louisiana. From the ages of eight to 17, he lived with his family in Brazil which was a formative experience that been a strong influence on his approach to art. He returned to Mississippi to further his education, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Mississippi College in 1998 and his masters of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the University of Mississippi in 2001. He currently lives in Merigold and has been teaching art at Delta State University for 13 years.

“This group of work is a return to some ideas that I put aside some years ago when I began drawing and painting on pots instead of on canvas,” Johnston said. “I wanted to return to making pieces that are a more direct reflection of my roots in pottery and of the materials and process of making pots. In this work I’m exploring functional forms, mostly from the wheel, sometimes altered or stretched, often cut or faceted. I’m using traditional types of glazes made with common materials including various clays, wood ash, feldspar, and some raw pigments and are fired with gas. My goal is to allow the materials, processes, and long history of the craft to have a big part in the results of my effort and that the pieces will have some of the appeal that I find in clay pots and other indigenous crafts from all over the world.”

The gallery hours are 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Friday.  For more information, contact Matthew Steadman, gallery director, at (228) 897-3736 or matthew.steadman@mgccc.edu.