The hands have it

Some people just have the hands for art, such as the creators of the "16 Hands" exhibit, that is now on display in the Birke Art Gallery.

The exhibit consists of functional pottery, created by eight different people, 16 hands.

"Viewers will notice that this show is different than what we do at the Birke," said John Farley, director of the Birke Art Gallery. "The scale of the work is small and invites a more personal and intimate experience."

The exhibit is a display of functional art vs. purely decorative art, Farley said.

The dilemma is people only see art as a craft, not as something functional, said Tommy Warf, ceramic art education graduate student from Huntington.

"The most intimate art is the art that we use, the art that we live with," Warf said. "I think it's a very strong exhibit, a very different and diverse approach to functional art. It's not really something you would want to use, more as to look at, but you could use it if you wanted t."

"It's a lovely exhibit that shows a variety of different approaches. It is totally directed to the functional aspect of art," said Earline Allen, Marshall ceramics professor. "It needs to be beautiful, but it can also serve a function in our everyday life."

Allen also said Stacy Snyder, one of the artists whose Functional Pottery is being displayed in "16 Hands" will present a ceramics workshop in the Marshall University ceramics lab from 10am to 4 p.m. on Sept. 8 and 9 with a lunch break from noon to 2 p.m. Students and faculty can RSVP for the workshop by contacting Jaye Ike, special projects coordinator for Marshall's college of fine arts at 304-696-3296 or jaye.ike@marshall.edu.

The "16 Hands" exhibit will be on display through Sept. A closing reception will be hosted from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7 in the Birke Art Gallery.

Erin Hill can be contacted at hill266@marshall.edu.