Tray 1999

Curator: This earthenware tray set, crafted by Marleen Jack in 1999, is part of the Minneapolis Institute of Art's collection. The pale greens and tans give it such a calming effect at first glance. Editor: I see that immediately—there's a quiet stillness. And yet, the texture of the glazed earthenware seems almost intentionally rough, suggesting a deeper narrative than simple pastoral tranquility. What’s going on? Curator: Precisely! Look closer at the formal aspects. The cup and lidded vessel offer juxtaposed, quasi-geometric forms atop the organic shape of the tray itself, bisected in curious angles. Notice also the diagonal lines etched into the surfaces, further disrupting the sense of a smooth, contained object. Editor: And what is she trying to imply with that disruption of a functional tray? I'm drawn to think about Jack's working process – I imagine the hand labor involved. Shaping the earth, firing the clay, the materiality becomes central. This work subverts that calm appearance; this suggests a deliberate effort, and likely reflects an artistic interest in the means of production as a social act. Curator: That is perceptive. I appreciate how you are keying into the relationship between design and intent. These disruptions become a powerful articulation of instability and imperfectibility; however, let’s appreciate how they manage to be placed within the visual harmony through their repetition and placement. Editor: For me, though, this disharmony reveals how even an object intended for service—display, consumption, even servitude—can push back against the forces dictating its nature. There's a real tension here, isn't there? Curator: Absolutely! In those tensions between what the piece wants to appear to be versus its very evident underlying material truths, the beauty resides, I feel. Editor: Yes, revealing rather than concealing labor and material makes the final experience so very profound!