Creamer 1999

Editor: So this is "Creamer," a ceramic and earthenware piece by Marleen Jack, made in 1999. It strikes me as quite rustic, almost archaeological—like fragments of some ancient tea service. What do you make of it? Curator: For me, this work really highlights the dialogue between utility and artistry, between "craft" and "art." I see the artist’s engagement with the physicality of the materials—the clay itself, its origins, the labor involved in shaping it. What processes might she have used to build these forms, and how might the glazing techniques reflect her engagement with both traditional and modern methods? Editor: I notice the angularity of the creamer, it almost clashes with the softness of the sugar bowl. Is this tension significant, maybe symbolic? Curator: Perhaps. Think also about the social rituals associated with these objects—the serving and consumption of dairy and sugar. These were luxury goods in the past, their consumption often tied to complex economic systems. How does Jack’s material treatment of the objects--rough, earthy, not-precious--speak to those systems of production, distribution, and consumption? And consider the history of ceramics themselves; they have, throughout human history, been objects of both high status and common use. Editor: That’s fascinating. So it's less about the cream and sugar, and more about the materials and how they relate to society? Curator: Exactly. By emphasizing the hand-made and slightly imperfect nature, Jack avoids the clean lines and perfect glazes often associated with mass-produced ceramics, asking us to reconsider value itself. It is both aesthetically interesting but also a comment on the history of objects in culture. Editor: I’m seeing it now as a social statement, made tangible through clay. Curator: Indeed. Considering the material and the making really opens it up.