S U N N Y  A.  S M I T H  Art

"Jugs, Pitchers, Bottles, and Crocks, Household Linens and Yardage in Stock" was a project commissioned by The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I worked with local potter Bernard Jakub to make a series of stoneware vessels adorned with cobalt blue imagery and text. These were inspired by rare examples of early American utilitarian ceramics that seem to commemorate important dates, battles, political figures, and movements, though the significance of this information is largely lost to history. The images and slogans with which I chose to decorate these "vessels of anxiety" relate to contemporary wars and catastrophic events, terrorism, and religious fundamentalism.

Crockery
S U N N Y  A.  S M I T H  Crockery Painted wood cabinetry, over 100 ceramic pieces (stoneware with cobalt and slip-trailed redware), printed linen
Jugs, Pitchers, Bottles, and Crocks, Household Linens and Yardage in Stock
2008
Painted wood cabinetry, over 100 ceramic pieces (stoneware with cobalt and slip-trailed redware), printed linen
5 x 24 feet

Commissioned by the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the exhibition "Inner and Outer Space," guest curated by Dara Meyers-Kingsley.