The Northcutt Steele Gallery at Montana State University Billings is pleased to host Josh DeWeese’s “The Shape Inside,” an exhibition of ceramic artwork open from Nov. 14 through Dec. 12. A free, catered, public reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, Nov. 21 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. A gallery conversation with the artist begins at 5:30 p.m.

Josh DeWeese’s forms are marked with traces of the hands that have shaped them. Impressions swirl energetically and handles often curl playfully and fold in upon themselves. The glazes, many of which are created from locally sourced materials, slide and ooze down the surfaces of his work creating flashes of blues, greens, yellows, and reds set against more earthy tones.

“I want my pots to be well designed and comfortable to use,” DeWeese explains in his artist statement. “To be rich with ceramic wonder, and seductive to behold; and to have references to history and the field of ceramic art in order to spark the imagination.”

DeWeese’s exhibition, “The Shape Inside,” which opens at the Northcutt Steele Gallery on the MSU Billings campus on Nov. 14 and remains on view through Dec. 12, is comprised of a group of richly varied ceramic vessels and wall pieces DeWeese has produced over the past several years at his studio near Bozeman. Together, these works explore ideas of scale, shape, color, and clay’s ability to capture the fluid moment.

DeWeese grew up surrounded by art, nurtured by a strong community of well-known Montana artists. His parents, Robert (Bob) and Gennie DeWeese, were influential artists who fostered a modernist painting movement in the state.

Wishing to pursue a career in ceramics, DeWeese studied at Montana State University and the Kansas Art City Institute before receiving his MFA from Alfred University. Formerly the resident director of the internationally recognized Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Art in Helena, DeWeese is currently Associate Professor of Ceramics at Montana State University in Bozeman. He has exhibited and taught throughout the world including Jamaica, Italy, Japan, China, Chile, and Korea, and his work is included in several well-known national and international permanent collections.

On Friday, Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Ceramics Studio located in the Art Annex Building on the campus of MSU Billings, DeWeese will offer a free workshop to demonstrate techniques for throwing and constructing a variety of ceramic forms, including platters and lidded jars. The artist will discuss material choices and firing techniques, as well as a broad range of ideas about historical and contemporary ceramics.

The Northcutt Steele Gallery is located on the first floor of the Liberal Arts Building on the Montana State University Billings campus. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information visit www.msubillings.edu/gallery or www.facebook.com/northcuttsteelegallery.

Contact: Director of Northcutt Steele Gallery Leanne Gilbertson, leanne.gilbertson@msubillings.edu, 406-657-2903.