Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes

A showcase of more than 200 of Butterly's evocative small-scale porcelain and earthenware pieces from the past three decades

Published with Tang Museum at Skidmore College.

Clever, mischievous, seductive, defiant-for over three decades, American sculptor Kathy Butterly (born 1963) has captivated viewers with her experimental and expressive ceramic works. Her signature small-scale porcelain and earthenware pieces evoke a range of moods, incorporating surprising color and textures in her masterful deployment of ceramic techniques. In a gesture that veers toward iconoclasm, Butterly contorts traditional vessel forms, producing biomorphic, individualistic creations that seem to bend and fold. Every detail of a Butterly sculpture-from pools of orange glaze to pearlescent beads of clay-is an essential part of its composition. Published concurrently with Butterly's expansive exhibition at the Tang Museum, Assume Yes is a major monographic survey of her sculptural and ceramic work. It spans over 30 years and features color plates of more than 200 artworks from 1994 to a selection of brand-new pieces.