Free museum admission | 6 pm
Opening remarks | 7:15 pm

The exhibition showcases the work of Judy Chartrand, Ying-Yueh Chuang, Gathie Falk, Jeremy Hatch, Ian Johnston, David Lambert, Glenn Lewis, Alywn O’Brien, Bill Rennie, Debra Sloan and Brendan Tang. Internationally recognized, each of these local artists is acclaimed for their fearless work in the form of ceramic sculpture.

In Playing with Fire, the artists defiantly and boldly challenge the notion that all things made of clay are required to be functional; in their works, clay is released from this constraint and elevated into extraordinary works of art.

Cash bar

Witness hard-hitting discussions on racism, censorship, fragility and mass consumption and how they relate to the work of the artists and the world at large. In Playing with Fire, the artists defiantly and boldly challenge the notion that all things made of clay are required to be functional; in their works, clay is the medium to express opinions and offer commentary on the state of the world around us.

Program schedule

Racism with Brendan Tang + Judy Chartrand, moderated by Carol E. Mayer | 11 – 11:45 am
Censorship with Glenn Lewis + Debra Sloan, moderated by Tam Irving | 11:45 am – 12:30 pm
Break: Meet the artists over light refreshments + cash bar | 12:30 –1:30 pm
Fragility with Ying-Yueh Chuang + Alwyn O’Brien, moderated by Paul Mathieu | 1:30 – 2:15 pm
Mass Consumption with Ian Johnston + Jeremy Hatch, moderated by Alwyn O’Brien | 2:15 – 3 pm

Whether you’re a child or a child-at-heart, stop by the ceramics studio and let your imagination run wild as you get hands-on experience working with clay. Make your own clay creation to add to the Land of Make-Believe, a wonderous land of dragons and unicorns, fairies and fantastic beasts, and more.

Sharon Reay has been working with clay since 1979. Driven by her passion for all aspects of the ceramic arts, she was determined to find time to work in her studio alongside raising a family, taking courses, and teaching in schools and community centres.  Her perseverance is well stated on her website in a quote from J. M. Barrie’s book, Peter Pan: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

Learn more about artist-in-residence Sharon Reay.

Learn more about the exhibition Playing with Fire: Ceramics of the Extraordinary.

nêhiyawak ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐊᐧᐠ hails from amiskwaciy (Edmonton) on Treaty 6 territory. Comprised of Kris Harper, Matthew Cardinal and Marek Tyler—three Indigenous musicians coalesce at the intersection between traditional and contemporary music. Their sound is at times loud and sweeping, and in other moments—reticent and careful and blends the steady beats of carved cedar log and hand drums with their synth and rock guitar sound.

nêhiyawak tells stories—their stories—capturing time through honeyed and haunting vocals, swaying in and out of the cacophony of electronic and analog sounds. Within the framework of the conventional song, the band creates and adds their own history. Collecting and piecing together their experiences—existing simultaneously between diverse and disparate cultures—nêhiyawak shares with its audience their unique expression of Indigeneity in Canada today.

nêhiyawak ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐊᐧᐠ

Pronunciation: neh-Hee-o-wuk (emphasis on 2nd syllable)

Meanings: Cree people, People of the Plains, Plains People, Exact People

Sound House is MOA’s new music series, now in its second season, featuring a fantastic and eclectic lineup of Vancouver bands and musicians—from folk to funk, hip hop to jazz. Sound House is a celebration of culture and music, set in MOA’s Haida House, against a stunning backdrop of Northwest Coast art and architecture. Gather around the toasty bonfire outside with friends, and let the picturesque views and scent of cedar inhabit your senses. Sound House delivers surprises and delights on the first Thursday of each month.

Using cedar that was harvested and prepared by Jessica herself, participants will get to take home their own cedar basket creations.

Jessica is a self-taught weaver of Coast Salish and Portugese descent of the Silvey family in Egmont, BC: “Weave – to form by combining various elements or details into a connected whole. Many of my childhood hours were spent with my paternal grandmother in the forest. It is my favourite place to be, surrounded by cedar trees and silence. I have learned traditional techniques from research, as well as trial and error. I harvest and prepare my own materials. When I am ready to weave, the most time consuming work has been completed. Weaving is my passion and therapy for my soul.”

Cost (includes museum admission, light lunch and all materials)
General | $140
Senior / Student / Youth | $125
MOA Members / UBC Students, Staff, Faculty / Indigenous peoples | $115

All ages welcome, children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by an adult. No experience necessary.
Very limited capacity; book early to avoid dissappointment. 

Sharon will be studying the worldwide collection of ceramics and other works in the collection from two viewpoints. First, to see how they might inform her unique style of sculptural/functional work—whimsical pieces that function as vessels or bookends, where mythical beasts and fairy tale characters crawl up the sides of bowls and cups or hide inside and emerge from the pages of books.

Sharon’s other area of interest is masks. During her time at MOA she will be examining the Museum’s collection of more than 1500 masks from many parts of the world. “Three decades ago,” she explains, “while visiting the Museum I was so intrigued by a mask from Japan that it literally haunted my dreams, until I recreated a similar piece out of clay. That was after one afternoon visit. The opportunity to study the MOA collection more thoroughly will, I hope, enable me to use what I learn to influence my work. This would be truly inspiring.”

Sharon has been working with clay since 1979. Driven by her passion for all aspects of the ceramic arts, she was determined to find time to work in her studio alongside raising a family, taking courses, and teaching in schools and community centres.  Her perseverance is well stated on her website in a quote from J. M. Barrie’s book, Peter Pan: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

In the early 1990s she moved to a programming position at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Burnaby, where she had the opportunity to work with exceptionally skilled instructors and a myriad of internationally acclaimed guest artists. Through these experiences she developed a broad base of skills, including sculpture, hand building and wheel throwing, plus an insatiable appetite for learning from both practice and research. All of her work is handcrafted in high-fired stoneware, using a combination of hand-building techniques, and wheel-thrown or extruded forms. In 1995, Sharon was promoted to Ceramic Arts Programmer, retired from the Shadbolt Centre in 2017, and returned to the studio full-time to “release all the creatures who have been patiently waiting in those bags of clay.”

Please stop by to visit Sharon when she is in the Judy Cranmer Ceramics Laboratory, and learn more about her work at www.sharonreay.com.