Show Statement

Hills and Hollows
works by Klaire Smith, Cory Mahoney, Doug Fordyce, and Meryl Engler.

In Hills and Hollows, artists Klaire Smith, Cory Mahoney, Doug Fordyce, and Meryl Engler delve into issues of forming and claiming identity. The diverse media and materials, including large-scale woodcut prints, ceramic chairs, and paintings, emphasize the physicality of the work and the processes behind it. In looking at our place in the built and natural environment and the cyclical seasons of growth and decay, each artist gives their perspective on nostalgia, reality, the future, and ultimately, our journey through life.

About the Artists

Klaire Smith was born and raised in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Having grown up in Portsmouth, Ohio – a place that has been labeled as part of “ground zero” for the ongoing opioid epidemic – this reality greatly influences her work. Their current body of work, titled “Oh, Appalachia,” raises questions and makes gestures towards the looming, dark corruption of a region that much of the country has all but rejected. Klaire received a BFA from the University of Rio Grande and became a professional printer through the Tamarind Institute. Their practice centers around woodblock printing, social commentary, and collaboration. Currently, Klaire works out of Columbus, Ohio, with her wife and two dachshunds.

Cory Mahoney is a sculptural artist primarily working with ceramic processes. Based in Columbus OH, he is a cofounder of Dream Clinic Project Space and has participated in exhibitions and residencies across North America. Originally from Southern California, he received his MFA in Ceramics from Alfred University in 2018 and his BFA in Ceramics from California State University Long Beach in 2015. He is currently a Lecturer of Ceramics in the Art Department at The Ohio State University.