Earth, fire, and water facilitate the many processes that make life and art possible. Watercolors and ceramics are at the heart of the museum’s collection, and as we examine works in these mediums, each of the elements are at play. Water is needed to activate the watercolor pigments, and to shape and mold ceramic forms. Earth is the source of watercolor pigments, and the clay we use to make ceramics. Even fire serves its purpose, needed for drying the clay. The formative materials for ceramics – clay, slips, and glazes – could not exist without the cooperation of water and earth. 

These connections go far beyond the material. Each of these works holds an elemental story. Some artists capture the experience of nature, some showcase the artistic process of creating, while others explore nature within. In many of the works, nature is used as a vehicle for the human experience – often a more palatable metaphor than reality.  Earth, Fire, Water highlights the role of these essential elements, the materiality of the artworks, and the complex processes used by the artists who made them. Each work in Earth, Fire, Water showcases the potential and diversity of these mediums, and shows just how connected art and the earth really are. As you explore the exhibition, we invite you to consider your personal elemental connections.

Images (from top to bottom):

Michael Prunty, Ore Boat on the Cuyahoga, n.d., watercolor on paper, 2024.6.

Eva Kwong, Sprout, 2011, ceramic, 2013.3.

William G. Schneider, Portrait of a Lady, n.d., watercolor on paper, 2025.33.

Banner image:

Kristen Cliffel, The Navigator, 2019, low fire clay, glaze, gold luster, wood, and resin, 2020.9.

Paul Spina, George Washington with Marilyn Monroe's Nose, c. 1975, watercolor and ink on paper, 2022.12.