Form and Surface Exhibition

Four artists based in Southeast Minnesota work showcase new ceramic work in Form and Surface. Laurie Cohrs, Mary Beth Magyar, Lisa S. Truax, and Alexis Zaccariello (collectively known as The Claydies) showcase a wide range of work, exploring the many forms and surface imagery of contemporary ceramics work.

The exhibition runs from October 5, 2024 – January 11, 2025 in Gallery Three. Join us for an artist reception on Saturday, November 16 from 2-4 p.m. (which will also serve as the artist reception for Chapters). There will be an special pop-up boutique of giftable items available for sale that day!

Featured work by (clockwise from upper right corner): Lisa S. Truax, Laurie Cohrs, Mary Beth Magyar, and Alexis Zaccariello.

About the Artists

Cancer brought Laurie Cohrs to clay. Clay brought her healing, hope and freedom. Through vibrant glazing Cohrs expresses joy and celebration. Thoughtful mug design welcomes interaction and begs to be held. The feeling of the handle balanced in your hand evokes a sense of being cared for. Her vessels elevate the simple allure of everyday rituals. Her hope is to enrich the lives of those using my pieces.

Mary Beth Magyar‘s practice reflects a quote from Marina Abramović, “The way to fight is not to reflect horror and put your spirit down. It’s to create something with beauty that gives you hope.” Magyar has lived all over the country. She received a BFA in painting from Michigan State University. She started a family in 2000 in Virginia, and her solo practice went dormant with subsequent moves to Texas, Maryland, and Kentucky. In 2014, after a move to Minnesota, she restarted her solo career. Her studio practice is combined with her Community Engagement practice. To better work with the community, she pursued a graduate degree and finished her Master’s in Education at Hamline University in December 2022. A public art project she started in 2021, the smallärt gallery, is a non-profit she manages. There are three mini-galleries in Rochester where she displays work to highlight a diverse group of artists. Her community engagement practice primarily focuses on community resource schools in Rochester, some rural outreach, and continuing work with IMAA, Intercultural Mutual Aid Assistance. In 2023, Magyar won the Mayor’s Medal of Honor for Arts/Cultural Achievement in Rochester, Minnesota.

Lisa S. Truax creates sculptural ceramics with a sense of place and memory. She is interested in the contrast between places such as parks and natural areas and modern ways of building and living. We have cultural ideas of beauty and the sense of the untouched associated with these places. Often, outdoor landscapes seem to be in their natural state, but are often actually created, planned, built, and maintained as part of our culture. Truax considers a personal sense of experience, memory, or connection to places she has lived or traveled. She is based in Pickwick, Minnesota, in the Mississippi River bluffs.

Alexis Zaccariello lives in Rochester MN where she has been teaching ceramics since 2013 and creating her own work since 2019. She continues to develop her wheel throwing and hand building skills. She uses a variety of surface treatment techniques: horse hair raku, sgraffito, and encaustic medium. Both the creation of her art and sharing it with others is deeply satisfying to Alexis. Her studio has become a haven to ease her mind and soul.

About the Venue

Anderson Center Galleries are free to the public (donations welcome). The galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gallery Three is on the first (main) floor of the main building and is at-grade. If you have questions about the accessibility of Anderson Center facilities or programs, please contact us! info@andersoncenter.org or 651-388-2009.

This exhibit is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through an Operating Support grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.