Indelible Show Organizer, Anna Schroeder's statement:

As a ceramic artist who loves tattoos, I’ve found so much overlap and similarity in these art forms. With this show, I wanted to bring together these two communities of artists to collaborate, learn from each other, and create new, unique work.

Both ceramic and tattoo artists face the challenges of designing for 3d shapes, and work in mediums defined by their permanence. The idea of making forms and marks that last a lifetime (or longer) inspired the name of the show, “Indelible”. These art forms are both built on ancient traditions stretching before recorded history, while still constantly changing in exciting ways. They are arts that weave into our daily lives and exist outside of gallery spaces, but still deserve to be celebrated and honored.

Through the course of this collaboration, the tattoo artists were all excited to engage with and learn a new medium and the potters were excited to see how their objects were transformed. Both artists had to let go of some control and literally put their work in the other's hands as they passed the object to the next stage.

It can be easy for us as artists to become isolated and siloed in our own narrow mediums and communities, but we can find fresh joy and growth through new experiences like this. I was thrilled at how enthusiastic everyone was about participating in this process. That excitement about making art extended to the idea of making the show a fundraiser and using this opportunity to give to our neighbors in need.

I'm deeply grateful to all of the artists who brought their time, effort, creativity, and curiosity to this project.