Kathy Butterly: Assume Yes

A showcase of more than 200 of Butterly's evocative small-scale porcelain and earthenware pieces from the past three decades

Published with Tang Museum at Skidmore College.

Clever, mischievous, seductive, defiant―for over three decades, American sculptor Kathy Butterly (born 1963) has captivated viewers with her experimental and expressive ceramic works. Her signature small-scale porcelain and earthenware pieces evoke a range of moods, incorporating surprising color and textures in her masterful deployment of ceramic techniques. In a gesture that veers toward iconoclasm, Butterly contorts traditional vessel forms, producing biomorphic, individualistic creations that seem to bend and fold. Every detail of a Butterly sculpture―from pools of orange glaze to pearlescent beads of clay―is an essential part of its composition. Published concurrently with Butterly's expansive exhibition at the Tang Museum, Assume Yes is a major monographic survey of her sculptural and ceramic work. It spans over 30 years and features color plates of more than 200 artworks from 1994 to a selection of brand-new pieces.