Work by Helper Ceramic Artist Ian Hazard-Bill on View at Gallery East

Artist Ian Hazard-Bill of Helper, Utah, is sharing his ceramic work at Gallery East in an exhibition titled “Memos from the Desert.” The exhibit runs from Feb. 6-28 in Utah State University Eastern’s Central Instruction Building.

As a prospectus to this exhibit, Hazard-Bill said: “This show is an ode to the desert, a place of vastness and extremes. The exhibit is an essay on the ‘Six Memos Italo Calvino’ left us for this Millennium. It is a cathartic stream of reflection on the vastness of my own emotions, the extremes of my dreams and fears, and the wisdom I might need in the times ahead.”

The varying curves and visible alterations to the sometimes-thrown vessels and forms add a hand-worked feel to the clay constructs. Backing away from precision and mechanical edges allows the viewer to interpret each of them for their unique qualities.

“Lightness, Quickness, Exactitude, Visibility, Multiplicity and Consistency,” he said. “I’ll leave these concepts undefined in the hopes you’ll seek understanding them in the work.”

Hazard-Bill grew up in Northern California and fell in love with ceramics in high school. He continued his artistic growth while acting as an apprentice to Seth Cardew, completing a bachelor of arts in ceramics from Evergreen and participating in artist’s residencies at Cub Creek Foundation and Mendocino Art Center. He has shown work nationally in group and juried shows and is represented by several galleries. He recently relocated to Helper, where he works and wanders.

An artist’s reception will be from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21. Students, faculty and the public are invited to attend.

The gallery is free and open to the public during the academic year. Gallery East’s Spring 2025 hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed weekends and holidays.

For questions, contact Noel Carmack at 435-613-5241 or by email at noel.carmack@usu.edu.