Vessel, an exploration in clay of form, ritual and story
2026-01-15 12:00 - 2026-02-28 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Transmission Gallery, 770 West Grand Ave., Suite A, Oakland, CA, 94612, United States
Artist’s Reception January 17 from 1-4 pm
Transmission Gallery is pleased to present Vessel: An exploration in clay of form, ritual and story, curated by Suzanne M. Long, on view from January 15 – February 28, 2026.
Drawing on her deep roots in the Bay Area ceramics community, Suzanne M. Long brings together a diverse range of ceramic works that interpret the concept of the “vessel” in expansive and unexpected ways—beyond function, into the realms of ritual, narrative, and abstract form. Included in the exhibition are works by James Aarons, Susana Arias, Michelle Gregor, Margaret Keelan, Mattie Leeds, Peggy Loudon, Kris Marubayashi, Lisa Reinertson, Claudia Tarantino, and Laura Van Duren. Through this collection, viewers are invited to consider how vessels can carry not only physical contents, but also cultural meaning, memory, and personal expression.
Vessel noun.
1a: A craft for traveling on water, a watercraft bigger than a rowboat; a ship or boat. An airship.
b: A hollow or concave utensil, a container (such as a cask, bottle, kettle, cup, or bowl) for holding something. A cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents.
c: A human that serves as a receptacle for a spiritual entity to manifest, acting as a spokesperson for that deity. A person into whom some quality (such as grace) is infused.
d: A vessel is a hollow tube or canal that circulates body fluids, most commonly referring to blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries) that transport blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body and remove waste. The term can also refer to other tubular structures that transport fluids, such as the xylem vessels in plants that carry water.
Vessel as Metaphor.
The essential vessel, devised in all cultures to antiquity, is the metaphorical container of all that has been and will be. For early cultures the sky was vessel, containing creation spirits and the departed; earth was mother vessel nestling, chiding and providing.
Images: Peggy Loudon, Vessels, up to 15”, Lisa Reinertson, Sentient beings, 74“ x 22” x 22“, Laura Van Duren, Rendering, 20” x 32” x 6”
