Amy Kandall’s Practical Magic at PAAM
by Steve Desroches
Whether it’s an archaeological dig at Machu Picchu, the Great Pyramids of Giza, or Angkor Wat, ceramics are continually found as artifacts dating back tens of thousands of years. In more contemporary terms, if you had a mother or some other family member who took a ceramics class in the 1970s chances are you dig out a vintage light-up Christmas tree each December or you find a lamp made for a baby’s room tucked in the attic even though said infant has children of their own now. It’s an art form that, while usually utilitarian in nature, connects humanity throughout time. A cup or a bowl can absorb the energy of the craftsperson, especially if they used it themselves. To see a vase from ancient Egypt or a holiday decoration made by a beloved aunt, the materials emanate the intention in their creation. It’s a bit of magic, if you will. That concept, along with art as artifact, is behind a new interactive installation on the lawn of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) by artist Amy Kandall.
In particular, Kandall was invited to create a piece relating to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the American republic. Not long before, Kandall created a ceramic piece that, no matter how you turn it, says “Me” and “We.” That resonated with her in these times of deep division in the United States. That language, to get the populace to shift from “Us” and “Them” to “Me” and “We” is at the core of the narrative in Practical Magic. The installation features three kinetic ceramic sculptures, one resembling the mechanization of a slot machine and another Tibetan prayer wheels, with words and phrases on them like “I Am Free,” “I Am Safe,” and “You Are Safe.” Created by hand-building and throwing using a potter’s wheel, the piece is meant to create change through contemplation of the design, movement, and words. And in and of itself, using a potter’s wheel can be a meditation, as the platform spins and a lump of clay, from the Earth, is formed into a shape by the gentle guidance of the sculptor’s hands.
“The revolutions do the work,” says Kandall. “Just let the wheel spin and we stay still.”
Kandall moved to Truro 30 years ago upon which time she began teaching art. She is a teacher of ceramics, drawing, and painting at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham and several years ago founded the Truro Clay Works, a ceramics studio tucked in the woods where she offers classes as well as space, kilns, and tools for artists to work with. To work in ceramics requires community, says Kandall, as the space and equipment required can be difficult to build and maintain on one’s own. Plus, working and creating together has been part of ceramics throughout time and taps into the premise of Practical Magic, a gentle exhibition seeking to shift consciousness to a commonwealth of compassion and good rather than selfishness, division, and greed.
As Kandall creates new artifacts, she shares she still has a small ceramic piece she made when she was 9 years old. “It’s frozen in time. It’s my artifact. It’s 9-year-old me.” Artifacts conjure remembrance. And there’s a bit of magic in the practice by taking a natural Earth-bound material, apply human thought and ingenuity, and create something new and personal, which for much of history would be used to feed or quench the thirst of another person. Call it a communion, a spell, or a prayer; there are many euphemisms to describe the same process that is shared through human history and within us as individuals, and Kandall has her own.
“I just want to bring it back to witchcraft,” says Kandall. “It’s called Practical Magic. It’s transformed by motion. Bodies and minds adjust to a new paradigm. It’s been magic all this time.”
Future Art(ifacts): Practical Magic by Amy Kandall will be installed on the lawn of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), 460 Commercial St., on September 4 and will remain there through September 30. A special event is scheduled for Friday, September 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information call 508.487.1750 or visit paam.org. For more information on Truro Clay Works visit truroclayworks.com.
