5th Street Gallery, reception 6-9pm Sept 12, 2014. Runs through Oct. 4. Hours: Daily 10am-6pm, Fridays 10am-9pm.  Closed Sundays

Didem Mert and Jenny Reed, recent graduates from the Northern Kentucky University Ceramics program, spent years working together, inspiring each other and developing their skills and artistic visions. In this show, Mert’s functional ceramics paired with Reed’s abstract multimedia sculpture generate this same energy of friendship and excellence but in very different expressions.

Didem Mert’s functional ceramic work is often inspired by nature.   Her primary firing method, wood firing, enriches the forms and finishes of her organic work.  She has been working on a new series of electric mid-range work that explores the same ideas, but uses a more colorful and playful glaze palate.  Both her wood fired work and new series of electric fired  work will be shown at 5th Street Gallery this September. Didem is featured inthe September 2014 Ceramics Monthly Magazine as one of the six top undergraduates in ceramics for 2014.  See the NKU article about the award at http://www.nku.edu/features/2014/august/mert.html

Jenny Reed explores emotions and relationships with sly humor and abstract presentation. Her ceramic forms are combined with found objects to create interesting juxtapositions between the real and imagined.  Jenny uses a variety of surface finishes including slips, decals, and less traditional materials such as wax. The variety of materials echoes the variety of emotions these hybrid creatures evoke.

Jenny Reed  received her BFA degree from Northern Kentucky University in May, 2014. Throughout her schooling Jenny received multiple scholarships based on her artistic and academic merit. In 2013 she was awarded an artist retreat at The Kentucky Women’s Foundation Hopscotch House. She has exhibited in various galleries in Kentucky and Ohio and most recently worked as a Studio Assistant for the Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts in Hunter, NY.