Form follows material: ceramics by David Long at Bethel College

On the north edge of Newton lies the compact, bucolic campus of Bethel College. Even in late winter, the Mennonite school feels like a friendly little park populated with miniature halls of learning, constructed periodically beginning in 1887. One of the most striking, yet spare, buildings is Luyken Fine Arts Center, round and mid-century modern with golden ochre wood paneling lining the circular hallway on the outer edge of the structure.

As you stroll through the hall, you can hear instrumental and vocal students practicing and receiving instruction in secluded studios. You can also see paintings and photographs by young visual artists displayed on the walls.

 Then you arrive at the Robert W. Regier Gallery, a petit gem of a space with glass walls that allow the visitor to take in the scope of the exhibition before even entering the gallery. It is in this peaceful, uncomplicated, scholarly environment that I became acquainted with the work of ceramicist David Long.

 A professor at the college since 2001, Long is the chairperson of visual arts and design at Bethel. His exhibition "Untethered" features 54 works and runs through March 14. 

The name of the exhibition refers to the constant evolution of the artist’s career, and how he has never felt tied to one distinct style: "My work has been shaped by the tactile nature of clay and my love of surface textures." This artist and educator also finds a constant source of inspiration in his students and is grateful for the opportunities that teaching gives him to experiment and play.

"In their work they are, in many ways, just doing things without knowing the consequences," Long said. "Sometimes that leads to disaster. Other times, it works out well and I learn something new along the way." Before joining the faculty at Bethel, he taught at Butler Community College, Newman University, and Wichita State.

Most of the works in "Untethered" are thrown or built functional porcelain vessels wood-fired in the artist’s home kiln. The silhouettes of these bowls, jars, teapots, trays, and jug-like forms often evoke the ancient artifacts that were the focus of the artist’s academic studies. Long constructed several of the bowls on view here in a similar inverted-pear shape as early Roman burial urns, including "Bowl" (14), which glistens with a reflective plum and violet glaze, contrasting with gray green. This piece is a fine example of how Long’s works can give the mutual impression of lightness and sturdy strength. (Editor's note: the parenthetical numbers correspond to the exhibition's title list.)

"Bowl" (1) comes alive with swirling marks from the fingertips of the potter, reminiscent of ripples in a pond after the splash of a stone. Inside and out, a planetary palette of mossy greens and lichen blue is dripped and swirled on the piece. It’s hard to avoid lifting and pouring the beautifully balanced "Teapot" (23) with its pale iridescent glow. It would be just as impactful on the kitchen stove as it is on a gallery pedestal. The lid of "Covered Jar" (36) oozes with glossy cobalt glaze, contrasting with the matte upper body of the vessel and picking up the hue and sheen on the shimmering base.

 This body of work includes 18 (three sets of three and nine individual) rectangular trays, "a form I’ve been working on for several years now," Long said. "It’s been a four-year process making trays in different sizes. These sets of three are really about my thinking about functional pottery, and its vocabulary of forms — much like the tradition of batter or nesting bowls in sets of three."

A triptych of trios, "Set of 3 trays" (11, 12, 13),  is displayed in a row, highlighting the precision of the artist’s fabrication, the nature-adjacent textures with both a reedy and a feathery character, and the rich but subtle colors: golden brown, winter grass, celadon. The trays feature handles that appear to be wrapped with cloth. A peek at the sides reveals an expertly thrown foot, elevating each tray physically and artistically.

The process Long developed for creating his trays is complex. "They have a combination of hand-built and thrown elements to them. I start off rolling out a slab. I have several texture wheels that I use to decorate. Once the clay is compressed and stamped, I place it on a thick piece of foam. Using a wooden form in the shape of the tray I can push it down and create the inside shape of the tray. I then transfer it to a slump mold and wait for the clay to dry out and stiffen. Once the tray can hold its shape, I trim the rim down to size, flip it over, and attach a thrown foot to the bottom. Once that all sets up, I flip it right-side up and cut out some of the rim to add handles. The trays take a tremendous amount of time to complete, but I so enjoy the process."

Six distinctive stoneware figure studies add another dimension to this collection of works by the skilled clay artist. "Female Form" (29) depicts a nude woman in repose, lying on her side in such a state of relaxation that her limbs drape gracefully and completely. The dark glaze that adorns her makes it easy to image that she is sleeping under the stars.

Long holds bachelor’s degrees from Conception Seminary College and the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, in philosophy and fine arts; master’s degrees from UNC and Arizona State University, in fine arts (ceramics) and art history; and a Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Wichita State.

The artist has exhibited extensively in south-central Kansas and throughout the Midwest. He has been represented by Wichita’s Gallery 12 for nearly 30 years.

The Details

"David Long: Untethered"
February 13-March 14, 2025, at the Robert W. Regier Gallery at Bethel College, 300 E. 27th St. N. in Newton, Kansas

The Regier Gallery is open to the public 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2-4 p.m. Sundays.

Admission is free.

Learn more about exhibitions at Bethel College.

Teri Mott is a writer and actor in Wichita, Kansas, where she covers the arts as a critic and feature writer. She is a co-founder of the SHOUT.

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