SHAPE/SHIFT

SHAPE/SHIFT presents a conversation between a trio of Maine ceramic artists and educators whose non-functional works embody forms that are uncanny, architectural, biomorphic, and abstract.

Each of the artists, Ben Babcock, Jackie Brown, and Patrick Coughlin, approaches ceramics unconventionally, exploring casted architectural forms, 3D printing, and mixed-media including textiles, woodworking, and metal fabrication. All three use clay as a form of record keeping, using the flexibility of the material to mimic and stretch familiar structures and material landscapes.

Maine has a rich and celebrated history of ceramics which continues to evolve in exciting ways today. Artists and artisans past and present look to the bricks of Portland, the foraging of Presumpscot blue clay, and the nationally acclaimed Maine-based ceramics residencies. Across the state, classes and programs are filling up and new studios are emerging, signaling a dynamic moment for clay-as-a-craft community and contemporary art.

This exhibition celebrates that momentum through the work of three artist-educators who are each shaping the next generation of ceramics artists while pushing the boundaries of the form in their own practices. Their work is paired for visitors with a pop-up reading library about ceramics, clay, and pottery, alongside select artist books and zines.

Image credit: Detail of one of Jackie Brown’s works

Ben Babcock is a visual artist working primarily with clay. Born in Bozeman, MT, Ben completed a BFA in sculpture at Montana State University in 2016, receiving the Richard Heller Bronze Pencil Award. He has participated in residencies in Maine and South Korea, and is a 2026 Studio Potter Grants for Apprenticeships recipient. Ben lives in Portland where he currently teaches at Handful Studios.

Jackie Brown is an artist whose work invites reflection on how we perceive and relate to the natural world. She exhibits widely including recently at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and the Indianapolis Art Center. Brown is the recipient of a Maine Arts Commission Fellowship and has participated in numerous residencies such as the European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherland and the Museum of Art and Design in NYC. Brown teaches at Bowdoin College, and is currently the chair of the Visual Arts Department while she oversees the sculpture area. She holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA from Hamilton College.

Patrick Coughlin is an interdisciplinary artist and educator whose work examines the ubiquitous, mundane, and inconspicuous aspects of domestic spaces and material culture. A former year-long resident artist at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC, Patrick is also a recipient of the 2021 Fleisher Wind Challenge and a Wingate Fellow from the Center for Emerging Visual Artists. Patrick has exhibited in China, Italy, Japan, and broadly in the US, and he has served as a visiting lecturer at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul and the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2021, he has served as an Associate Professor and the Chair of Ceramics at the Maine College of Art & Design.