New Exhibit by Constance McBride to Open on November 18 in the Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College

The Chesapeake Gallery at Harford Community College is pleased to present The Melancholic Joy of Living, a solo exhibition featuring works by Constance McBride. McBride uses clay sculpture to explore the human condition, a connecting force between all of us. The exhibit will be on display on the second floor of the College’s Student Center from November 18, 2024, to January 3, 2025. There will be an opening reception and artist talk on November 21 from 6 to 7:30 PM in the Gallery.

McBride delves into themes of ageism and invites the viewers to confront their own thoughts about age. Her ceramic forms lean on concepts of energy found in the practice of yoga, while her floor installations use ancient Celtic imagery to reference life’s transitions. The exhibition reflects on memory, loss, obsolescence and the untidiness of life. Through these works, McBride hopes “. . .  to inspire a shift in perspective—one that celebrates the richness of human experience across all stages of life.”

Constance McBride

Constance McBride explores gender-based issues with ceramic sculpture, installations and mixed media collage. She has had solo exhibitions of her work at Abington Art Center (PA), Rehoboth Art League (DE), Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art (AZ), Shemer Art Center (AZ), Estrella Mountain Community College (AZ), Royse Contemporary Gallery (AZ), and Eye Lounge Contemporary (AZ). Her work has appeared in group shows at notable museums and galleries throughout the USA including at Phoenix Art Museum (AZ), The Delaware Contemporary (DE), Woodmere Art Museum (PA), The Clay Studio (PA), San Angelo Museum of Fine Art (TX), Las Cruces Museum of Art (NM), Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Museum (AZ), and Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts (MT).

Recent awards include the Jacques MacCuiston Dowling Award for sculpture (Woodmere Art Museum); a Center for Emerging Visual Artists Teaching Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA; a position in the Chautauqua Visual Arts Residency Program in Chautauqua, NY; and grants from The Puffin Foundation, Philadelphia Sculptors, Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Phoenix Art Museum's Contemporary Forum. Born and raised in Philadelphia and currently based in West Grove, PA, she teaches sculpture and hand building and is a guest host of the show “Art Watch” at WCHE 95.3 FM Radio in West Chester. McBride earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.

The Chesapeake Gallery

The College’s Chesapeake Gallery features contemporary art by emerging and established artists, as well as Harford’s faculty, staff, and students. It serves as a vital educational link between the community and the practice of art and design in the region. View the current Chesapeake Gallery exhibit at https://www.chesapeakegallery.org/. For additional information, email gallery@harford.edu or call 443-412-2461.

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