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community newspaper
Volume 17, Number 5 | March 20-26, 2025
Candace Samora stands beside her two pieces.
Gaining ‘Perspectives’ Carbondale Clay Center highlights works by local high school students
L
GUS RICHARDSON Youth Correspondent
Last Friday, March 14, Carbondale Clay Center hosted the opening reception for a small exhibition called “Perspectives,” highlighting teen artists from Carbondale and Basalt. While including work from many students, the show heavily featured four artists, with two of them answering questions on their pieces at the event. Candace Samora, a Roaring Fork High School senior, shared some of her creative process with The Sopris Sun. She made two items featured in the show: “The Queen and The Crown,” a massive ceramic bust that she has been working on for the past eight months, and “Hovenweep,” a set of bookends she completed last year meant to symbolize the pain of the Navajo people. Candace is an accomplished potter with five years of clay-throwing experience, but has a history in 2D art before that. “Before I was in a pottery class, I fumbled around and messed with pottery, but I wasn’t planning on making anything specific or important. But after getting an amazing pottery teacher,” Candace said, motioning towards Kim Carpenter, her instructor, standing right beside her, “I grew creatively, but also as a person.” This show was put on by Matthew Eames, operations manager at the Carbondale Clay Center. Eames has been visiting the pottery classes at both Roaring Fork and Basalt High School to meet the budding artists and give helpful critiques on their work. As stated on their official website, his and the Clay Center’s stated goal for this show is for the students to “exhibit in a professional setting and to learn from local, working artists.” This show will have a second artist reception on First Friday, April 4, and “Perspectives” will remain on display through April 12. The same students will return for the second reception, with the same art on display, but with two different students in the Q&A spotlight. Matthew Eames listens intently as Candace Samora speaks about her work.
For more information, visit www.carbondaleclay.org/gallery
A pair of ceramic wings created by a student in the show.
Basalt High School students peruse the show. Photos by Gus Richardson