Clay Gallery showcasing fascinating ceramics of Elliott Kayser

“Day In and Day Out” at downtown Ann Arbor’s Clay Gallery finds local ceramicist Elliott Kayser crafting a series of functional and nonfunctional artworks that illustrate he’s as much in tune with his temperament as he is with his materials.

The exhibit features a very interesting assemblage as well as superior ceramics whose crafting finds Kayser working his sense of self into his clay. It’s a clever gambit, as the decidedly whimsical tone of this exhibit masks some decidedly more serious intent.

Kayser says of his display, “As we navigate our daily decisions, we play a role in the use of resources within complex systems. Though my work has a whimsical, inviting tone it sets out to challenge aspects of contemporary life by focusing on habitual inefficiencies, the role of personal agency, and the ethical compromises of convenience.

“While the narratives might hint towards political, social, or moral themes, my intention is that they serve not to articulate a point of view but rather stimulate provocative introspection within the viewer.”

The explanation gives us insight into what is indeed the most puzzling Kayser collection of ceramics in the exhibit: “River Riddle,” consisting of five free-standing ceramics whose varying parts reflect both a creative virtuosity and the riddle itself.

Kayser poses his work along the lines of the classic conundrum: “A farmer is standing on one bank of a river with a fox, a hen, and a bag of grain. He needs to get to the other side of the river, taking the fox, the hen, and the grain with him. However the boat used to cross the river is only large enough to carry the farmer and one of the things he needs to take with him, so he will need to make several trips in order to get everything across.”

How does the farmer do this? Kayser’s wrinkle is to pedestal-mount the elements of this folklore puzzle for inspection. Therefore, the “Fox,” a bust with black eyes and black and red stripes for fur, contrasts with a full-sized, similarly striped “Hen” — both sculpted porcelain, terra sigillata underglaze. And a detailed “Boat” is sculpted terra cotta, terra sigillata with thrown and altered porcelain for “Grain Bags.” All this topped by 27 wall-mounted green-waved background “River Mural” tiles set on the gallery's rear alcove wall.

Kayser’s most lyrical display in his show is a dozen wide-mouth thrown porcelain “Boats of the Ballard Locks” mugs (named after the famed Seattle link between the salt water of Puget Sound and the fresh water of the city’s Ship Canal) where each underglaze, glaze mug features a sailboat or yacht that parades through the lock. Likewise, a larger “Poseidon” barge of a similar light-hearted design rounds out this corner of Kayser’s art.

Among other functional wares are a series of 15 “Jubilee” cups and two “Jubilee” teapots whose geometrically abstract designs are the sort of wrap-around rectangles and chevrons one will find on hot air balloons. The single largest functional ceramic on display is an oversized, handsome earthtone “Tapped” stoneware bowl whose rows of perforations makes it an ideal colander. And a half-dozen thrown and altered porcelain, glaze, and cherry wood “Music Boxes playing “You are my Sunshine” ” tunefully round out this work.

But back to Kayser’s stated intent with his exhibit. Both “Pathology” and “Pig Pile” feature a mordant wit coupled with a deceptively airy crafting whose subtext fits his wish to create work he says “sets out to challenge aspects of contemporary life by focusing on habitual inefficiencies, the role of personal agency, and the ethical compromises of convenience.”

The aptly named “Pathology” is therefore a relatively transparent work of art. Nicknamed a “zoetrope animation wheel” (which it most certainly is), the assemblage consists of nine red mice (modeled porcelain, terra sigillata coloring) running around a wood and metal pedestal plate whose LED light, mechanical gears, and electrical circuit complete the assignment.

The red mice run relentlessly along the edge of this plate by the turning of a handle slightly beneath the work’s base. And as the mice rotate with increasing frequency, the LED light and electrical circuitry spark occasionally — perhaps a not totally unfamiliar phenomena for any number of us at any given time — and hence Kayser’s point.

“Pig Pile,” on the other hand, literally and figuratively goes for what might be the unkindest cut of all. This tableau of six pink stoneware terra sigillata pigs find them piled upon each other on a terra cotta pizza tray.

This six-pack of oblivious, future pepperoni porkers is thoroughly jumbled together, some lying down and others restlessly climbing over their neighbors on this slab — but we already know the way the story is going to end. Indeed, anything more and we’d be forced to say Kayser’s really piling it on.

“Elliott Kayser: Day In and Day Out” will continue through June 15 at Clay Gallery, 335 S. Main St. Gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. For information, call 734-662-7927.