The opening of “trans/clay/body” March 8. (Photo courtesy Dakota-Joan Parkinson)
ST. PETERSBURG | The Morean Center for Clay opened “trans/clay/body” March 8, the cumulative student exhibition curated by ceramic artist and instructor Dakota-Joan Parkinson.
Located in a historic freight train depot in the Warehouse Arts District, the Morean Center for Clay is the largest pottery studio in the Southeast and one of the largest in the nation. The Center houses over 50 ceramic artists’ studios and offers dozens of classes for all skill levels.
Running through April 27, “trans/clay/body” highlights work by more than 60 trans and gender-nonconforming youth who all participated in free ceramics courses and traditional anagama wood-firing workshops taught by Parkinson.
“In an era where increased trans visibility has been matched with increased hostility and attempts at erasure, it is crucial to allow trans people to record their own narrative, ” Parkinson says.
The artist entered the world of ceramics about eight years ago. They completed their residency after working as an assistant at Access Arts, a non-profit arts education organization in Missouri, where they lived for 10 years.
Students were primarily found through social media as well as through outreach to various organizations that would share information with prospective students. Parkinson also handed out information at last year’s St Pete Pride to get the word out.
The courses were held over the summer and expanded to the rest of the year as Parkinson wanted more time to work with the students and make the exhibit more project-based.
Parkinson wanted students to gain a sense of self-sufficiency and confidence in their abilities to work with their hands. The educator understands the amount of emotional regulation and buffering that trans folks have to do day-to-day to survive.
“I think the ability to process and express that through art is essential,” Parkinson says. “I want people to feel like they are part of a community, to feel accepted, to feel able to build community, and be able to be seen in a way that feels safe and has agency.”
Parkinson was inspired by the process of wood firing, which is extremely labor-intensive and community-oriented.
“It’s something that made me feel connected early in my transition with people that I wouldn’t expect to be connected by,” Parkinson explains.
The courses and exhibit were funded by the National Placemaking Grant and were held in collaboration with Creative Pinellas and the National Endowment for the Arts. The grant was focused on creating a sense of place and belonging, especially for marginalized communities in Pinellas County. For Parkinson, this meant connecting transgender and gender-nonconforming youth to the region’s artist community.
For the opening weekend, Parkinson was excited to see the community come together. They were also looking forward to the work done by two students who went above and beyond by creating a small installation around their pieces.
The opening was a success and welcomed over 350 guests. “It was incredible to speak to people about the work and witness them interacting with the art as the night went on,” says Parkinson, who also brought parts of the kiln into the gallery to provide some perspective as to what the artists had to work with.
Parkinson is also happy to see how thrilled other members of the Morean are about the exhibit. They say “it’s cool to see them excited about me and my community,” adding that “I’m thankful to everybody who helped make the project happen, and I’m so proud of all the students that participated.”
Read more and view Parkinson’s photos from the opening below:
“trans/clay/body” is free and open to the public Wednesdays-Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 12-4 p.m. at the Morean Center for Clay, located at 420 22nd St. S. in St. Petersburg. Learn more at MoreanArtsCenter.org.
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