Ceramics from Cheyenne artists on display at LCCC

CHEYENNE, Wyoming – Different interpretations of the same medium from artists with Laramie County Community College connections will be on display in a ceramics exhibit starting this week at the college campus in Cheyenne. 

The “Summer Collective,” featuring art from Tamara Rodgers and T.J. Storer, will be on display from June 20-July 31 in the Esther and John Clay Fine Arts Gallery at LCCC. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m Monday-Friday. The opening reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. July 1 at which the artists will be available to speak with guests.

The show and reception are free and open to the public. 

Both Rodgers and Storer are LCCC graduates who, in addition to providing art for the public in the exhibit, are working with current students to teach and inspire the creation of art.

“LCCC tends to focus on programs providing success; that we have graduates that go on to succeed,” said LCCC art instructor Ron Medina. “By participating in the LCCC Visiting Artist Summer series, both Tamara and T.J. have brought their professionalism and artistry into the classroom to share with our students.”

Rodgers is the owner of Silver Sage Ceramics in Cheyenne where she and her husband teach art classes, and is also an adjunct photography instructor at LCCC. She said her and Storer’s art, though in the same medium, display different approaches.

“T.J. and I are very different ceramists,” Rodgers said. “I do a lot of graphics and textures and more functional (art), whereas his is more sculptural. It’s the same material with completely different interpretations.”

Storer, who works as a plumber by day, teaches Life Enrichment art courses at LCCC. The pots on display in the ceramics exhibit are the result of his work in the last year, featuring mostly high glazes and emphasizing his focus on surface design. 

“I’ve always been a three-dimensional person,” Storer said. “I really like the process and enjoy the clay.”

“(Artists should) explore all the different methods and techniques, learning as much as you can,” Rodgers said. “Then decide what you like, what really draws you in, and practice and practice and practice. … You can do it — don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t. There are art jobs, even if you have to create it yourself.”

For more information about LCCC’s Communication & Creative Arts Pathway, visit lccc.wy.edu/pathways.