We all recognize wonder
when we feel it…
Yet it remains elusive—hard to define, hard to pin down. Why do we feel wonder? What evokes it in us? These questions guided April DeConick as she created the exuberant works in this exhibition. DeConick is a multidisciplinary artist and professor of the study of Religion at Rice University.
As an artist, DeConick works in clay, fiber, and paint, treating her materials not as tools but as collaborators. Her pieces emerge through an intuitive, physical process, shaped by curiosity, improvisation, and the joy of discovery. “I was like a child sticking my thumbs in clay, dashing glaze with abandon, tearing fabric randomly, and enjoying the wonder of what will happen if…” The exhibition features hooked weavings, vessels, furniture, and wall compositions. Each piece explores the intersection of the haptic and the aesthetic, using the tactility of fiber and the textured surfaces of clay to engage the senses and evoke wonder. Her sustainable artworks, crafted from wool and earth, invite reflection on how we shape ourselves—and are shaped—through making, becoming, and caring for one another and the planet we share.
catalog under construction//check back Nov 14//
catalog under construction//check back Nov 14//
Exhibition Catalog
Lantern Vases
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase with handle. For flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 5 × 12 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase with handle. For flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 5 × 9 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase with handle. For flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 5 × 12 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase with handle. For flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 6 × 5 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase for flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 5 × 10 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware vase with handle. For flowers or a luminary when lit with a candle. 11 × 5 inches.
Ceramic Sculptures
Glazed porcelain stoneware with blown glass bulb. Wired with plug and switch. 9 × 14 inches.
16 (diameter) x 4 (height) inches. Durable stoneware porcelain with food safe glazes fired to 2200 degrees F.
16 × 32 × 3 inches wall mounted sculpture. Glazed porcelain stoneware and wire.
16 × 32 × 3 inches wall mounted sculpture. Glazed porcelain stoneware and wire.
Weavings
Hand-dyed wool on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 20 × 40 inches.
Wool and mixed fiber on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 15 × 61 × 5 inches.
Wool and mixed fiber on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 10 × 68 × 5 inches.
10 × 92 × 4 inches, glazed porcelain stoneware and natural wool on tulle
Hand-dyed wool on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 13 × 44 × 2 inches.
Wool and mixed fiber on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 21 × 68 × 5 inches.
Wool and mixed fiber on linen with glazed porcelain stoneware mount. 16 × 66 × 4 inches.
Glazed porcelain stoneware, hand-dyed wool, and mixed fiber. 13 x 46 x 6 inches.
Bloom Where You Act–Mini Wall Modules
Ceramic bloom mounted on birch panel. Ready to hang. 6 × 6 inches.
Ceramic bloom mounted on birch panel. Ready to hang. 6 × 6 inches.
Ceramic bloom mounted on birch panel. Ready to hang. 6 × 6 inches.
Ceramic bloom mounted on birch panel. Ready to hang. 6 × 6 inches.
Ceramic bloom mounted on birch panel. Ready to hang. 6 × 6 inches.
Paintings
Bloom Seats
15 × 17 inches. Porcelain stoneware base with wool cushion.
Porcelain stoneware ottoman base with attached wool cushion. 15 × 17 inches.
Spirit Jars
Doni
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection
Wade
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection
Brian
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection
Jeff
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection
Alexander
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection
Tiffany
10 × 14 inch glazed porcelain stoneware vessel・in private collection