Hope Rovelto has slip cast hundreds of ceramic cups starting from a humble plastic drink cup. Her dedication to voting and political issues is illustrated directly onto the cups with decals featuring the members of this year's contentious presidential primary season. In honor of the Democratic National Convention taking place in Philadelphia this July, The Clay Studio's Bonovitz Space will house an installation of the cups. Visitors will have the chance to consider their vote in the midst of these ceramic political icons.
Watching how our country was changing during the 2008 election cycle Rovelto felt compelled to address the contentiousness of the U.S. political process. Obama’s message of hope and change was countered by the ridiculousness she saw within the Republican Party. She chose to focuson cups, among the most familiar objects we own and use. Red plastic cups have come to signify a particular party mood, and she decided to play on the idea ofa Political Party where you party with the Parties. Her first project used bold red and blue glazes to mimic the party cups and indicate the Party you choose. In 2016 Rovelto will unify the political Parties by using a neutral “bi-partisan” color, white.
Cups in the exhibition will be decoratedby Rovelto with images from both sides of the aisle. We will also host an event where participantscan choose their own political imagery and colors to apply to one of the cups. In this way you can create your own momento of the current political climate, while attending a Political Party Cocktail Party at The Clay Studio.
