Maxwell Holden | You Know Me | Elizabeth Rowland Mayor Gallery | Scheduled “tea-times” with the artist: Saturdays, April 11 and 25, May 2 and 16, 12-2 PM

Exhibition Statement | I love that people who collect handmade pottery introduce pieces by the maker’s name, blurring the line between person and object. The show title is You Know Me, word play on a teacup style called Yunomi, a sort of casual handless teacup that we have no word for in English. These are not Korean teacups, but play on the idea of an informal, approachable vessel. The vessel is a boundary between the inner and outer—whether our bodies, homes, minds, or simply practical containers. As we determine these lines, we map our knowledge; as we learn to look at them as metaphors, we grow our community and connections. You are welcome to pick up and hold pieces, even buy them right off the shelf. If you are here during hours when the tea cottage is open, I will serve you tea. Max.

Biography | Originally from Maine, Maxwell Holden has always juggled several interests at once. This resulted in a career in the arts, the only department in school that permitted him to explore the folklore of trash and run kilns with Corning Glass engineers. He splits time between chemistry, microbiology, ceramics, drawing, and culinary projects. Max has taught higher education for seven years at schools such as Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati DAAP, and Bard College at Simon’s Rock, before going full-time into the ceramic industry in 2021. He moved to Vermont to help run the ceramics production at Simon Pearce and also reconcile with his bog ancestry.

Artist Statement | Maxwell Holden is a visual artist residing in Hartland, Vermont. He makes pottery, paintings, and small sculptures, exploring notions of social connection and formal visual relations. Since graduating with an MFA in 2020, he has worked in factories in Ohio and Vermont, which influences his process.

IG: @maxwelholden