Dirt on Delight: Impulses That Form Clay

Dirt on Delight is the catalogue for the ICA Philadelphia's hit exhibit of 2009; in a rave review for The New York Times, Roberta Smith observed that this "close to groundbreaking" show, in its diversity, reminds us that ceramics "has one of the richest histories of any medium on the planet," and the works gathered here range from modestly-scaled pots to larger installations, crossing false delineations between fine arts, crafts and "outsider" practices. Among the artists included are Robert Arneson, Kathy Butterly, Nicole Cherubini, Lucio Fontana, Viola Frey, Jane Irish, Ron Nagle, George Ohr, Ken Price, Sterling Ruby, Peter Voulkos, Beatrice Wood and Betty Woodman.