Ashley Persan, of Better Than Mud, grew up on the east coast of Long Island, New York. After completing her BFA at Condordia University in Montreal, she took residence in Salt Lake in 2006. Although this is her first emergence in Utah’s ceramic community, Ashley Persan is no stranger to the wheel and kiln. Along with multiple other mediums, she studied ceramics throughout her time in college. Ashley has taken her classroom knowledge and twisted it into her own style by using multiple clay bodies in her pieces. The medium itself becomes the art and the form is almost secondary. By mixing different clay bodies, she allows the natural clay colors themselves to reveal the design of the pieces using glaze to accentuate the work. “For me, the art is in the surprise of what the clay does on it’s own.”
Celebration of the Hand was started by The Temporary Museum of Permanent Change and Craft Lake City in the Summer of 2012 as a way to highlight and showcase the work of local artisans participating in the Craft Lake City DIY Festival. The Celebration of the Hand pieces are installed into steel Plakats, which are adjacent to the sidewalks on the North and South sides of Broadway (300 South) between 200 West and 200 East.
The exhibit is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free to the public.
This project is supported in part by the Utah Arts & Museums, with funding from the State of Utah and the National Endowment for the Arts.