The installation will open to the public with a gallery presentation by Hutchinson at 4 p.m. on April 4 and will remain on exhibit through May 4.

Hutchinson, currently visiting assistant professor of ceramics at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been involved with installation work for the past nine years. She describes her work as "about the investigation of place, the nature of site and how an object is incorporated or functions within the parameters of space." Influenced by naturally constructed dwellings of insects and animals, and vernacular architecture from around the world, she creates multiple site-installed basket forms ranging in size from 18-24 inches wide by 80-160 inches long. The pieces are made of fibrous materials combined with clay.

For the Berea installation, Hutchinson will construct from three to five adobe forms that will interact through their placement in the space as well as with each other. Made of a wet weave of plant material dipped in a porcelain and cellulose fiber slurry, the forms will be woven in and around a central support structure that stretches from floor to ceiling or floor to wall. Research on indigenous plant materials and local habitats will take place the week before construction. Hutchinson graduated with a B.A. in art from Berea in 1984 and earned an M.F.A. in ceramics from the University of Georgia in 1987. She teaches ceramics at Virginia Commonwealth and has been a visiting professor at Kalamazoo College, the University of Washington and the San Francisco Art Institute. During the past nine years she has built indoor and outdoor site specific installations throughout the country and had numerous one person exhibitions of her work. She has been resident artist at several institutions and has received several artist fellowships.

For additional information, contact Dr. Jennie Klein or Dr. Robert Boyce in the Berea College art department at 606-985-3530.