A portion of the mission statement of Pottery Northwest reads: "...to develop and promote excellence in the ceramic arts..." Our gallery program is indeed a significant aspect of the mission.

In the age of the internet and our ability to go anywhere, see anything (almost), it is especially important not to lose sight of the importance of engaging real physical objects. Just as the camera is not the same as the eye, the object has a presence that is impossible to capture without encountering it firsthand.

In simple terms it is important to see work in person, right there, "live". I am constantly reminded of this, and most frequently discover there is a lot more to the piece than the very best image can convey. That is one of the reasons for our North American Juried Exhibition, UN-WEDGED. We want you the viewer to have the ability to see this work in person. It is also the case that the jury fees associated with the show go right back to artists in the awards we make. That too, is a means of developing excellence in the field and cultivating work of quality.

Our jurors are professionals in every sense. Their careers reflect an attention to excellence and a receptive view to good work no matter the source. This year Steven Young Lee, the Resident Artist Director of the Archie Bray Foundation, has chosen the work of 21 artists from the applicant pool to represent the field.