Oglebay Institute Curator of Exhibitions Kevin Clancy and Stifel Fine Arts Center Director Rick Morgan showcase some of the pieces that will be on display at Stifel's “Earth & Fire” exhibit as part of the third annual Ceramic Take Over Wheeling.

WHEELING – An immersive, four-day celebration in the Wheeling area will bring distinguished artists from around the country to an event filled with special exhibitions and workshops.

Ceramics Take Over Wheeling returns to the Friendly City this week for a showcase of artistry that promises to be bigger and better than ever. The Take Over takes place Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 20-23 at various locations in the greater Wheeling area.

“This is our third year of doing it,” said Rick Morgan, director of Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center and co-creator of the Ceramics Take Over Wheeling. “It’s a celebration of the artists and the artistry, an opportunity for learning, networking and collaboration among ceramic artists, a chance to show off our city to visitors and a chance for the public to see stunning artwork from well-established ceramic artists from around the country.”

Morgan cited local artisan and longtime West Liberty University professor Lambros Tsuhlares as a driving force behind the event’s concept.

“Lambros is a local potter who has been doing ceramics and pottery forever,” Morgan said. “He wanted to do some type of event that would attract ceramics artists from across the country to Wheeling, West Virginia.”

‘Ashed Teapot’ by Caleb Considine from Orlando, Fla.

So Morgan and Tsuhlares launched the initial Ceramics Take Over Wheeling as a national ceramics exhibition to be held locally and to feature nationally renowned artists. It was met with great success and has since continued to grow.

The event has featured big prize money – donated by Tsuhlares back in 2023 to get the event off the ground – as well as a pool of highly respected jurors, which Morgan said has helped attract people to the event.

“We give away $7,000 in prizes, which is a pretty substantial amount of money for any art show, and to have that here in Wheeling kind of grabs people’s attention,” he said, noting that the pedigree of jurors from the ceramics arena also turns many of the artists’ heads. “People respected them and will enter a show because of the jurors. So that has kind of been our winning recipe, I think. And as a result of that, we’ve had a really good response over the past three years.”

Wheeling has a strong history in pottery production with companies like the Wheeling Pottery Company, the Warwick China Company and the Wheeling Tile Company. The locally based companies shipped pottery all over the world in the late 19th century, and Wheeling-made pottery remains popular with collectors worldwide.

‘Before You Go’ by Julie Elkins from Charles City, Va.

Through Ceramics Take Over Wheeling, Morgan said he hoped the city would be placed back on the map as a top-notch designation for ceramics arts.

During the four-day event, artwork will be on display at galleries throughout the area. Exhibits will feature everything from functional pieces such as vases and teapots to contemporary sculpture work that is “very conceptual in nature,” Morgan noted.

“This year we’re actually going to have nine exhibitions total,” he said, explaining that each of the galleries will host opening receptions for the exhibits as part of the event, and each of them are free for the public to attend. “With all of these exhibition openings, we’ve created this gallery hop aspect.”

In many cases, the featured artists themselves will be on hand to talk about their works.

“Having some true superstars in the ceramics world on hand to share their talents is really very special,” Morgan said, noting that workshops conducted by featured artists will also be available for a fee as part of the weekend’s highlighted events.

Artist George Rodriguez will demonstrate his unique style of forming and ornamenting a small figure during an educational program for Ceramics Take Over Wheeling. Rodriguez is an assistant professor of instruction in Tyler’s Ceramics Program. He creates highly ornamented, figurative ceramic sculptures, often connected to sociopolitical issues. His sculptures are part of museum collections, including the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

While the openings take place during the Ceramics Take Over Wheeling event, they will remain on display through the end of March to give the public ample time to come check out the collections of work.

At Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center, the exhibit “Earth & Fire” is showcased as a focal point of the weekend’s events. The exhibition features nearly 100 pieces in a myriad of styles created by artists from 29 states – from California to Texas, Maine to Hawaii and everywhere in between.

“The event continues to grow each year, attracting incredible talent, more community partners, increased participation and enthusiasm,” Morgan said.

Solo exhibitions will be on display at West Liberty University’s Nutting Gallery, Artworks Around Town, Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre, The Gallery at 2265 and Clientele Art Studio. Wheeling Heritage will host a group exhibition — “Locally Centered” — at the Wheeling Artisan Center Gallery. This exhibit focuses on talented local artists, offering a unique perspective on ceramics created in the Wheeling area.

Oglebay Institute Curator of Exhibitions Kevin Clancy sets up a featured piece of artwork that will be on display at Stifel’s “Earth & Fire” exhibit as part of the third annual Ceramic Take Over Wheeling.

In addition to Stifel’s “Earth and Fire,” two other juried exhibitions are taking place during Ceramics Take Over Wheeling.

Bethany College will host a national collegiate exhibition of ceramic art, which has attracted 245 entries spanning 20 states and 23 colleges and universities.

The collegiate exhibit is a new aspect of the event this year. Oglebay Institute Curator of Exhibitions Kevin Clancy said it was added because, “we were seeing many college students entering ‘Earth and Fire.’ The work was phenomenal, but they were competing against well-established artists for a spot in the show. We wanted them to have an opportunity to submit work in an arena of their peers.”

Clancy said the event gives students and emerging artists an opportunity to display their work in a prestigious show, gain recognition, get exposure and network with and learn from top ceramic artists, professors and fellow artists. They also have a chance to win cash awards (the top prize for the show is $2,000) as well as a one-year membership and conference fees to the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

“Opportunities like this can be door-opening moments for young artists,” Clancy said.

Sunshine Cobb will do a demonstration on Exploring Functional Hand Building during Ceramics Take Over Wheeling. Cobb is considered to be among the best clay hand builders in the country and has authored two books on the subject.

Clay Pittsburgh, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering a strong clay community in Pittsburgh, is bringing its juried exhibition — “Neighbors” — to Ceramics Take Over Wheeling. The exhibit will be on display at Wilson Lodge in Oglebay.

Clay Pittsburgh’s involvement came about when Morgan and Clancy discussed bringing in a regional partner to expand the reach and add more elements to the event. Morgan had made a connection with Audra Clayton, who serves on the board of directors of Clay Pittsburgh, when she participated in the first Earth and Fire exhibition. They reached out to her, and a new partnership soon emerged.

“It really is all about connections,” Clancy said. “As we continue to build the pedigree of the show and work toward the vision of Wheeling being a destination for ceramic artists, we continually try to connect with high-profile artists, key figures and organizations in the ceramics world.”

One of those key organizations is The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts. Located in Helena, Montana, The Bray, as it is called, provides the first and only ceramic-focused residency program in the country.

“All of the most accomplished ceramic artists — the who’s who of the ceramics world — have come through The Bray,” Morgan said.

‘Mountain’ by Matt Zorn from Carnegie, Pa.

Two of The Bray’s staff members are key participants in the 2025 Ceramics Take Over Wheeling. Executive director Rebecca Harvey and resident coordinator Sunshine Cobb serve as jurors for Earth and Fire. They will also have an exhibit of their work “From the Brickyard” on display at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre, and both will conduct educational programs during the weekend.

Morgan said Oglebay became an integral community partner this year, creating a special lodge package for the weekend and serving as a host site for many of the social events, workshops and artist demonstrations.

“We decided this year to create an immersive four-day experience,” Morgan said. “This allows out-of-town guests to experience Ceramics Take Over Wheeling as an exciting, long weekend full of activity. We also wanted to provide a home base for the ceramic artists to gather, to meet, talk and hang out in a social setting. Ceramic artists are a very social, collaborative group. It was important for us to ensure they have those opportunities to gather and discuss their craft and get to know each other. Oglebay is a beautiful venue, another Wheeling treasure to show off to visitors, and they have been a great partner.”

The exhibitions are free for everyone in the community to check out and enjoy. There will also be workshops offered for a fee and a variety of other events, from artists meet-and-greets to cocktail parties, a pop-up mug shop and a Pottery Throw-Down pitting two Wheeling-area artists and two Pittsburgh-area artists against each other in a full, pottery-themed skills showdown that onlookers are sure to enjoy.

‘Queen’ by Robert Zumwalt from Syracuse, N.Y.

“I encourage the artists in our community to join us for the educational programs as well,” Morgan said. “These are opportunities that are often only available in larger, metropolitan areas. We are overjoyed to be able to bring them to Wheeling.”

For more information on Ceramics Take Over Wheeling and a full schedule of events, visit www.ceramicstakeoverwheeling.com.

(Oglebay Institute Director of Marketing and Communication Misty Klug contributed to this article.)