MISSOULA — At first glance, they look like cages filled with dishes but take a closer look at the new art installation at Missoula’s Art Park outside the Missoula Art Museum and you’ll see something else.
The “It Takes a Village” display was created by Helena artist Robert Harrison with help from community members who donated ceramic or porcelain items they either made or had in their homes. The house-shaped “cages” are filled with interesting dishes and figurines, the things that fill the shelves of homes around the world.
Harrison notes that ceramics and clay have been a part of human history. He is internationally known for his large-scale, site-specific architectural sculpture and outdoor public installations and also supports sustainability in art -- and this display brings it all together.
"What it does is it highlights the variety of ceramics that’s made all over the world. I bought a lot of this material that I brought from Helena in thrift stores and it just shows you the variety of porcelain,” Harrison explained. “Primarily porcelain is what I tended to buy in the stores and but it comes from all over the world -- China, Europe. Some of the best porcelain factories in the world and it ends up in Montana."
"It Takes a Village" will be on display until October.
