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Adam Silverman

Common Ground Ceremonial Pot

Now On View Recent Acquisition

Description

Maker

Adam Silverman (American, b. 1963), (RISD BArch 1988, Architecture)

Title

Common Ground Ceremonial Pot

Year

2022

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Height and diameter: 30.5 x 25.4 cm (12 x 10 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the artist in honor of Crystal Williams, RISD President, 2022-present

Object Number

2023.13.4

Type

Ceramics

Exhibition History

Trading Earth

Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce

Apr 09, 2022 – Jan 12, 2025

Label copy

In his Common Ground project, Adam Silverman considers current political and societal divisiveness in the United States, as well as its history of settlement by European colonists who arbitrarily split unceded Native American land into states.

Silverman collected and combined equal amounts of clay, water, and wood ash from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five inhabited US territories—American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Freed of borders visible only on maps, this new material was used to make 56 plates, bowls, cups, and ceremonial pots. These vessels are used to serve various groups of 56 people across the US. Each meal offers people currently inhabiting this land the opportunity to find common ground together.

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Tombstone

Adam Silverman (American, b. 1963)

Common Ground Ceremonial Pot, 2022

Stoneware and glaze made from combined clay, wood ash and water collected from all 56 US states and territories

Height and diameter: 30.5 x 25.4 cm (12 x 10 inches)

Gift of the artist in honor of Crystal Williams, RISD President, 2022-present 2023.13.4

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