Past Exhibitions
out of the fire and into the light
September 27th, 2025
A solo exhibition by James Alby for the end of their artist residency at Heirloom Ceramic Studio. This exhibition took place at One Grand Gallery’s upper gallery.
View more photos and learn more about this show by clicking here.
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THINKING THROUGH MUD:ARRANGEMENTS OF CLAY + IKEBANA
February 20th—April 10th, 2026
The Arts Council of Lake Oswego announces Thinking Through Mud: Arrangements of Clay + Ikebana, co-curated by Morgan Ritter & Jeffry Mitchell.
This exhibition throws forth a new image of contemporary ceramics, with work that feels human, fecund, and at times rough. Seven Oregon-based artists include James Alby, Lisa Conway, Marjorie Dial, Nick Norman, Ben Killen Rosenberg, Ben Skiba, and ahuva s. zaslavsky and their works are complimented by student work from Renka (蓮華) Ikebana. These artists are all united by a shared way of thinking through their hands and arriving at unexpected, visceral work. Ripe with aliveness, the artworks evoke the earth itself, the streets layered upon the mud, and the sloppy residue of life carried across these surfaces.
Arts Council of Lake Oswego, Lake Oswego, OR
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February 4 - March 1, 2026
Waterstone Gallery is proud to present Layered Surfaces, our annual invitational exhibition featuring James Alby, Paul Gadsden, Leonard Harmon, Yuji Hiratsuka, Marcel M. Johansen, Kanani Miyamoto, and Kyra Watkins. These artists work in layers of paint, clay, wood, metal, analog photography, ballpoint pen, and memory. Drips, carvings, prints, and faces emerge and obscure, each holding a story of heritage, identity, and belonging. Alby’s vessels echo ancestral craft; Harmon’s collages trace Indigenous continuity; Hiratsuka’s etched prints fuse Japanese tradition with contemporary wit; Miyamoto’s layered installations celebrate intersectional beauty; Watkins’s portraits honor Black resilience; Johansen’s photographs explore diaspora and presence; and Gadsden’s oil paintings chart displacement and perception. A few self-portraits show us that amongst the layers are ones that are assuredly and charmingly revealing. Together, these Oregon-based artists convey that every surface carries what lies beneath, revealing echoes of craft, ancestry, and beauty forged through resistance. They invite us to look deeper- beneath the surface of what endures.
Waterstone Gallery, Portland, OR
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December 4th - December 18th, 2025
Between Use brings together artists working in clay who explore the space between utility and expression.
Featuring James Alby, Savannah Baker, Austin Coudriet, Miranda Karson, Philip Kuperschmidt, Mariana Mora, Scout Saadeh, Ethan Streicher, and Calvin Wong.
Hologram Gallery, Seattle, WA
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July 26th, 2025
Featuring skate artists and photographers from around the NW. Presented by Adjacency Bias
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June 28th, 2025
From the people that brought you The Dumb Luck Show, Auto Show, and Tough Love Show! Another big group art show.
633 SE Clay St. Portland, OR
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May 10th, 2025
For Mental Health Awareness Month Graphic Arts Center will be releasing a series of limited edition woven tapestries focused around the theme of mental health.
100% of proceeds go to benefit Mental Health Liberation, a local nonprofit that provides free BIPOC mental health therapy.
Launched at Benchmark Gallery
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April 25-27th, 2025
Featuring over 200 Oregon Potters Association members, this three-day event offers visitors the opportunity to meet exceptional ceramic artists who are exhibiting and selling their latest work.
Oregon Convention Center
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April 11th - May 9th 2025
One Grand Gallery is pleased to present Clay Bodies, a group ceramics show with Portland-based artists James Alby, Savannah Baker, Miranda Karson, and Calvin Wong. This will be the first occasion in which these four makers are presenting work in conversation with one another, melding their distinct styles and mediums.
In ceramic communities, “clay bodies” refers to the specific mixture of clay types used by an artist to achieve a desired effect. Firing temperature, workability, and fired density are all taken into account as the maker formulates and hones their unique technique. For this exhibition, each ceramicist has considered the manner in which fine art intersects with craft and functionality. The artworks on display range from free-standing figures to wall mounted designs, as well as decorative vases, candelabras, and miniature sculptures. This combination of varied ephemera naturally creates moments of interiority within the space of the gallery, allowing viewers to fluidly move between the individual pieces and narratives. -
March 14th, 2025
A fusion of art mediums that showcase the elements behind the traditional dinner party.
Industry One Foundation, 415 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR
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March 7th, 2025
One night of art, music, and skating. Featuring visual artists and musicians from the Portland skate scene.
Jaja PDX, 819 SE Taylor St, Portland, OR
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February 21st, 2025
A group art show at Telephone Vintage.
3239 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR
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October 3rd, 2024
Portland, OR
A group show with the theme of “automobiles”.
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September 20th, 2024
One Grand Gallery, Portland, OR
Group show presented by Tactics and Converse CONS featuring Mike Gigliotti, Charlie Salas-Humara, Scotty Copalman, Jesse Kamerzell, and James Alby.
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September 7th, 2024
Clay Street Studios, Portland, OR
Group art show including 20+ artists and live music.
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July 27th, 2024
Union/Pine, Portland, OR
“Identity Crisis” offers a profound exploration into the ontological complexities of selfhood and personal narrative. Presented by Ethereal Reflections.
Whether skateboarding or working with clay, James Alby is into routinely pushing against physical limitations. Only recently has he gotten his hands in the mess of working with clay, and his ceramics exhibit this chaotic, impulsive velocity.
—Morgan Ritter, Thinking Through Mud
photo by James Noah Smith
