“InCiteful Clay” was the third traveling exhibition I curated for Exhibits USA and the show toured for two years which was a remarkable feat for a ceramic exhibition. This was no doubt attributed to the outstanding crating and shipping skills of this highly skilled exhibiting organization.

The exhibition theme grew from the research generated from my book, Confrontational Ceramics ( 2008) which included work of over 200 international artists from 40 countries. The ideas for artists' visual representations of social justice took on new meaning after the book was published and since it was 5 years after touring Confrontational Clay, there was great interest in another incarnation. Also, Confrontational Clay generated a great deal of press particularly since the Catholic League banned the show. Each time it opened at a new location, it continued to receive controversy. In fact, when I arrived at the Flint museum, there had recently been a high school shooting and locals felt the show had too much reality and should not open. However, John Henry, the museum director, thoughtfully brought me to center stage to discuss what art and the artist's voice is all about. Cynthia Cosentino’s “Little Girls with Machine Guns” was the center of analysis and discussion and the lecture turned into a town hall meeting. The artists in this traveling exhibition created objects that spoke to the angst of the day and, in so doing shared an emphasis on narrative content, representation and figuration, and a desire to strengthen the relationship of art to society. The work was aggressive, disturbing, irreverent, sometimes humorous, and always passionate.