a meditation on the celestial sublime

By Debra Chronister

April 2 - May 31, 2026

“To Wonder at the Moon: A Meditation on the Celestial Sublime” invites viewers into the ancient act of looking up. Moonrise, the quiet turning or lunar phases, moon-glades trembling across water — these are not distant phenomena but intimate exchanges. Earth and moon exist in gravitational devotion, each shaping the other’s tides, tilt, and temporal rhythms. Without that steady pull, our planet — and our bodies — would be profoundly different.

Chronister joins the countless poets and mystics from many millennia past to celebrate the myths, music, and magic of the moon, as well as its spectacular beauty. The moon has been compass, calendar, deity, and muse. Only recently have we bequn to speak of it as territory — as “resource”. This exhibition gently resists that impulse.

Instead, it honors the moon as presence rather than possession, as inspiration rather than instrument. The moon is not merely an object in our sky; it is a mirror. In its reflected light. We encounter our own cycles, fragility, and luminous becoming.

The works in this exhibition are ceramic – one of the most enduring art forms, as evidenced by ancient collections preserved across cultures. Each piece is hand-formed, its unique lunar surface shaped individually, echoing the forces that formed the moon itself. Glazing, gilding, opalescent finishes, and the occasional Swarovski crystal bring light and vitality to every work. Each Moon, including those with 22K gold metallic lusters, is created to shine indoors or outdoors for generations to come

Artist Statement

“I don’t create art about nature — I collaborate with it. My work grows the way ecosystems and planets do: layered, cyclical, unruly, and deeply interconnected. What emerges are visual poems rooted in the wild intelligence of flora, fauna, orbits, weather, decay, and rebirth. My work does not describe the natural world; I work primarily in clay because clay behaves like the Earth itself — responsive, stubborn, rythmic, and ultimately transformative. The spin of the wheel, the pull of gravity, the alchemy of fire: these are not metaphors. They are partnerships. The rhythms of my hands echo the rhythms of the planets. My work is about interdependence. About community. About our shared culture. It’s about remembering that we belong to the same system we try so hard to stand outside of.”

— Debra Chonister