Co.Lab Gallery presents,

EARTH TONES

GEORGIA WILKINS

June 19 - July 9, 2026 

Art Opening June 19, 7-10pm

This exhibition of ceramic vessels is my quiet reflection on the materials and memories embedded in functional clay objects. Each piece was wheel-thrown with a combination of locally gathered materials and commercially sourced porcelain and stoneware. Embedded into the pieces are, for example, sand and pink granite from Lake Superior shores, clay from the banks and bed of the Wolf River, and ash from a friend’s sauna. Each piece is uniquely marked by flame, atmosphere, and the essence of the materials I collected during hikes, camping trips, swims, and saunas. All of the works were fired  unglazed in a soda kiln at Medalta, in Canada’s historic clay district in Medicine Hat, AB, where I was an artist in residence during March and April of 2026.

The work represents my contemplation on the dichotomy of uniting “wild” and commercial materials. The difference between the clay or sand that I gather in my hands and the clay or sand excavated by a machine lies not in the essence of the materials but rather in the care and intention behind the extraction method, as well as in the ongoing reciprocity and reverence, or lack thereof, between gatherer and gathered. Even at a small scale, the materials I gather require processing. I sieve sand and sometimes fire it to a low temperature to remove organic materials that would otherwise burn out as the kiln ascends to peak temperature. I dry my clays, then sieve them through a fine mesh to create a brushable slip. I crush and sieve granite, wash and sieve ash. Even the word “material” fails to honour the reverence that each particle of sand or clay deserves.

By showing functional objects, I invite you to reflect on how you relate to the materials used to craft the objects you use in your daily life and consider how art, craft, aesthetics and utility converge.

Georgia Wilkins is an emerging ceramic artist from Thunder Bay. She holds a BA in Indigenous Studies from the University of British Columbia and a diploma in Ceramics from the Kootenay School of the Arts. She is a guest on Robinson-Superior Treaty territories and is of mixed settler and Cree heritage.