Two current and one former Concordia student’s ceramic artwork are among the 56 pieces on display at the Concordia Continental Ceramics Competition exhibition at the Concordia Art Gallery. Open to any adult ceramic artist in North America, the show features work from 50 different artists, including submissions from Canada, Mexico and Hawaii.

Regarded as one of the premier international juried clay exhibitions in the country, the show includes sculptures from Concordia undergraduate Catherine Ries and post baccalaureate student Bri Ozanne. Lazare Rottach, a graduate of Concordia and current teacher at Normandale Community College, has multiple pieces in the show.

“The Concordia Continental Ceramics Competition has emerged as one of the great biennial shows of contemporary ceramics,” said Marco Fields, an artist in residence at Concordia and organizer of the show. “Certainly, there is nothing else like it in the upper Midwest, if not the entire Midwest. And now, with our improved gallery space, we have the ability to show a substantial number of works while maintaining a sense of visual openness, as well as playing host to substantial numbers of attendees at our openings.”

Elizabeth Keller’s piece titled Momiji took Best of Show honors, while Robert Lawarre placed second with Gulf Spring and Todd Shanafelt’s Deep Down took third. Three additional pieces earned honorable mention accolades.

A People’s Choice Award and Corporate Purchase Awards will be announced at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Ceramic works ranging from functional pottery to postmodernist sculpture are on display through Feb. 24.