The premise of Richmond's first National Ceramic Invitational, curated by Jason Hackett, regards clay as a material where skills are acquired and mastered over extended, focused time. Hackett recognizes the demise of the traditional clay apprenticeship in Western culture, and argues the 21st century’s version of an apprenticeship resides within academia. This exhibition honors six ceramic artists and educators: Blair Clemo, Sin-Ying Ho, Matthew McConnell, Adam Shiverdecker, Linda Sikora and Stan Welsh.