The reception of Professor Margaret Yost’s art show took place on Nov. 8 in the Choate House Art Gallery. The show is titled “The Evolution of Margaret Yost: 30 Years in the Making” and is presented by Pace’s media communications and visual arts department.
Yost has been a ceramics professor at Pace University for 29 years. She originally graduated from Pace with a B.S. in Art, and received her MFA at Hunter College in New York City. She teaches classes on the Pleasantville Campus in the Ceramics Studio, also commonly referred to as the “Art Barn,” which is located across from the Goldstein Academic Center.
While studying at Pace, Yost was originally planning on becoming an art therapist. When she decided to try taking a ceramics course, she found her calling.
“I’ve been very fortunate doing something for 30 years that I really love,” Yost said. “Not many people can say that.”
One of the professors that Yost took while she was studying at Pace was Professor John Mulgrew. Mulgrew taught in the fine arts department and recently retired earlier this year after working at Pace for 45 years. Yost described how Mulgrew taught her and pushed her to become the artist that she is today.
The reception for Yost’s art show began at 4:30 p.m. in the Choate House gallery, despite the snowy opposition of the Nor’easter storm.
Yost described how each of her pieces stood for different themes, and not only how she shaped them, but how they shaped her. When asked which her favorite was, Yost simply replied that they all were.
“Some of these pieces made themselves,” Yost said. “Others took a lot more time to create. By being a clay artist, you really end up giving a lot of yourself to your work. You want everyone else to love clay as much as you do.”
There are a total of 48 various pottery pieces in the exhibit. Only five of them had ever been viewed by the public previously. The rest were all from Yost’s private collection. Among the collection were two of the first slab pieces that Yost had ever worked on.
“Look at how rough they are,” Yost said, referring to her early work. “I put them out here to show how one progresses and improves over time. That’s why the show is called ‘The Evolution of Margaret Yost.’”
A video highlighting Yost’s work was playing throughout the reception, and was created and edited by Yost’s granddaughter.
“My work helps me with focusing, centering, and finding so much about myself,” Yost said. “Even now, there’s so much more that I have to learn.”
The exhibit will remain in the Choate House Art Gallery until Nov. 30. To see it, please visit on Mon., Tues., Weds., and Sat. between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. or on Fri. between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. The exhibition is free to the public.
For more information about upcoming shows or how to become involved with future events, please contact Yvette Jones at yjones@pace.edu.