Belger Crane Yard Gallery presents Common Thread opening Friday, February 4, 6 pm – 8 pm at 2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108. The exhibition will remain on view through May 7, 2022.  Common Thread brings together the work of five ceramic artists who are inspired by textiles and textile processes. The artists explore different ideas in their work, but each incorporate fibers or fiber techniques at some point in their artmaking process. Shae Bishop, based out of Bakersville, NC, has a studio practice that explores the relationships between ceramics and textiles. The connections between the medias’ cultural histories, pattern-making systems, and  interactions with the body led him to start a series of wearable garment sculptures made of  interlaced ceramic tiles. Jeremy Brooks is an artist based out of Conway, SC whose practice consists of crocheting, knitting and weaving elastic clay together. Brooks forms are inspired by traditional vessel making, mundane objects and the queer experience. April Felipe is based out of Albany, OH where she creates work comprised of the language of the childhood home; exploring the constructed nature of the past to reveal our desire for belonging. She explores these themes through collaged works mixing ceramics, fibers and wood. Anna Valenti, based out of Longmont, CO, leads a practice of weaving clay coils into vessels inspired by ancient Italian and Lithuainian techniques. Through weaving clay vessels, Valenti asks what connects us as humans and how we may foster empathy amongst us all. Casey Whittier is based out of Kansas City, MO whose practice is based around the systems of construction adopted from historical craft disciplines. Whittier links ceramic coils, beads and other forms together to create ceramic quilts, flowers and  other objects used in daily life.  Together this group of artists display a mastery of craft, a deep understanding of human connection, as well as a playful and experimental approach to clay materials and processes.