Open Wound (9mm), Ceramic vessel shot with 9mm handgun at 15 yards, 14” x 14” x 16, 2025 in collaboration with David Camden
My father and I after our first successful "ballistic transformation".
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Open Wound ProjectCall for Ceramic Artist CollaboratorsI am seeking ceramic artists and potters interested in collaborating on an expansion of my Open Wound Project.
The Open Wound Project is part of my larger Trigger Warning body of work, which explores the complicated intersections of firearms, faith, American identity, and systems of belief. Growing up as the son of a police officer, I have a personal history with guns, but I do not own one myself. My work does not seek to resolve the contradictions surrounding firearms, religion, patriotism, and ideas of protection and freedom. Instead, I use familiar objects and symbols to sit with those contradictions and examine how they shape our individual and collective identities. The original Open Wound sculptures began with ceramic vessels made from wet clay by friend and collaborator, David Camden. I took the vessels to a shooting range with my father, and we shot them while the clay was still wet. Rather than allowing the vessels to simply shatter, the process captured the moment of impact in the clay itself. The resulting forms became physical records of violence, vulnerability, transformation, and the forces that mark us. (continued below) For this next iteration, I want to expand the project into a large-scale collaborative installation composed of a large group of ceramic vessels arranged together in the corner of a gallery. Each vessel will begin as an individual artist's work, then become part of a larger collective piece through the shooting process. |
CreateCeramic artists create a greenware vessel(s) at least 12inches tall using low-fire clay. Please keep the piece wet, wrapped in plastic and on the bat for pickup between Nov. 18-20.
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ShootI will transport and shoot the vessels in Cumberland County on Nov. 21st. This process will be documented in photographs and video.
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ExhibitAfter firing, the works will be displayed as part of an installation piece featuring a large group of transformed pieces group in the corner of the gallery. Collaborating artists will be credited by name on the exhibition wall label for the installation piece.
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PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
I am looking for ceramic artists who would like to contribute one or more unglazed greenware ceramic vessels to the project.
The forms can be simple or elaborate, functional or sculptural. I am interested in seeing the variety that emerges when different ceramic artists who contribute their own approaches to vessel-making.
The most important requirement is that the clay remain sufficiently wet and resilient for the shooting process. Please do not fire the vessels.
PICKUP & SHOOTING
I will pick up the completed vessels between:
The shooting event will take place on:
THE EXHIBITION
The completed installation will be exhibited as part of my Trigger Warning solo exhibition at:
The individual vessels will not be presented as separate artworks. Instead, they will become elements of a larger installation—a collective group of work marked by shooting.
Each participating artist will be credited by name on the exhibition wall label as a collaborating artist.
The project is intentionally collaborative: dozens of individual decisions about form, scale, surface, and material will come together to create the final installation. The uniqueness of the vessels will remain visible, even after they have all been subjected to the same transformative process. For me, that tension is central to the Open Wound Project. Each vessel begins as a distinct object made by an individual artist. The shooting introduces a shared event, but the resulting wounds are never identical. The installation becomes a meditation on how individual histories, beliefs, and experiences can be marked by forces larger than ourselves.
INTERESTED?
If you are interested in participating, please contact me at:
Please let me know that you are interested and approximately how many vessels you would like to contribute so I can coordinate the project and pickup schedule.
Thank you for considering becoming part of Open Wound Project.
Jeffrey Deane Hall
Artist
www.JeffreyDeaneHall.com
I am looking for ceramic artists who would like to contribute one or more unglazed greenware ceramic vessels to the project.
- Vessels should be at least 12 inches tall.
- Clay should be low-fire clay 05/06.
- Please provide the vessels as greenware that is still wet enough to withstand the shooting process.
- The vessels must be kept completely covered in plastic and moist until I pick them up.
- Each vessel should remain on a pottery bat for transportation.
- Please label the bat clearly with your name so I can keep track of each contributing artist and return the bat.
- I will be firing the pieces.
- You are encouraged to sign the piece(s) near the foot of the vessel.
The forms can be simple or elaborate, functional or sculptural. I am interested in seeing the variety that emerges when different ceramic artists who contribute their own approaches to vessel-making.
The most important requirement is that the clay remain sufficiently wet and resilient for the shooting process. Please do not fire the vessels.
PICKUP & SHOOTING
I will pick up the completed vessels between:
- November 18–20, 2026
- at collaborating artists' convenience
The shooting event will take place on:
- November 21, 2026
- Cumberland County, Virginia
- Participating artists are welcome to attend the shooting and see the process firsthand, but attendance is completely optional. I will handle the shooting and preparation of the vessels for exhibition. I will provide the specific address for those interested in attending.
THE EXHIBITION
The completed installation will be exhibited as part of my Trigger Warning solo exhibition at:
- The Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen
- Gumenick Gallery
- January 4 – March 1, 2027
The individual vessels will not be presented as separate artworks. Instead, they will become elements of a larger installation—a collective group of work marked by shooting.
Each participating artist will be credited by name on the exhibition wall label as a collaborating artist.
The project is intentionally collaborative: dozens of individual decisions about form, scale, surface, and material will come together to create the final installation. The uniqueness of the vessels will remain visible, even after they have all been subjected to the same transformative process. For me, that tension is central to the Open Wound Project. Each vessel begins as a distinct object made by an individual artist. The shooting introduces a shared event, but the resulting wounds are never identical. The installation becomes a meditation on how individual histories, beliefs, and experiences can be marked by forces larger than ourselves.
INTERESTED?
If you are interested in participating, please contact me at:
- [email protected] or
- 804-873-2123
Please let me know that you are interested and approximately how many vessels you would like to contribute so I can coordinate the project and pickup schedule.
Thank you for considering becoming part of Open Wound Project.
Jeffrey Deane Hall
Artist
www.JeffreyDeaneHall.com