STILL HERE
Stephen Procter Studios
An Exhibition with Lowell Hutcheson, Alex Bernius, and Kailey Mattus
November 5-8 and November 11-22, 2026
Artist Reception
Friday, November 6, 5-7pm
What does it mean to be still here?
It’s a question I find myself returning to in the studio—not only through the vessels I make, but through the people, materials, and traditions that shape the work. As I move further into my seventies, I’ve become increasingly aware of how much of our practice is about inheritance: what we learn, what we preserve, and what we leave behind.
My upcoming exhibition, Still Here, brings my work into conversation with three artists connected to my studio: Lowell Hutcheson, Alex Bernius, and Kailey Mattus. Together, our work explores the enduring language of clay, the persistence of craft, and the ways each generation carries something forward while making it distinctly its own.
Lowell Hutcheson creates wheel-thrown vessels using raw clay and slips gathered from the shores of Lake Ontario near her home. Her surfaces reveal the marks of time—cracking, pitting, and subtle variations that emerge through layers of locally sourced materials. There is a remarkable balance in her work between reverence for historic pottery traditions and an awareness of the ecological uncertainties shaping our present.
Alex Bernius first discovered his affinity for clay at the age of nine. During two semesters working in my studio while attending Landmark College, he began exploring larger forms and possibilities he had not previously imagined. Now studying Art & Design at Alfred University, with a minor in Education, Alex brings a thoughtful sculptural sensibility to the functional vessels in this exhibition. I’m delighted to see how his practice continues to develop.
My recent abstract vessel sculptures have grown out of a collaboration with my studio assistant, Kailey Mattus. Bringing her background as a painter to the process, Kailey approaches handbuilding with an intuitive eye and an adventurous spirit. Together, we explore the relationship between texture, volume, and gesture, creating forms that speak to endurance in the face of adversity and the passage of time.
Throughout my work, I return to questions of presence. A vessel is a physical object, certainly, but it can also seem to possess a life of its own—evoking memory, feeling, and a particular kind of quietude. The classically inspired pieces in Still Here invite us to pause and consider our own experiences of change, resilience, and continuity.
For me, this exhibition is as much about the future as it is about the past. It reflects the transmission of knowledge, the persistence of materials, and the remarkable ability of forms to remain meaningful across generations. Each of us inherits something, transforms it through our own experience, and leaves something for those who follow.
I hope you’ll join us in Brattleboro to experience these works together.
~ Stephen Procter
“From Lowell’s richly surfaced vessels made with locally gathered materials, to Alex’s evolving sculptural approach to functional pottery, to the abstract vessel forms Kailey and I have developed together, this exhibition explores the many ways clay holds memory, expresses change, and endures through time.”
Mitchell•Giddings Fine Arts offers contemporary art in a variety of media, featuring emerging and established artists.
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