Mathew McConnell: These Things Take Time

February 6 - May 2, 2026

at Belger Crane Yard Studios
2011 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64108

Opening Reception: First Friday, February 6, from 6PM to 8PM

Belger Arts is pleased to present a survey exhibition of works by Mathew McConnell, bringing together a selection of ceramic objects produced over fifteen years of sustained inquiry into creative appropriation and artistic influence. Spanning the years 2010 to 2025, this exhibition unites pieces from multiple bodies of work that share the usage of dark (often charcoal-black), light-absorbing surfaces.

The exhibition includes works from significant moments in McConnell's career: early raku-fired pieces produced while living in New Zealand; works from his widely praised installations from the mid-2010s that cemented his signature approach to mold-making and surface development; and recent explorations produced during his 2024 residency at Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City. Despite their varied origins, these works are united by their insistence on a particular aesthetic—the negative, the substitute, the object that both reveals and withholds.

This exhibition is in partnership with Handwork: Celebrating American Craft 2026,* a nationwide Semiquincentennial initiative to showcase the importance of the handmade
throughout our history and in contemporary life.

*Belger Arts is proud to participate in Handwork 2026, a year-long initiative that includes over 250 museums, art centers, organizations, educators, and makers to celebrate the diversity of the crafts that define America, bringing compelling stories and underrepresented art and artists into the spotlight. As a member of the initiative, Belger Arts is celebrating handwork through a variety of programs that provide visitors a chance to discover and experience craft.

These programs include the following exhibitions: