Lore/Talk Story

LORE / TALK STORY
Beth Lo & Adrian Arleo 
June 7 - July 5, 2025

Opening Reception: June 14, 4 - 6 pm
Artist Talk: June 15, 12 pm

Lucy Lacoste Gallery is excited to announce our upcoming exhibition Lore/Talk Story June 7- July 5, 2025, with the iconic ceramic sculptors Beth Lo and Adrian Arleo, both from the state of Montana. Friends and colleagues for over 30 years, each artist draws from their own family history and narrative to express themselves through the art of figurative sculpture.

The title Lore/Talk Story came about with contributions from both artists. Lore refers to the collection of knowledge, traditions, and stories held by a specific society, culture, or universe, whether real or imagined. Talk-Story comes from a Chinese phrase Jiang gùshì relating to the act of storytelling, both factual and fictional narratives.

With this exhibition, Beth Lo, a long-time represented artist at Lucy Lacoste, marks her fifth show at the Gallery. Lo contributed “Talk Story” to the title in reference to a Chinese phrase Jiang gùshì, she heard from her immigrant parents regarding oral storytelling, both true and fictional. Growing up, Lo and her sister were enchanted by stories of fairies and gods from Chinese folklore, alongside spontaneous tales of Chinese American girls their age. They also cherished stories about their real-life families and ancestors in Japan, blending rich cultural heritage with imaginative adventures. See Ancestor Jar, Red and Inheritance Vase, Boy and Girl Resting and Going Home.

Lo’s sculpture celebrates family and evokes childhood experience of wonder and surprise. It hints at something beyond the mundane and expresses the dual nature she experienced growing up as a minority female in the United States as in Chinese American Takeout Tower. As the artist states “My art-making process, always related to a sense of art’s social responsibility, eventually led me to the more directly politicalAmerican Heroes series, which specifically critique the current administration policies.”

Profits from the sales of the 11 plates in Lo’s American Hero Series will be donated to the ACLU.

Lore/Talk Story is the first opportunity for Lucy Lacoste to show Adrian Arleo. Arleo’s sculpture combines human, animal and natural imagery to create emotional and poetic power. Her work suggests a vital interconnection between the human and non-human realms. As the artist states: “the work frequently references mythology and archetypes in addressing our vulnerability amid changing personal, environmental and political realities.” By focusing on primeval, more mysterious ways of perceiving the world, Arleo uncovers new dimensions of consciousness, where deeper levels of awareness emerge.

Most of the work in the show was created after the November 2024 presidential election, driven by a shared impulse in both artists to retreat and become small.
Lo’s dismay at the election results first took shape in the form of tiny, china-painted figures. Initially modest in scale, these figures began to assert a surprising presence once placed on voluminous, expansive pots. Their influence within the larger environment became clear. This is shown in the piece Ancestors Jar (Red Leaves),where the large jar’s lid is topped with detailed figures. Lo realized that small figures could carry significant weight—both visually, in shaping the composition, and conceptually, as a social commentary. “Small actions and telling our stories can make a difference, “she reflected. See Inheritance Vase and Small Inheritance Jar Black.

Arleo contributed the word Lore to the title which to her signifies a collection of knowledge, traditions and stories held by a specific culture or universe—whether real or imagined.

For Arleo, the impulse to “hide and be small” impulse manifested first with the three turtle pieces titled “Carapace I, II and III”. For the artist the self-protective nature of the turtle, with its ability to withdraw within itself under the shield of its shell, felt like an appropriate image for this moment in time. These three pieces have carved shells that reveal figures within them. Here the artist makes visible an interior experience of self that is usually unseen or hidden. The exterior “facade” implies one type of being, while the internal one, glimpsed in the see-through areas, reveal something entirely other, or unexpected.

Arleo’s Outcropping series of wall sculpture also speaks to the feeling of isolation and separation. The artist began this series during the pandemic, focusing on making the “outcroppings” look exceedingly precarious. Here the ledges have evolved into a sturdiness and density that looks supportive, yet still suggests isolation.

Other works included by Arleo have a very different tone, in contrast to the pieces mentioned above. “It feels important, even critical, to remember to keep some levity during difficult times.” The goat vases add that; they are comical, and beautiful, and the artist enjoys making them. “They feel like a balm when filled with flowers and they make me happy.”

Beth Lo received her MFA from the University of Montana under the celebrated Rudy Autio, whose chair she took over when he retired. Her work can be found in the numerous public collections including that of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston; the Mint Museum Charlotte NC; the Schein—Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred NY; the Tweed Museum, Duluth MN; and Microsoft Corporation, WA.

Adrian Arleo received her MFA in Ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design, Providence RI. Her work can be found at the World Ceramic Exposition Foundation, Icheon, Korea; Museum of Arts and Sciences, Macon, GA; Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, MT, among others.