Allens Lane Art Center this month opens “Attracted Opposites,” a group exhibition featuring the art of husband-and-wife ceramic artists Jimmy Clark and Angela Klaerner Clark, whose decades-long practices explore the rich possibilities of clay through very different, yet complementary, approaches.

Jimmy Clark approaches clay as a conversation between the maker, the material and fire. Working primarily by hand, he pinches each piece from a single lump of clay. His inspiration reaches back to ancient pottery traditions, particularly the ceramics of pre-Columbian Latin America, as well as China, Egypt and Greece. Terra sigillata (a refined clay) and unpredictable pit and sawdust firings give his surfaces a distinctive character, with smoke and fire leaving their own marks on the finished work.

Angela Klaerner Clark’s journey with clay has taken a different but equally expansive path. Beginning by making functional stoneware in East Germany, she later moved into conceptual and site-specific installations, including collaborative projects with Jimmy in historic and abandoned churches. Her work with porcelain grew from a fascination with the material, leading to sculptural and wall-based installations. Today, she is returning to more classical and utilitarian forms, reconnecting with the functional pottery of her early career.

“Attracted Opposites” offers a look at two ceramic artists whose lives and creative practices have developed alongside one another, while maintaining distinctly individual voices.

The exhibition runs until Dec. 12. Allens Lane Art Center is located at 601 W. Allens Lane in Mt. Airy.