Maxwell Mustardo: Country Potter at Friedman Benda

Friedman Benda in Chelsea is launching CAPSULE, a new series of exhibitions devoted to emerging voices and to smaller bodies of work by established artists. The first installment is Country Potter, a presentation of new ceramic sculpture by Maxwell Mustardo. It runs for just three days, November 12 through 14, 2026, in the gallery's private exhibition space.

Mustardo makes sculptures with richly layered glazed surfaces and playful forms. His work draws on ideas of the body and on the history of the vessel, treating the traditional pot as a starting point for contemporary sculptural invention. The title, Country Potter, nods to that lineage of handmade, functional ceramics.

He trained in both studio practice and art history at Alfred University, long a leading name in American ceramics education. His honors include an Award of Excellence from the James Renwick Alliance and Ceramics Monthly's Emerging Artist program. His residencies span the Takaezu Studio, the Mendocino Art Center, the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Sonoma Community Center, the New Harmony Clay Project and the C.R.E.T.A. Rome International Center. The Takaezu Studio is associated with the Japanese American ceramist Toshiko Takaezu, a connection that may resonate with Japanese readers. Mustardo lives and works in Pittstown, New Jersey.

The gallery is at 515 West 26th Street, an easy stop on a Chelsea gallery route. With such a brief run and a deliberately compact selection, the show offers a focused look at an artist working at the meeting point of craft and sculpture.