Clever. Mischievous. Seductive. Defiant. For over three decades, Kathy Butterly has captivated viewers with her experimental and expressive ceramic sculptures. Her signature small-scale porcelain and earthenware works spring to life with an outsize range of moods expertly expressed in a wide array of textures, colors, and techniques.

Every detail of a Butterly sculpture, from pools of orange glaze to pearlescent beads of clay, is an essential part of its composition. Kathy Butterly: assume yes, a major retrospective exhibition of Butterly’s work, debuts at the Tang in 2026 as part of the museum’s 25th anniversary program.

Accompanied by the publication of a major monograph, the exhibition will feature approximately fifty artworks spanning over thirty years, from early sculptures dating to 1994 to a selection of brand-new work on view for the first time.

(Kathy Butterly: assume yes is organized by Dayton Director Ian Berry)