Ceramics and photography exhibit featured at Whitefish Pottery

Whitefish Pottery and Stillwater Gallery present Beyond the Surface, an exhibition of work from a ceramic artist Megan Sprenger and wildlife photographer Shane Conner. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 6, in conjunction with Whitefish’s First Thursday Gallery Night.

Sprenger graduated with her Master of Fine Arts degree from Montana State University in Bozeman, with a concentration in ceramics, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Duluth University in Minnesota in 2016. Her work is a manifestation of her love for travel combined with the history of ceramics and the progression of sciences.

“My work revolves around experiences that I have had based on time, space and place,” Sprenger said. “All of which are a reflection of time spent in other countries for study abroad trips, and my change from a small, never changing hometown in Wisconsin, to my adventures moving to further developing cities. I find the development of oneself as a mirrored development to that of a city. Ever-changing, growing and morphing into something new.”

Conner is an up-and-coming wildlife photographer from Whitefish. In 2005 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University. Conner is a carpenter by trade and enjoys being able to work with his hands. When he is not working, he can be found hiking and exploring the valley, where he discovered his love for photographing Montana’s wildlife.

“After graduating, I worked as a wildlife technician on studies in Montana and Antarctica,” Conner said. “The experience I gained on these projects helped me develop my passion to try and better understand why animals do what they do.”