Words and Work of Anne Thiam ’90 Featured in New NMH Gallery Exhibit

Coun·ter·vail verb: “offset the effect of (something) by countering it with something of equal force.”

Like all things in nature, life has its ebbs and flows. How one responds to these changing tides is influenced by both personal experiences and our place in the world around us. This delicate interplay is the subject of a new exhibit on display in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center, opening Dec. 4. “Countervail” features the work of ceramic artist and Northfield Mount Hermon alumna Anne Thiam ’90, P’19, ’24. The exhibit runs through Jan. 24, 2025, with an opening reception on Dec. 6 from 6:30 to 8 pm.

The show melds music, poetry, and visual art to create an immersive space where one medium feeds off and into the other. It features contributions from Thiam's eldest son, Mouhammed "Mmeds" Thiam, who created the sound gallery for the exhibit. Seeking to “reach the viewer beyond the aesthetic” and “inspire others not to simply speak words of equity but to act with humanity and purpose,” Thiam utilizes the gallery space to echo the transformative power of art.

“As a ceramic artist, I am intrigued by how our environment affects how we thrive or struggle,” Thiam said. “My work uses texture and form to reflect on this concept.”

The pieces on display represent personal turning points and revelations throughout Thiam’s artistic career, inspired by place, her passion for social justice, and her intrinsic motivations. Thiam works primarily with soft slab clay, using a blend of commercial glazes and oxides along with her own handcrafted stamps and rollers.

“Whether someone spends five minutes or five hours with [Anne’s] work, I think that they’ll be nourished in a really poignant way by how much of herself she invests into the process,” said NMH Gallery Coordinator Jamie Rourke.

“It's like she’s giving everyone this raw material to synthesize and evolve their ideas around in the space, almost like an incubator,” Rourke said. “She’s planting seeds, or maybe scattering fossils.”

The origins of Thiam’s interest in ceramics lie in her time as a student at NMH, where she took classes under then-ceramics teacher Atta Kurzmann, who now teaches ethics and serves as an academic coach at NMH. Kurzmann became a dear friend and mentor, Thiam said, inspiring her to pursue a fine arts degree in college, where she studied ceramics, printmaking, and art history.

“Atta is one of those spirits who just touches you and really held space for her students to explore,” Thiam said. Working with Kurzmann in the ceramics studio as part of her workjob assignment also offered Thiam a holistic understanding of the ceramics sculpting process, from hand to kiln to clean-up.

Kurzmann said that it's been an honor to watch Thiam's style and technical mastery develop since her time at NMH and to have maintained a close friendship with the artist throughout her professional career.

"Anne was my star student during my first year of teaching ceramics at NMH, and I could tell from the start that she had a special gift with clay," Kurzmann said. "What a momentous experience for me, as a teacher, to have such a long history with my student, and to become lifelong friends and fellow lovers of clay and the arts. Anne continues to impact the NMH community with her artistry, warmth, and many talents."

In addition to her personal artistic output, Thiam serves as the board chair for the Essex Art Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts, which focuses on supporting underrepresented artists through gallery exhibits, educational opportunities, and patronage of working and aspiring artists.

Thiam’s connection to NMH has remained strong through the years. Two of her children, Aissatou ’19 and Tidiane ’24, are alumni, and she served as chair of the NMH Family Council from 2022-2024. She is also a frequent visitor to campus, delighting in the exhibitions held in The Gallery.

“The uniqueness of this community is that it holds space to be multiple things,” Thiam said. “You don’t get pigeonholed into ‘the athlete’ or ‘the artist.’ You can do both, which doesn’t happen much anymore because students are so specialized.”

Current ceramics students are taking advantage of that unique opportunity NMH affords. Wyatt Amos ’25 had never worked in clay prior to this semester, but dove headfirst into ceramics this year.

Like Thiam’s, Amos’ studio work has been shaped by the guidance of NMH arts faculty members like ceramics teacher Mona Seno, as well as his interest in social activism. Being able to see the work of artists like Thiam on campus is an invaluable part of the NMH experience, Amos said.

“That is like the cream of the crop,” he explained. “Even if you don’t think of yourself as an artistic person, meeting people that create these things, having that firsthand view, I feel like that itself sparks something in you.”

“I always love seeing the new exhibits – especially those involving sculpture or ceramics,” agreed Julia Consentino ’26, who’s currently taking Seno’s Ceramics II class. Such exhibits allow her to study different techniques and offer a window into the evolution of the artists’ creative processes.

“With clay, it matters what the texture is, the space and negative space that it takes up, and how the different sections come together to form the full cohesive piece,” Consentino said. “It requires you to use your heart to create something special and unique, use your hands to sculpt and form your vision into a reality, and use your knowledge and creativity to problem-solve along the way.”

Rourke hopes that students see Thiam’s passion and work as an example of where their time at NMH can lead them not only in art, but in life.

“I think that her artwork, her life, her commitment to her family and the NMH community and, really, the human community is evident in everything that she does,” Rourke said. “She’s using her gifts to create not only artwork but opportunities for other people. When we talk about the ‘head, heart, and hand,’ I think that’s what we’re trying to help the students find.”

“Countervail: The Words and Work of Anne Thiam” opens Wednesday, Dec. 4, in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center. An opening reception featuring the artist will be held Friday, Dec. 6, from 6:30 to 8 pm at The Gallery.

Off-campus visitors are welcome to attend the Gallery reception and can email jrourke@nmhschool.org to arrange a visit during gallery hours.