Mas y Mas is supported in part by the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures through a grant from

About the Exhibition

Mas y Mas by Kimberly LaVonne is a vibrant celebration of heritage, memory, and identity. Drawing from her Panamanian roots and childhood in Ciudad del Saber, LaVonne crafts hand-built ceramic forms inspired by Pre-Columbian Coclé pottery. Through intricate sgraffito carvings, she layers imagery of Molas, folklore, and personal memories, infusing each piece with the lively spirit of Panama’s culture and environment. Bold patterns, rich symbolism, and a striking palette reflect her ongoing journey to stay connected to her heritage while addressing themes of activism and belonging.

Artist Statement

This body of work celebrates my Panamanian heritage and encapsulates the memories from my childhood living on Ft. Clayton, now Ciudad del Saber, and the desire to stay connected to this part of myself today. Growing up in the Midwest with my mother living in Panama, it was and continues to be a struggle to feel a part of this community. Through this work I am able to honor and identify with my Panamanian background.

The forms are inspired by Pre-Columbian Coclé pottery, with soft rounded handles and voluminous bodies. I hand build the forms using coil and slab techniques, a repetitive and meditative process of manipulating the clay to create the desired shape. They act as canvases for layers of drawings and patterns that I carve into the surface through a technique called sgraffito. This process involves creating a collection of drawings that I can pick and choose from depending on the form. Each chosen image is then carefully drawn on tracing paper and retraced with a stylus onto the leather hard clay, creating a light guide to assist in completing the final carvings. The palette is simple, allowing the graphic quality of the linework to pop against the black surface while pinks, greens and yellows reference the vibrancy found in the architecture and the tropical environment of Panama. Patterns and motifs within the work reference Molas, a textile art created by the Guna, an indigenous group in Panama and traditional Panamanian pottery.

A newer facet to my work touches on the environment and activism. In the fall of 2023, I watched through social media as thousands of Panamanians marched against the largest open-pit copper mine in Latin America. Banners stating Panama Te Quiero Verde (Panama I love you green) and Panama Vale Mas sin Mineria (Panama is worth more without mining) peaked through crowded streets, from the major cities, the countryside and the sea. 

Other imagery harkens to my childhood in Ciudad del Saber, I remember seeing the “Diablico Sucio,” or “Dirty Devils” in a parade as a child in Santiago, so striking with their colorful, ornate masks and their black and red striped outfits. These masks as well as tigers, papayas, flowers, portraits of myself, and family are pulled together in elaborate compositions on my ceramic forms. This work feels light, and celebratory, with pops of color and busy loud patterns similar to the graffitied public transit buses known as “Diablo Rojo” in Panama. These buses, full of travelers and booming reggaetón music, capture the frenetic and vibrant energy of contemporary life in the city, which composes the backdrop of my work. The forms and the drawings carved into them are my way of creating a language that speaks to my desire to stay connected to a part of myself and a community that has often felt very far away.

Kimberly LaVonne

Kimberly LaVonne (b. 1988) is a ceramic artist who hand-builds forms adorned with graphic illustrations depicting parts of her Panamanian heritage, ideas about the body, death and remembrance. Her works have been on exhibit both nationally and internationally. Some of these venues include Buckham Gallery, Flint, MI; Oliva Gallery, Chicago, IL; the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX; Kiosk Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Stamp Gallery, University of Maryland and the Kápolna Galéria, Kecskemét, Hungary. She has completed two artist residencies at the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary, as well as a residency with the Charlotte Street Studio Foundation in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2016 she presented her work and research at the Death, Art and Anatomy conference at the University of Winchester, UK. 

LaVonne’s work has also been published in American Craft (Summer 2023) and Pottery Making Illustrated (Sept./Oct. 2023). Ceramics Monthly lauded her as one of their 2020 Emerging Artists of note. In 2021, she was included in the American Craft Council’s Emerging Artists Cohort program. She was awarded the 2023 Gilda Snowden Emerging Artist Award in Visual Arts through Kresge Arts in Detroit. Recently, she was awarded a NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant through the National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures. She currently lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.

Opening Reception

Friday, February 7th 6-8 pm

Ann Arbor Art Center
117 W. Liberty St., Ann Arbor

Join us for the opening reception of Kimberly LaVonne’s show in the Spotlight Gallery on the 2nd floor of the A2AC.

Free