Filled with ‘Half-Pots,’ Adam Ledford’s Life-Size Room Drawings Reflect Timeless Routines
Detail of “Don’t Worry About the Government.” All images courtesy of Adam Ledford, shared with permission
Filled with ‘Half-Pots,’ Adam Ledford’s Life-Size Room Drawings Reflect Timeless Routines
April 1, 2025
Art
Kate Mothes
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In Harold and the Purple Crayon, the young protagonist composes a fantasy reality using the deceptively simple power of line. Harold manifests numerous adventures with a single writing instrument, drawing himself into ever more exciting capers. For artist Adam Ledford, Crockett Johnson’s iconic 1955 children’s book provides one reference point for his approach to large-scale installations.
Ledford dots life-size line drawings of domestic spaces with “half pots,” or reliefs of ceramic vessels, which reflect how everyday objects represent individuals’ values, experiences, and projection of identity. Canisters of coffee or cleaning solutions detail vintage packaging design, while other items like cooking utensils or decorative objects highlight personal taste and daily routines.
Detail of “Don’t Worry About the Government”
“I am the person visiting your house, who is eyeing up all the tchotchkes, asking about your tea kettle, and picking up and looking at the bottom of your tableware,” Ledford tells Colossal. He credits his love for pottery for providing the lens through which he also learned America’s historical timeline, describing how “the objects help set a mental stage for the abstract process of thinking about the past.”
In Ledford’s expansive installations, which range from multiple walls to single architectural features, black-and-white outlines represent kitchen cabinets, countertops, or fireplaces—locations where containers and vessels are collected, stored, or displayed. “Theater,” for example, is a replica of his own kitchen. The artist says, “The drawn environments are a stage setting for the objects to play and star.”
Ledford’s work is currently on view in Dinner Table, on view through May 29 at The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. You might also enjoy the hand-drawn installations of Anastasia Parmson and Shantell Martin.
“Theater”
Detail of “Theater”
Detail of “Theater”
“Don’t Worry About the Government”
Detail of “Don’t Worry About the Government”
“A Room with a View”
Detail of “A Room with a View”
Detail of “Don’t Worry About the Government”
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