Baltimore Clayworks is proud to present Conscientious Objectification, a solo exhibition by Lormina Salter Fellow, Kristyn Rohrer (they/she). Born into a Mennonite family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Rohrer explores the complexities of cultural inheritance, personal identity, and social critique through ceramic object.

Bringing abstract concepts into sculptural forms, Conscientious Objectification invites viewers to engage with the intersections of art, culture, and activism. Historically, Mennonites have been associated with conscientious objection due to their convictions of pacifism and nonviolence. Prior to the end of the US Military Selective Service Act in 1973, Mennonites and other Anabaptists participated in Civilian Public Service (CPS/1-W service), anti-war protests, civil disobedience, or at times were imprisoned rather than participate in US wars. Conscientious Objectification questions: What does it mean to be a conscientious objector in contemporary American society — not just in matters of war, but in systems of oppression and conformity? What does resistance look like amidst the rise of Christian nationalism in Trump’s America? What could it mean to be a modern Mennonite?

Conscientious Objectification interrogates the tensions between tradition and transformation, faith and queerness, and belonging and resistance. Drawing inspiration from Pennsylvania Dutch folk art and personal history, Rohrer tells the story of reclaiming and redefining their relationship to Mennonite culture and utilizing ceramic art as a tool for social commentary.