The work of artists and partners Gary Smith and David Ligare make an impressive show.

There is no better place to admire clay sculptures by ceramicist Gary Smith than in the renovated and reopened Hartnell College Art Gallery, where he served as director for five decades, in addition to his role as ceramics professor. To make the occasion all the more special, Smith is showing his works next to those of his partner of 50 years – painter, drawing artist and fellow sculptor, David Ligare.

Titled Order and Chaos, the show combines Smith’s milky ceramics with the beige of Ligare’s sand drawings done back in the 1970s. It is their first show together.

“Those are all made by hand,” explains Marshall Sharpe, who recently replaced Smith as the Hartnell art gallery director. “They’re lays, earthenware, and they’re constructed geometric forms you can rearrange into different patterns, creating chaos or creating words, depending on the moment.”

Ligare’s drawing can be first taken for massive photographs. In fact, they are hand drawings in pencil on canvas and paper, extremely time-consuming – and world famous. The idea came to him on the beach; he started dragging his hands through the sand, making marks. He then took photographs of these marks and decided he wanted to create some massive drawings. Pieces from this series are hanging in such places as The Smithsonian Museum of Art in Washington, D.C, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

So who is “chaos” and who is “order”?

“We are both a bit of each,” Smith says. “With his sand drawing, David created an order from the chaos. I did the opposite.” He points out the little imperfections in clay that became part of the artistic process.

Smith has been teaching ceramics and art history at Hartnell College for over 35 years. In 2025, he was recognized by Hartnell with an established service in the arts award. He has served on the boards of both the Monterey Museum of Art and the Arts Council for Monterey County. He says he couldn’t be happier to see the gallery in safe hands.

“It’s so nice to have someone here and just set off to the sunset,” Smith says, celebrating at the opening on Sept. 10, just a few days before he and Ligare leave for an annual visit to Tuscany.

Order and Chaos with works by David Ligare and Gary Smith is now on display at Hartnell College Art Gallery, Room J109, J-Visual Arts Building, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. Free. The exhibition runs through Oct. 8. bit.ly/hc-gallery.