Brie Ruais’s Lovable, Feel-Good Wrecks

Here’s what you need to know to talk about Brie Ruais’s “Affirmation Pot: Bet You Can Series” (2014):

1.  An exceptionally powerful sculptor, Brie Ruais uses the weight and appendages of her own body to manipulate masses of clay in a physically strenuous process.

2. Over the past year, the artist has become as hot a commodity as the clay in her kiln, building on a chain of successes—a booth at the ADAA fair, a place in the acclaimed “Come Together: Surviving Sandy Year 1” show—to emerge as a darling of collectors.

3. Ceramics have become one of the most exciting mediums in contemporary sculpture, with artists as diverse as Liz Craft, Sterling Ruby, Arlene Shechet, and Shio Kusaka gaining critical and commercial followings for their work.

4. These unique pieces, called “Affirmation Pots,” consist of misshapen vessels that the artist emblazons with a uplifting message of inspiration: “Bet you can.”