ART | Wayne Higby 

World-renowned ceramist Wayne Higby's work references imagery of vast canyons, time-scarred rock cliffs, and meandering, sparkling bodies of water. "I strive to establish a zone of quiet coherence; a place full of silent, empty space where finite and infinite, intimate and immense intersect," he says.

The first retrospective of Higby's work will open this week at Memorial Art Gallery (500 University Avenue), featuring 55 ceramic pieces created between 1967 through 2012. Also included in the show are his studies for the largest hand-cut porcelain architectural installation in the world: the monumental Earth Cloud wall sculpture at Alfred University's Miller Performing Arts Complex.

A free reception for gallery members will be held Saturday, January 24, 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The exhibition will be open to the general public Sunday, January 25, through Sunday, March 29. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is $5-$12 (free to members and children age 5 and under). For more information, call 276-8900 or visit mag.rochester.edu.