The Weil Gallery at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi opens its doors Thursday evening to Residue, a striking MFA thesis exhibition by Ian Manseau — sculptor, photographer, and Air Force veteran — that turns the toxic legacy of military burn pit exposure into a powerful act of witness and remembrance.
The opening reception takes place Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. in the Weil Gallery on the first floor of the Center for the Arts. The exhibition runs through March 30, 2026.
800 Vessels, One Formation
At the center of Residue stands a formation of 800 ceramic vessels — each one infused with donated military uniforms before being fired in a kiln. As the heat intensifies, the fabric burns away, leaving carbon permanently bonded to the clay’s surface. The resulting chemical reactions yield unpredictable glazes — stark whites, deep blacks, gunmetal and chrome tones — produced through reduction firing. No two surfaces are the same and every piece bears the marks of fire, smoke, and sacrifice.
The arrangement is deliberate. The formation mirrors the order and discipline of military structure, while each vessel quietly tells its own story of transformation through destruction.
From Kiln to Paper: A Full Cycle of Residue
The exhibition extends beyond ceramics. Charcoal collected after firing is flocked onto Combat Paper — handmade sheets crafted from recycled military uniforms by veteran artist Drew Cameron of combatpaper.org. The resulting prints layer the literal residue of fire over abstracted medical imagery referencing respiratory illness, cellular damage, and the fragile health uncertainty many veterans carry long after deployment…