NEW YORK—The neat organization of sculptor Arlene Shechet’s basement studio in TriBeCa belies just how much is stored there. There are barrels of plaster, shelves of pigments, several desks and benches covered with tools and sketches, dozens of sculptures in progress, a kiln, paper vases and stupa-like glass sculptures, the artist’s Buddha statues (ranging in size from as large as a toddler to as small as a thumb), photographs of ancient water vessels and diagrams of ribosome spindles, gallons of paint and piles of clay, two tireless assistants, and an unaccountable assortment of random objects—all arranged with such order that the room feels sparse. Shechet’s special ability to sort such miscellany into a harmonious whole extends to her work as well. Her glazed ceramic sculptures—lumpy, sprouting shapes informed by a galaxy of references ranging from Buddhist iconography to volcanic rock—seem both guileless and disciplined.

One particularly cherished possession among all the supplies and inspiration is an old military “campaign stool” that Shechet found in the basement of a building where she previously had a studio. Excited by what she calls “the issue of the structure,” Shechet raves about the vintage seat’s brilliant construction and its pleasing mix of materials and colors: canvas and steel in faded khaki, pea green, and gunmetal gray. It is simple, sturdy, and even rather comfortable, but its apparent parsimony disguises a devious design. Made to be used in military operations, the stool is lightweight, collapsible, and easily carried. And though the construction appears unstable, the weight of a sitter’s body creates the tension that gives the stool its stability.

Shechet always keeps an eye out for stools and other sturdy objects, upon which she displays her sculptures in a Brancusian gesture that highlights not only the work but also the base upon which it sits. The campaign stool has such a clever structure, such a pleasing aesthetic, that one can view it as a sculpture itself. Or we just sit on it and turn it into a different sort of pedestal.

Shechet last showed at Chelsea’s Elizabeth Harris Gallery in the fall. She is now represented by Jack Shainman Gallery, and her next exhibition will be at Shoshana Wayne in Santa Monica, California, from February 16 to March 15, 2008.