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Big news in our world today... Congrats to Garth Johnson! It's comforting to know The Clay Studio will be in good hands moving into the future. Garth's one of the best our community has, and I'm excited to see what he has in mind for Philadelphia. You might know Garth from his blog, Extreme Craft, or from his TED Talk on "Creative Reuse", or simply from his work.
The press release states, "In anticipation of its 40th anniversary in January 2014, The Clay Studio in Old City Philadelphia has announced the appointment of a new Curator of Artistic Programs, Garth Johnson. The well-respected studio artist, writer and educator, currently an associate professor at College of the Redwoods in Eureka, Calif., will oversee exhibitions, artist residency programs and artistic aspects of the new strategic plan starting in January 2014. As The Clay Studio lays the foundation for a capital campaign, Johnson will be a key player in establishing new community partnerships, bringing the organization’s mission to its diverse communities and making clay accessible to new constituents."
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting Kate Blacklock as a visiting artist. Kate gave two lectures, answered questions, gave critiques, and shared meals with our faculty and students. It was a fruitful visit—there's nothing quite like getting a fresh set of eyes on your work. Kate was an excellent critic, asking incisive questions and working hard to give her best to each and every student. The students were lucky to have her for a couple of days.
Over the summer, I was lucky to have spent some time with Ben Carter while visiting the Bray. He's a fantastic potter and a wonderful person. He's also the one behind "Tales of a Red Clay Rambler," which is quickly stretching toward 40 episodes. I was pleased to have been able to sit down with Ben, as well as Peter Johnson and Mel Griffin, to discuss career paths in ceramics. I think it was a good discussion, even if you can really only scratch the surface in an hour! Take a listen, and check out some of the other great episodes Ben has recorded. Here's the episode I was in (roll over image for link):
Episode 31: Climbing the Career Ladder
"This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I am featuring a panel discussion on ceramic career paths with Mel Griffin, Mathew McConnell, and Peter Christian Johnson. The conversation starts by questioning the premise of an established career ladder in ceramics and evolves into a discussion about success, living a mobile life, and creating your own career path."
Ask almost anyone who's ever been a resident at the Archie Bray, and they'll tell you about the amazing summers. Having been a resident in 2007 and 2011, I was thrilled when Linda was offered a summer position this year—I was happy she'd get to share in this unique and wonderful experience—but I was also happy that I'd get to spend a month there too! Here are some images to give you a picture of what a summer at the Bray is like:
A little project Brian Harper has been working on... I'm sure he'd love your participation, AND you'd get to have yourself immortalized in plastic.
October 4th deadline... Everyone encourage Linda and Ken to Apply!
Garth Clark's "third act in the world of ceramics," [C]File, goes live on November 1... Keep an eye out for it, and maybe donate a few dollars to help get the ball rolling!
Source: http://www.cfileonline.org/
From Benji Schulman, SCHULMAN Projects! For those of you who know Benji, you know how sharp of an eye and intellect he has. It's exciting to see his latest endeavor unfolding—I'm certain he'll be presenting thoughtful, well curated exhibitions. The first is "inception," which includes work from former UAF faculty Mandi Salov.
The press release for inception states, "The work in the exhibition creates re-understandings of the relational context between craft and art. It represents a fundamental transformation of the conventions and stereotypes that have formulated between craft and art. It subverts by undermining and undoing our preconceived notions. The most exciting art today looks to combining genres and traditions, playing with old and new forms and showing flexibility in media."
A national juried exhibit exploring multicultural diversity. Curated by Steve Liggett.
Deadline: October 31
A review of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond exhibition. Give it a read! I'm flattered to be part of this show, and part of such a great group of artists.
We're all very excited to see what comes of Laura's exchange semester in Taiwan. She arrived just a few days ago, and has promised to keep us updated from a blog of her own. Here's an image of her space for the next few months at the Tainan National University of the Arts.
If you're ready to put your work on the road, Ceramic Arts Daily provides a pretty thorough list of juried exhibitions.
http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramics-monthly/call-for-entries/
Crystal Bridges has designated a day just for college students and faculty—featuring an open jam session and music show, tableau workshop with Trike Theatre, massage-art therapy, and transformation of Walker Landing into an expression of Chaos Theory through a collaborative string-art project inspired by Marcel DuChamp’s 1942 installation, the Mile of String.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 | 3 TO 6 PMFree with online registration. | REGISTER ONLINE HERE
Getting velvety smooth Terra Sigillata easily? After your done watching this, you should check out the rest of the Objective Clay website. A good resource from some great makers!
An Exhibition that might be worth checking out...
"Back to Earth is devoted to ceramics in the fine arts. Whereas the use of ceramics was frowned upon in the world of art for many years, it has recently enjoyed a surprising renaissance. For the first time, ceramic objects by 75 internationally renowned artists will come together to form a unique panorama... Is 'Back to Earth' a symptom of our age? After abstraction, virtuality and conceptuality, are we now seeing a return to handwriting, the body, materials?"
Profile of Johan Creten.
