Cover: Shawn Spangler: Variations on Simplicity Clay Culture: Buncheong, Fiesta Ware Fiesta Residencies and Fellowships 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org january 2012 1 2 january 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org VL-Whisper PhP oto o byb Kelllyly McLLene ddoon VL-Whisper Potter’s Wheel “My Shimpo Whisper makes it easy to demonstrate during my workshops and I can still easily hear and answer questions from the audience. 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All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org 4 january 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org january 2012 5 contentsjanuary 2012 volume 60, number 1 editorial 8 From the Editor Sherman Hall 10 Letters techno file 12 High and Low by Dave Finkelnburg There are several things, in addition to firing temperature, that make high-firing and low-firing clay bodies different. Some of them are simple, some are complex, but they are all practical. tips and tools 14 Kiln Saver by Andrew Meyer Your kiln already works hard enough. Protect it from wear and tear with this handy tool. Be nice to your kiln, and it will be nice to you. exposure 16 Images from Current and Upcoming Exhibitions reviews 48 Ceramics Annual of America “Ceramics Annual of America 2011: Exhibition and Art Fair” at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, California. Reviewed by Ilena Finocchi 52 Ceramic Dance: The Works of Gayle Singer “Undulations in Clay,” was on view at the Thompson Loggia Gallery at the University of Dallas in Dallas, Texas. Reviewed by Tony Merino resources 77 Call for Entries Information on submitting work for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals. 78 Classifieds Looking to buy? Looking to sell? Look no further. 79 Index to Advertisers spotlight 80 Eyes on the Prize Sophie Milne discusses the pros and cons of large ceramic competitions, and what they can mean to an individual, a community, or a country. 22 6 january 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org clay culture 24 Buncheong Ceramics by Jessica Knapp Pretend that your work is going to be relevant (not just interesting as historical cultural reference, but relevant) to potters in 600 years. If it were true, your work would have something in common with that of Korean potters in the 15th century. 26 Fiesta Ware Fiesta by Holly Goring An iconic design and commercial line celebrates 75 years of production. Whether you look down your nose at it or look down your soup spoon at it, there is something to be said for mass-produced ware that honors tradition—even if it is its own. 28 One Cup a Day by Sherman Hall A designer tasks himself with bringing a different coffee cup from concept to market, every 24 hours for a month. Yep, technology is definitely involved. studio visit 30 Ken Shenstone, Albion, Michigan A dream studio is built not only with determination and sweat, but with a conscientious use of materials and the intent to build a community. features 34 Shawn Spangler: Variations on Simplicity by Glen R. Brown Building pots as if they were puzzles with no specific or required solution, a potter embraces simple shapes as building blocks for complex forms. monthly methods Deriving Inspiration from Process by Shawn Spangler 38 Everything Flows: International Ceramic Symposium R mhild by Jörg M. Unger This year’s participants, Aysegül Eren, Chih-Chi Hsu, David Jones, Marc Leuthold, Daniela Schlagenhauf, Kyra Spieker, Velimir Vukicevic, and Qi Wang responded to the theme, “Everything Flows.” 44 Sandy Vitarelli by Lynn Young and Jennifer Owen Using materials as well as inspiration from her natural surroundings, a potter makes larger-than-life vessels depicting activities that are both culturally and personally significant. recipes Ash glazes from local plants 54 Residencies and Fellowships 2012 Dreaming of large chunks of uninterrupted studio time and a chance to develop ideas that have been on the back burner too long? Maybe you need a residency. Residency Reflections: The impact a residency can have over the long term is not always obvious during the experience, but can be very deeply felt. 57 Frank Saliani 59 Sara Ransford 61 Martina Lantin cover: Ewer and stand, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, porcelain with incised decoration and stain inlay, with glazes, fired 42 in an electric kiln to cone 7, 2011, by Shawn Spangler, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; page 34. www.ceramicsmonthly.org january 2012 7 from the editor respond to [email protected] As we head into the 60th volume year of would have been a commercial body. I’m not it onto drying bats over the course of several Ceramics Monthly, we look back at what was, saying this approach is for everyone, but I do days and tending to it until it was the right realize how far we have traveled, and look for- not miss slaking down 300 pounds of dry consistency, reclaiming the parts that got too ward to what will undoubtedly be an exciting materials, I do not miss trying to mix the dry in the process. What I do miss, however, year in studio ceramics. I have not been with resulting slurry by hand—or even with a drill is the pride of having touched every part of the magazine for most of its history, in fact I mixer—and I certainly do not miss slopping the process myself. was born about a third of the way through, This progression was a bit of an internal but I still feel a close connection to everything struggle about materials, and what I came the magazine has done. It’s kind of like how away with was the realization that I enjoy we are all pushing ceramic art forward for the sourcing and using my own raw ingredients time we are here and involved with it, but we as much as I enjoy making my work, but if I feel a connection to the entire legacy that has have to choose one, I’ll choose the work.