focus Monthly pots and function

Tina Gebhart and other potters discuss the design, production, use, and terminology of pots. focus pots and function

December 2009 $7.50 (Can$9) www.ceramicsmonthly.org America’s Most Trusted Glazes™

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Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial Craft is a Verb [email protected] telephone: (614) 895-4213 23rd Annual North Carolina fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall assistant editor Holly Goring Potters Conference assistant editor Jessica Knapp editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Asheboro, NC Advertising/Classifieds [email protected] March 5 - 7, 2010 telephone: (614) 794-5834 fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] Featured Presenters: telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel Lorna Meaden Bruce Cochrane advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing Sarah Jeager Jeff Zamek telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Ayumi Horie Elaine Olafson Henry Subscriptions/Circulation Artist: Lorna Meaden customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Registration, including all meals: $175 Design/Production production editor Cynthia Griffith (Space limited to 175) design Paula John Editorial and advertising offices 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Register online at Westerville, Ohio 43082 Editorial Advisory Board www.randolphartsguild.com Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Sponsored by the Randolph Arts Guild Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada (336) 629-0399 Bernard Pucker; Director, Pucker Gallery, Boston Phil Rogers; Potter and Author, Wales Jan Schachter; Potter, California Mark Shapiro; Worthington, Massachusetts Susan York; Santa Fe, New Mexico Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July and August, by Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082; www.ceramics.org. Periodicals postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. The publisher makes no claim as to the food safety of published glaze recipes. Readers should refer to MSDS (material safety data sheets) for all raw materials, and should take all appropriate recom- mended safety measures, according to toxicity ratings. subscription rates: One year $38.45, two years $59.95. Canada: One year $40, two years $75. International: One year $60, two years $99. back issues: When available, back issues are $7.50 each, plus $3 shipping/handling; $8 for expedited shipping (UPS 2-day air); and $6 for shipping outside North America. Allow 4–6 weeks for delivery. change of address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are available online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org. indexing: Visit the Ceramics Monthly website at www.ceramicsmonthly.org to search an index of article titles and artists’ names. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index, daai (design and applied arts index). copies: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use beyond the limits of Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law is granted by The American Ceramic Society, ISSN 0009-0328, provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA; (978) 750-8400; www.copyright.com. Prior to photocopying items for classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, or for advertising or promotional purposes, or to republishing items in whole or in part in any work in any format. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Publisher, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2009, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org Ceramics Monthly December 2009 2 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 3 “L&L kilns keep looking new for decades. - Lisa Orr”

discovered L&L when I bought a beautiful used L&L kiln I in the 1980’s that had been built in the 1960’s. I used it for years. These kilns keep looking new for decades because of the element holders. Now with the zone control, they fire absolutely evenly from top to bottom. All of this excellent engineering, along with their reasonable prices, make L&L the best electric kiln on the market. ” - Lisa Orr, Austin TX

Lisa Orr has been a professional potter and student of ceramics for 25 years. She completed an MFA at the NYSCC at Alfred University in 1992 and later received grants including a Fulbright and a MAAA/NEA. Her work is in numerous public and private collections including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Currently she teaches, lectures and shows nationally. Find out more at www.lisaorr.com

L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element holders protect your kiln. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 Toll Free: 877.468.5456 Fax: 856.294.0070 Ceramics [email protected] Monthly December 2009 4 December 2009 / Volume 57 Number 10 “L&L kilns keep looking new Monthly for decades. - Lisa Orr focus pots and function ” 31 Function, Utility, and Balance at the Strictly Functional Pottery National Several potters included in the 2009 Strictly Functional Pottery National discuss their pieces in the exhibition—from teapots to egg trays, from the kitchen to the living room, from concept to execution—and the qualities necessary to make those pieces successful. Function can mean different things to different people, and these potters all bring something insightful to the table.

54 Perfection, Repair, and Use by Megan Fizzell In attempts to deepen the communication between maker and user, four artists take a sideways glance at what accepted defnitions of function and use can mean. features

45 Nuala Creed by Diane Chin Lui Current political and social commentary crosses paths with seemingly innocent fgurative sculpture in a combination that is both accessible and disturbing. 48 MFA Factor: Syracuse University A well-established institution encourages tradition as well as curiosity. 52 Roxanne Jackson: We Believe in Something by Christopher Atkins A sculptor explores the similarities and differences between humans and animals, instinct and reason, through such diverse sources as religion and the monster lore discovered L&L when I bought a beautiful used L&L kiln of horror flms. monthly methods Fierce Fangs and Furry Flocking I in the 1980’s that had been built in the 1960’s. I used it for 54 years. These kilns keep looking new for decades because of the element holders. Now with the zone control, they fire absolutely cover: Lobed teapot, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain, salt fired to cone 10, by Tina Gebhart, Berea, evenly from top to bottom. All of this excellent engineering, Kentucky; page 43. along with their reasonable prices, make L&L the best electric kiln on the market. ” - Lisa Orr, Austin TX

Lisa Orr has been a professional potter and student of ceramics for 25 years. She completed an MFA at the NYSCC at Alfred University in 1992 and later received grants including a Fulbright and a MAAA/NEA. Her work is in numerous public and private collections including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Currently she teaches, lectures and shows nationally. Find out more at www.lisaorr.com

L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element 35 holders protect your kiln. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 Toll Free: 877.468.5456 Fax: 856.294.0070 [email protected] Ceramics Monthly December 2009 5 departments

8 from the editor

10 letters from readers

12 answers from the CM technical staff

14 suggestions from readers 14 Tip of the Month: the scrapper keeper

16 upfront reviews, news, and exhibitions 58 call for entries 58 International Exhibitions 58 United States Exhibitions 60 Regional Exhibitions 60 Fairs and Festivals 62 book review Unpacking the Collection: Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft by Namita Gupta Wiggers 64 calendar 64 Conferences 64 Solo Exhibitions 66 Group Ceramics Exhibitions 70 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions 72 Fairs, Festivals and Sales 72 Workshops 78 classified advertising 79 index to advertisers 80 comment The Akal Exchange: From Our Hands to Yours 17 by Linda Hillman online www.ceramicartsdaily.org information and inspiration from inside the artist’s studio Features Tips, techniques, profles, and more—delivered to your inbox. Education Listings of colleges, classes, guilds, workshops, and residencies. Galleries Artist gallery pages, plus our comprehensive listing of museums and galleries that showcase ceramic art. Bookstore Complete line of ceramic art books to inspire, inform, and instruct. Free Gifts Handy downloadable resources for the studio, including projects, recipes, our annual Buyer’s Guide, and more! Magazines Current and archived features, exhibition reviews, article index.

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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 6 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 7 from the editor by Sherman Hall

Who remembers the beginning of this year? readers. The change in logo is meant, in part, More specifically, who remembers their New to signal those changes (particularly to those emerging artist Year’s resolutions? Ours here at CM was to who haven’t seen us for a while). come up with a new logo, and I’m happy to Last month, we gave you a sneak peek at a call for entry report that the next issue will mail with that new department called “Studio Visit,” where new logo. I’m not trying to make you feel someone invites us into his or her studio and In May 2010, Ceramics Monthly will bad if you came up a bit short of your goals, gives us a glimpse into their life as an artist feature the works of emerging clay artists. but part of the reason we went public with and works in progress. We started this one ear- Those actively pursuing a career in ceram- our resolution to change the logo is so that ly because we simply couldn’t wait, and it fits ics for less than ten years are eligible. To be we would then have to carry through and do with our approach of changing and adjusting considered, submit up to five professional- something about it (imagine the potential content on an ongoing basis. You’ll find this quality digital images (300 ppi resolution embarrassment—oh, the pressure). And part month’s Studio Visit on page 26, between the on CD, plus a full-size color print of each of it was to get some feedback on what you exhibition review and the features, and this is image), with complete descriptions of thought of the idea. where you’ll now find it every month. Let us works, full contact information including Most of you (well, most of those who know what you think of this new department, e-mail, artist’s statement and résumé to responded) felt that a change of image was and how it can be improved. Emerging Artist, Ceramics Monthly, 600 overdue. At the same time, you don’t just go Next month, along with the new logo, N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, messing with a brand for no reason. I think you’ll find another new department that we’ll OH 43082. Do not submit materials in we all know that change for change’s sake keep as a surprise for now—okay, it’s called binders or folders. Emailed submissions and (experimentation during the creative process Techno File, but I’m not telling you anything submissions of more than five images will aside) is a flawed approach to most serious more—okay, it’s about technical topics, but not be considered. Materials will be returned endeavors, but change based on actual need that’s all you’re getting out of me. Seriously, only if a padded envelope with appropriate is almost unavoidable. This is something we stay tuned. postage is included. No phone calls, please. have embraced for a long time now and, as a Arrival deadline: February 22. result, there are several things we have imple- Do you know an emerging artist? Do they mented in recent years that are meant to align need a nudge? Pass this along and help them the magazine more closely with what is hap- get the recognition they deserve. pening in the field as well as your interests as e-mail letters to [email protected]

JA Mi e W A LK eR B a y , 2 0 0

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www.LANDMARKARTS.org for more information

The TTU Ceramics Symposium is presented with a generous grant from the Helen Jones Foundation of Lubbock.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 8 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 9 letters email letters to [email protected]

Ceramic Artists Compete, Win Rodriquez, Natsue Makino, and myself) books, and organizations that have been avail- Pottery Northwest just took Seattle’s most handily took care of business, raising the bar able to me. “desired” prize: First Place in the “On the for ceramic residency programs nationwide! Yes, my “studio” is in my basement. One Boards Badminton Royale.” It was a fiercely Just wanted to keep you posted as to how piece of equipment at a time, I created my competitive battle between the finest in pottery is dominating the northwest! own small space to work. I have expanded Seattle’s arts organizations. The team of long- Drew Nicklas, Seattle, Washington from 90 square feet to about 120. My slab term residents at Pottery Northwest (George roller is only 10 feet from the hot water heater. Underdog Overjoyed I finally got running water a few weeks ago. In Wow, Glen Roesler spoke to me and my this tiny space, I have created award-winning heart in his “The Underdogs” [Comment, pieces of art and many, many hundreds of October 2009 CM]! I am an “underdog.” I square feet of handmade tiles. I’ve gotten my never went to college formally, for one reason work in several well-known books. I have sold or another. Raising three children, working my work in galleries, art fairs, shows. And in full time to put them through the opportunity all these years, I have been able to do this only I missed out on got in the way. But in the 30 on my day off, Mondays, and for several hours years that I’ve been working in clay, I’m proud early in the morning before work. of what I have accomplished undegreed. I am I took the leap of faith last week and quit grateful for the support of other clay artists, my full-time job to be able to finally do the both well-known and not so, and especially thing I love. Glen’s words couldn’t have been for the community college experience. more relevant to me or more timely. I, too, Thirty years ago, when I was new to the am very respectful—but oh so envious—of Dallas area, and I enrolled in a continuing all the ceramic artists and potters who have education pottery class. That dedicated in- had formal training. I wonder what I would have been like if I had gotten that degree. Pottery Northwest residents George Rodriguez, Drew structor, Sweety Bowman, became my men- Nicklas, and Natsue Makino celebrate after showing tor and best friend. Then, moving to Illinois I know that a lot more people would have the competition what potters are really made of, while 20 years ago, I found our local community taken me seriously, and maybe that’s it. Sarah Wilke, managing director for On the Boards, college a haven. I am grateful for all the won- Thank you, Glen. I won’t let you down. presents them with what appears to be a tasty trophy. derful workshops, conferences, publications, Mary Obodzinski, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 10 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 11 answers From the CM Technical Staff email technical questions to [email protected]

Q We have been told that the following glazes in their carbonate form or as a There is confusion over the toxicity glaze was not food safe because of the component of a frit, although calcium and of strontium, mostly because radioactive strontium carbonate. magnesium are in many other materials as strontium, resulting from nuclear fallout Spodumene (Australian) ...... 6 well. Calcium and magnesium are the most and other sources, is very dangerous. How- Strontium Carbonate...... 20 common and they contribute to some very ever, the plain non-radioactive strontium Nepheline Syenite ...... 60 desirable colors. However, barium has some carbonate supplied to ceramics artists, and Ball Clay (OM#4)...... 5 very unique and desirable color responses the strontium oxide that it should turn Silica ...... 9 that can’t be achieved with magnesium or into in the firing, are not considered toxic. 100 % calcium, and also results in higher gloss in The problem is that strontium carbonate Add: Bentonite ...... 4 glossy glazes. Since barium can be deadly if can result in an unstable glaze if not fired Copper Carbonate ...... 3 ingested in gram quantities, some people correctly. To fuse properly into a fired glaze, We fre this glaze to cone 6. Is this a food avoid using it in any food contact glaze any carbonate we add to the raw glaze must safe glaze or not? Thanks.—B. C. or even ban it from their studio*. In some thermally decompose into the oxide. Each You weren’t told the whole story. There circumstances, strontium can give color particular carbonate decomposes over a are reasons to be cautious about this glaze, responses similar to barium. So, while different temperature range. Usually, this and strontium carbonate is one of them, but strontium is the most expensive of the occurs quite rapidly once the necessary it is more complicated than simply saying alkaline earths, this expense is sometimes temperature range is reached. Strontium “strontium isn’t safe.” justified by the fact that many of the at- carbonate is an exception. While strontium Strontium is an alkaline earth element. tractive color responses that barium elicits carbonate starts decomposing to the oxide The other alkaline earth elements that we from colorants can be approximated by by 2012°F (1100°C), a temperature well use commonly in ceramics are magnesium, strontium better than by calcium or mag- within a cone 6 firing, it is very often not calcium, and barium. All of the alkaline nesium, and strontium can do this without finished decomposing at the end of the earths are most commonly added to raw the direct risk that barium poses. firing, even at cone 10! The exact amount

PORCELAIN Potters Council Regional Conference San Diego, California | February 5-7, 2010 Featured Artists: Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Meira Mathison and Tom Turner

Artist: Elaine Coleman Artist: Tom Coleman Artist: Meira Mathison Artist: Tom Turner REGISTER TODAY This conference brings together four of North America’s most adept and experienced porcelain potters. With an average of 42 years of working with porcelain between them, this porcelain dream team will share their expert tips and techniques for working with this beautiful yet challenging ceramic material.

Space limited 800.424.8698

www.potterscouncil.org Host: Clay Artists of San Diego www.ceramicartsdaily.org/education www.clayartistsofsandiego.com

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 12 GreatGreat HolidayHoliday GiftGift of time needed depends on the quantity of strontium carbonate, how thick the glaze is, what else is in the glaze, how much airflow Ideas for 2009 there is in the kiln, etc. The resulting fired glaze, still containing strontium carbonate instead of the desired strontium oxide, is unstable and can dissolve in acidic food and efits drink very easily. While the strontium itself Membership Ben • 20% Discounts on all Books, won’t cause any harm, the other components Magazines and Workshops are also released from the glaze. Potential • FREE Online Member Portfolios release of toxic oxides, such as the copper in • Health Insurance your recipe, is therefore the problem. Programs So, what we really need to know is how • Potters’ Pages Newsletter • And Much More... you fire. If you fire slowly enough and all of the strontium carbonate decomposes to strontium oxide, the glaze is most likely stable. If you fire fast, the glaze probably isn’t food-safe. How can you tell? If the strontium carbonate doesn’t finish decomposing, then carbon dioxide will still be bubbling through • subscriptions –2 for 1 • subscriptions –2 for 1 the glaze at the end of the firing. If your glaze is pinholed, then the strontium carbonate Inspire a friend. Become a new Share new techniques. Become a new was likely not fired long enough. You can 1-year subscriber to Ceramics 1-year subscriber to Pottery Making prevent this by firing slower, and you can fix Monthly now and give a 1-year gift Illustrated and give a gift subscription a piece with pinholed glaze by firing it again. subscription at no additional cost. at no additional cost. If you already You’ll know it has been fired slowly enough If you already subscribe, buy two subscribe, buy two 1-year gift sub- when the glaze is free of pinholes. 1-year gift subscriptions for the price scriptions for the price of a single A few things to keep in mind: of a single 1-year gift subscription. 1-year gift subscription. • Strontium from frit is already in the oxide form and, therefore, won’t cause the problems discussed above. Strontium frits are suitable for all firing temperatures. ceramicarts • We don’t use strontium oxide as a raw material because it is soluble in water. books • Strontium carbonate is not a suitable • memberships –2 for 1 • discounts on books ingredient for earthenware glazes, as it will not decompose to strontium oxide in the Enjoy amazing Potters Council benefits When you give a book or DVD to earthenware firing range. with a friend. Become a new member the ceramic artist on your list, you’re • Besides being unstable, pinholed now and sign up a friend for FREE. If giving a gift that lasts forever. See glazes are nearly impossible to clean in a you’re already a member, buy one gift our great selection of books and sanitary manner. membership and give a second one book packages as well as DVDs and • The presence of 3% copper carbonate for FREE! DVD collections. in any glaze warrants testing of the fired glaze, regardless of the other ingredients. • *Barium glazes can be food-safe. In To see all our holiday specials visit contrast to copper and lead, which are very harmful when ingested in any quantity, very low-level barium ingestion is not harmful. /gifts However, testing is recommended. David Pier P.S. Every time you give a gift of a Potters Council membership or a magazine subcription, Ceramics Consultant we will send a personalized gift card on your behalf. Offers expire December 11, 2009. Chapel Hill, North Carolina Ceramics Monthly December 2009 13 suggestions email suggestions to [email protected] Mist, Mist, Mist! This is a 200ml atomizer used to spray tip of the month glazes, slips, and stains onto either green or bisqued clay works. Inside the metal container The Scrapper Keeper! is a tiny tube that runs from the bottom to I like to collect my clay trimmings the top. Blowing air through the top pipe cre- for reclaim and I try to keep them off ates suction that pulls the liquid up through the studio floor so I don’t track them the vertical tube, forcing the liquid to exit around, causing unnecessary dust the sprayer trails and a huge health hazard. To as a mist. make the scrap collection and clean up By adding process easier, I found a clean, large, a long flex- plastic drum and cut it in half. I kept ible tube to the bottom intact except for a round notch that fits underneath and around the wheel head. Granted, some scraps fall to the floor but it’s not as messy I also removed a third from the top as having trimmings flying everywhere. of the drum so I can view my thrown the mouth pots in the mirror I mounted in front piece, you of my wheel. I use the mirror instead can easily of constantly turning my head upside move the down or rotating the pot. Hope this is atomizer of some use to other potters. a r o u n d . This makes the device very versatile, giving you more control, and saving you the trouble Congratulations to Dawn Burnham of having to move delicate pieces around or of Maberly, Ontario. Your subscrip- smudge intricate surfaces.—Linda Richmond, tion has been extended by one year! Fresno, California

“The Paragon Dragon has changed my life. I have accepted jobs up to 500 square feet of tiles without trouble.” —Cha-Rie Tang “The Paragon Dragon has Create breathtaking pottery in changed my life,” said custom tile this exciting kiln. The Dragon ex- maker and architect Cha-Rie udes power. Its 16,500 watts heat Tang. “A front-loading kiln is es- the 24” wide, 24” deep, 27” high sential for tiles. I can load five lay- interior to cone 10 with ample ers easily. I can finally claim that I power to spare. This results in can offer Craftsman tiles for in- long element life, because the ele- stallation. ments do not “struggle” to reach “I use the kiln to do custom high temperatures. murals. Since I can fire up to 22" x The Sentry digital con- Architect Cha-Rie Tang of Pasadena, California 22",Icarvereliefpanelsinthe troller can calculate electrical with her Paragon Dragon front-loading kiln. style of Craftsman tiles. I have usage. Learn to conserve en- This kiln is becoming a favorite with potters. It worked on an entrance wall for ergy by experimenting with is easy to load, heavily insulated, and designed Santa Barbara’s Tile Collection, a firing speed, load density, etc. to reach cone 10 with power to spare. fountain for All Nations Church, Long-lasting mercury relays numerous private commissions, power the elements. and the new Los Angeles Public We offer a wide selection Library Exposition Park Branch. of top- and front-loading Better 2011 South Town East Blvd., “In addition to firing ceramics, kilns. Call us or visit our Designed Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 I have used the Dragon to fire ar- website for a free catalog and Kilns 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 chitectural-sized glass. The com- the name of the Paragon Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 puter controls are easy to use,” dealer near you. www.paragonweb.com Cha-Rie added. [email protected]

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 14 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 15 upfront exhibitions and reviews

exhibitions: 16 Concreta 2009 Pretorio Palace, Certaldo, Italy 17 Who Lives in Greenwich Village? Greenwich House Pottery, New York, New York 17 Gustavo Pérez, Ceramics Beyond Perfection Loes and Reinier International Ceramics, Deventer, the Netherlands 18 Harrison McIntosh: A Timeless Legacy American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California 18 College Bowl II/09 Concreta 2009 Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Ceramic sculptures by Nino Caruso, Christine Fabre, Nedo Merendi, Marta Pachon, Pompeo 19 Women In Whiteware TRAX Gallery, Berkeley, California Pianezzola, and Gabriella Sacchi were included in the third in a series of exhibitions entitled 19 Our Objects Concreta: Contemporary Ceramic Art (www.lameridiana.fi.it/ceramic_culture_concreta.htm Wedgwood Institute, Stoke-on-Trent, England and www.gulliverarte.com), which was recently on view at Pretorio Palace in Certaldo, Italy. 20 Unforeseen Events “The project that involves artists in the creation and exhibition of works thought out Marsden Woo Gallery, London, England specifically for their setting in the rooms of the old palace,” state Gian Lorenzo Anselmi and 20 Susan Nemeth Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds, England Pietro Elia Maddalena, the exhibition’s curators. 22 Thomas Schmidt: Skin “Concreta is a project on the theme of contemporary ceramics, created to establish the Dubhe Carreño Gallery, Chicago, Illinois importance and relevance of this material in a contemporary artistic background that is often 22 Drink: Functional Forms for Every Libation overexposed by photography, videos, and a variety of performances,” explain Andrea Campinoti, Lillstreet Art Center, Chicago, Illinois Mayor of Certaldo and Giacomo Cucini, Deputy of the Mayor to Culture. “This exhibition 22 Soaring Voices Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California is part of a wide-ranging cultural project in a place (Certaldo, Empoli, and the whole area sur- rounding the river Elsa) where terra cotta and ceramics are essential elements of the history and reviews: ancient beauty as are shown in the rooms of the Pretorio Palace with its XV century façade in 24 The Power of Dogu¯ by Dr. Murray Lee Eiland red terra-cotta brick and the Della Robbia coats of arms.” The British Museum, London, England Nino Caruso’s Memories of Sicily, 7 ft. (2.2 m) in height, terra cotta, glaze, 2005. Photo: Andrea Messana.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 16 Who Lives in Greenwich Village? An exhibition of collaborative work by Andy Bray- man and Ayumi Horie was recently on view at Green- wich House Pottery (www.greenwichhouse.org) in New York, New York as part of the pottery’s centen- nial celebration. “The installation, which has been almost a year in the making, is comprised of 86 unique tiles, each 3/4- inch thick, representing city blocks and Washington Square park,” explains Sarah Archer, director of Greenwich House Pottery. “Each tile is fired five times (instead of the usual two) due to the layers of imagery on the surface. A total of twelve ecosystems and twenty-six animals are represented. Interestingly, the 1909 map does not match a 2009 map exactly. “‘Who Lives in Greenwich Village?’ draws inspiration from the much-discussed Man- nahatta Project. Working out of the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the project depicts New York as it was ecologically in 1609, aiming to raise public awareness by showcasing the interconnectedness of all the species and ecosystems that still exist—to varying degrees—in the area. It also provides a window as to what has been lost.” “Our hope for this show is that besides being visually gorgeous, [the Project] will broaden the ceramic audience and be informative for the residents of Greenwich Village and the Pottery,” says art- Top and middle: Andy ist Ayumi Horie. Three maps are layered into one ceramic Brayman and Ayumi Horie’s Who Lives in Greenwich depiction: an ecological map from 1609, a street map of Village?, 8 ft. (2.4 m) in Greenwich Village from 1909, and a sampling of fauna length installed, each tile ¾ that roamed the area in 1609 (several of which are now in. in depth, porcelain tiles printed in cobalt, overgalze endangered in the Northeast). decals, opalescent white “By focusing on the area,” continues Horie, “we glaze, silver luster, 2009. hope to tap into the local residents’ sense of pride, Left: Andy Brayman and ownership, and curiosity about their own community, Ayumi Horie’s Wild Turkey celebrate the tradition of Greenwich House as a cultural landmark, and draw attention to the Platter, 19 ½ in. (50 cm) in length, cast porcelain, existing ecosystems in danger.” As an added incentive to support conservation efforts, Horie cobalt blue, silver and gold and Brayman donated a percent of proceeds to the Wildlife Conservation Society.” luster, 2009.

Gustavo Pérez, Ceramics Beyond Perfection A solo exhibition of works by Gustavo Pérez was recently on view at Loes and Reinier International Ceramics (www.loes-reinier.com) in Deventer, the Netherlands. “Gustavo Pérez is an artist who has raised the creation of ceram- ics to pure spatial design,” states Loes van de Voorde, the gallery’s director. “He knows to use the plastic qualities of the clay in a playful manner by manipulating the still soft clay through folding and pressing it together, thus creating jewels of sculptural form. He is a master too in decorating the pot’s surface. These abstract decorations consist of spatial dividing, line decoration, and a combination of both. He makes use of glaze in the decoration but also of the bare unglazed surface of the grogged clay. “Another layer in the surface treatment of Pérez’ pots is formed by the incised decoration drawings. Here, his mastership in this material comes into full blossom. The incisions he makes with the scalpel or X-Acto knife are of surgical precision and the subtle alternations with which he opens these incisions from inside out make the pot wall manifest itself almost as a human skin.” Gustavo Pérez’ untitled, 11 in. (27.5 cm) in height, thrown and altered stoneware, partially glazed, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 17 exhibitions

Harrison McIntosh: A Timeless Legacy A retrospective exhibition of works by Harrison McIntosh is on view un- til January 9, 2010 at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) (www.ceramicmuseum.org) in Pomona, California. “Harrison McIntosh, is one of the best-known ceramic artists of the Pomona Valley and leader in the post-World War II Southern California crafts movement,” says Christy Johnson, director at AMOCA. “Along with the history, culture, and lifestyle of this era, the exhibition features Harrison’s beautifully crafted ceramic pottery and sculpture, recognized for its precision, perfect proportions, repetitive lines, and subtle, decorative graphic elements. “McIntosh’s introduction to ceramics included study with Glen Lukens, Mar- guerite Wildenhain, and Richard Petterson. These educators touted the fine art of craft, with emphasis on technique, design, and mastery of glazing skills. Wildenhain, trained at the Bauhaus, insisted on strict methodological performance from her stu- dents, and Petterson (Scripps College), intrigued by the Mingei folk art movement of Japan, introduced McIntosh to the traditions and aesthetic views of the East. “Armed with these principles, McIntosh, along with fellow potter Rupert Deese, Harrison McIntosh’s platter, cone 5 stoneware with mishima lines, established a studio in nearby Claremont. While some ceramic artists of that time glaze, 1975. Photo: Cynthia Madrigal. went on to follow the more extreme choice of abstract-expressionist ceramic art, McIntosh chose to pursue vessel-oriented forms, concentrating on craftsmanship and fine design. McIntosh stayed true to his personal vision, grounded in the vessel format with an unpretentious approach that can only happen when the potter is so familiar with the practice, so adept at the process, and so in tune with automatic actions that a higher form of intuitive response takes over. There is no need for force or control because the body knows the way. Simply put, McIntosh’s mode of spontaneity is the antithesis of artifice. “In evaluating the accomplishments of Harrison McIntosh, it is helpful to place his ceramic career in context by elucidating the complex social, economic, and political factors that intersected in post-World War II Southern California. This was a time when returning soldiers, European war refugees, and job seekers flocked to the Los Angeles area in search of opportunity, a favorable climate, and promises of prosperity. The influx of people set the stage for an unprecedented housing boom that included tract-home construction; Modern design preferences; new, industrial-strength hi-tech materials; a casual life style; and inside/outside living areas. The comforts of home and family ush- ered in an era of conservative values, conformity, and a sense of optimism. And, as the middle-class population mushroomed, materialism and consumerism flourished. . . .The establishment of a ‘California Look’ was sold nationwide. Magazines such as House Beautiful, under the leadership of Elizabeth Gordon, picked up on the hot, new style with articles on designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, George Nakashima, Sam Maloof, and Harrison McIntosh. Arts and Architecture magazine used ‘Case-Study-Houses’ to display ways that the Modern home could be constructed and furnished. . . . . Seemingly a dichotomy, but combined in a manner that worked, the setups included both manufactured, industrial-looking furnishing, and hand-crafted objects. The Los Angeles Times Home magazine included articles on and images of architecture, gardens, fixtures, Harrison McIntosh’s sculpture, wooden base, and arts and crafts. The entire region was rich with designers, architects, landscapers, and crafts- wheel-thrown stoneware, glaze, 1972. Collection men eager to satisfy the new demand.” of Forrest L. Merrill. Photo: Cynthia Madrigal.

College Bowl II/09 The second in a two-part, multi-generational group exhibition at Northern Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org) in Minneapolis, Minnesota features works by Minnesota ceramics professors and students who are affiliated with colleges and universities in the Twin Cities metro area and points south. Earlier this year “College Bowl I/09” featured artists from the metro area and northern Minnesota schools. Professors from all four-year institutions offering degrees in ceramics nominated up to three undergraduate or graduate students for consideration. Kelly Connole, ceramic sculptor and assistant professor of art at Carleton College, curated the exhibition. Todd Shanafelt’s Vascular Bundle, 12 in. (30 cm) in width, earthenware, glaze, metal, decal, rubber, polyurethane intermediate, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 18 Women In Whiteware An exhibition of works by Mary Barringer, Mary Law, Elizabeth Robinson, and Deb Schwartzkopf, who all use white clay, though approaching it in a variety of ways, was recently on view at TRAX Ceramics Gallery (www.traxgallery.com) in Berkeley, California.

Clockwise from top left: Mary Law’s porcelain ewers, 4½ in. (11 cm) in height, porcelain, fired to cone 11 in reduction, 2008. Mary Barringer’s Notched Basin, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, hand-built stoneware with multiple slips and glaze, 2008. Photo: Wayne Fleming. Deborah Schwartzkopf’s teapot, hand-built porcelain, oxidation fired to cone 10, 2009. Elizabeth Robinson’s teacup and saucer, porcelain, glaze, decals.

Our Objects Works by ceramic artists including Barnaby Barford, Alison Britton, generic types. These ‘foils’ aim to ground each piece and offer ways Nicholas Rena, Anders Ruhwald, James Rigler, Richard Slee, Hans into the varying schools of thought. My approach is consciously Stofer, Xavier Toubes, and Dawn Youll were paired with older indus- personal but is nevertheless intended to illuminate aspects of the trial ceramic objects in this exhibition, which started at the Mackintosh medium’s history and tradition. The selected pieces do not illustrate Gallery, in the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, and is now on view absolute relationships and indeed could be cross-referenced with each at the Wedgwood Institute in Stoke-on-Trent, England as part of the other. Furthermore these ‘foils’ are affordable, accessible, and relatively 2009 British Ceramics Biennial (www.britishceramicsbiennial.com). commonplace. They serve to flatten the hierarchy of objects often “This exhibition represents a broad range of concerns, styles and dictated by monetary value, rarity, and prestige and . . . demand a making schools,” states curator Katy West. “Episodic in its approach, the more democratic critique based on form and content. exhibits are linked by a material, and a simultaneous regard and defiance “Though similar, there is a fundamental difference between indus- for that material’s traditions. Works may be categorized—functional, trial ceramics and studio pottery; the autonomy upheld by the potter decorative, figurative, or abstract—but these categories in turn can responsible for their own work at all stages of the ceramic process as overlap and contradict themselves. Ceramic is after all a versatile material opposed to the Fordian setup of the factory floor. The main effect of that manifests in varying forms of varying qualities. When a definition being an autonomous ceramicist is that the maker is at liberty to ques- of the genre is so elusive, it may be better to consider the particularities tion the object at every stage of its conception. They must not fit the of a range of specific, personal, and at times, idiosyncratic objects. brand or kowtow to economy. They are free to borrow from existing “Nine contemporary ceramicists’ work has been paired with an techniques or invent new ones. This way the artist can impact on every industrial and historic ceramic objects to highlight similarities and stage of the process, and is at will to engage a critical framework that illustrate discrepancies that exist between new work and recognizable considers every aspect of the work. “In my selection, inspirations fostered by the studio potter reflect their origins in a more industrial practice. . . . My aim with ‘Our Objects’ is to illustrate the con- tradiction embodied in a material that can be so many things while consistently returning to a set of values dictated by specific concerns, histories, and relation- ships. In this show the material is shown to be particular to historical rather than universal influences. Its desire to be expressive beyond function has constantly placed work in a quasi-domestic mode where the content and concerns return to de-familiarize the familiar, reinterpret the standards, and remake traditional models to remain relevant cultural signifiers. Royal Doulton, by employing ‘important’ characters from history and literature, set out to make ‘heirlooms of tomorrow’ but it is the materials constant preoccupation with the incidental and everyday, the detailing of the overlooked, and our perceptions of Left: Nicholas Rena’s Outcome, 33 in. (83 cm) in height, lacquered ceramic, 2008. Courtesy of the Scottish Gallery and Marsden Woo Gallery. Photo: Phil Sayer. Right: Josiah Wedgwood’s Portland Vase, 10 in. (25 the norm that continue to imbue ceramic objects with a cm) in height, 18th century. Image courtesy of the Wedgwood Museum Trust, Barlaston, Staffordshire. sense of ownership and belonging.” Ceramics Monthly December 2009 19 exhibitions

Unforeseen Events New work by British artist Alison Britton and Norwegian artist Marit Tingleff were on view earlier this fall at Marsden Woo Gallery (www.marsdenwoo.com) in London, England. “Alison Britton and Marit Tingleff are significant figures among a generation of artists who emerged during the mid to late 1970s to establish a range of fresh ambitions for ceramics as an independent art practice,” states Tatjana Marsden, director at Marsden Woo Gal- lery. An interest that both artists share is to develop a dialogue with their chosen materials, to be able to embrace and respond creatively to unforeseen events. “Marit Tingleff shows a collection of dramatic painted platters, some of which are over 1.5 meters across. While retaining ideas of domestic ware and connections to the tradition of ornament, her work demonstrates significant painterly and sculptural sensibilities. The vitality of her work arises from a series of tensions, not only those of their craft/art aspects, but from other intriguing contrasts such the balance that she achieves between areas of light and shade, or in sections of dense mark-making and color offset by fields of erasure. There is always a strong sense of the exploration of possibili- ties, where ideas and intentions have undergone a process of revision until they have been fully resolved. “The new works by Alison Britton extend her thinking about the control and non-control of material and skill, as well as her interest in the value of imperfection. Ideas of risk and uncertainty are explored in a new approach to color, where fluid glistening glaze is allowed to encroach upon more controlled applications of slip and underglaze pigment. Her distinctive pots and dishes carry references to both architectural and domestic forms and reflect her enduring interest in objects that express complex cultural overlaps. They are informed by an affinity with the chaotic complexity of cities like Istanbul, where East meets West, a fascination additionally fuelled through reading Top: Marit Tingleff, Turquoise/Square Series, 69 in. (174 cm) in length, ceramic, 2009. Photo: Phil Sayer. Bottom: Alison Britton’s Shallows, novels by Turkish authors. Reflecting on her approach she has writ- 17 in. (43 cm) in length, ceramic, 2009. Photo: Marsden Woo Gallery. ten: ‘I am interested in seeing how fiction might alter form.’”

Susan Nemeth An exhibition of new works by Susan Nemeth was recently on view at the Craft Centre and Design Gal- lery (www.craftcentreleeds.co.uk), City Art Gallery in Leeds, England. “The work is made from laminated sheets of colored clays inlaid with hand cut patterns, which are then beaten, rolled, and stretched over molds,” states the gallery’s manager, Jane Needham. “The final form is forced from one single flat sheet of clay, which ensures a simple shape. The pieces are then buried in sand to prevent warping and fired to their limit, which achieves a smooth, matt, watertight finish. “Fabric design from the 1950s and 60s influence her current work. The painters Ben Nicholson, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, and Eva Hesse influence her surface pat- terns also; patterns which are often found in the back- ground or in detail of these painters’ works.” Susan Nemeth’s black floral bowl, 6 in. (15 cm) in diameter, inlaid colored porcelain, 2009.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 20 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 21 exhibitions

Thomas Schmidt: Skin A solo exhibition of new work by Thomas Schmidt was recently on view at Dubhe Car- reño Gallery (www.dubhecarrenogallery.com) in Chicago, Illinois. “Schmidt presents seductive and flawlessly constructed works, in porcelain and on printed acetate, driven by his ongoing exploration of materials and processes, explains Dubhe Carreño. “The surface treatment reveals time- based processes that allude to memory and how it is recorded and transformed.” “In my work, I am driven by a sense of dis- covery that develops as I engage in an ongoing investigation of the material,” states Schmidt. “I use methods such as mold-making, scan- ning, and photography, to capture material moments. These samples can then be printed, cast, crumpled, layered, and distorted. This process fascinates me, because like our own Clockwise from left: James Tingey’s stoneware pitcher, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, stoneware, constructed histories, the objects are then im- anagama fired to cone 12, 2009. Trevor Dunn’s square to round reliquary cantaro and cups, 12 in. (30 cm) in length, wood-fired iron bearing clay, fired to 2200°F, 2009. Evelien Sipkes’ gourd with bued with layers of material memory that echo, tamarind teacup, from Golden Touch tea service,12 in. (30 cm) in length, porcelain, 2008. embellish and obscure the original event. Like Drink: Functional Forms for Every Libation the shift from experience to memory, all the A group exhibition of drinking vessels and related functional forms was recently transformations that take place are deviations on view at Lillstreet Art Center (www.lillstreet.com) in Chicago, Illinois. from the original event, yet each transforma- tion carries with it a new truth. “With this body of work I am interested in mining the zone between two and three- Soaring Voices dimensional space. Drawing from aspects of An exhibition of works by 25 leading ceramics, sculpture, printmaking, and pho- female ceramic artists from Japan was tography, the objects in this show are attempts recently on view at the Crocker Art Mu- at seeing the volume of a skin. . . .Thus, it is seum (www.crockerartmuseum.org) through these material experiments that the in Sacramento, California. work steps beyond questions of materiality into “Soaring Voices” celebrates the an exploration of perception itself.” revolution in clay led by women who broke through the barrier of the once Thomas Schmidt’s Lumene, 15 in. (38 cm) in height, cast porcelain, 2009. Courtesy of the Schein-Joseph male-only field of Japanese ceramics. In International Museum of Ceramic Arts. Japanese culture, centuries-old beliefs regarding the sanctity of wood-firing guarded men’s labor from women’s in traditional, family-run potteries. Nev- ertheless, the presence of women was always felt. From glazing to packing and record keeping, women supported the leadership of their fathers-in-law, hus- bands, and sons in the production of ceramic wares. This divide was bridged during the 1950s when the concept of the studio potter as a creative individual working alone, apart from tradition, was introduced. Including more than 80 objects from vessels to sculpture, this

exhibition surveys the accomplishments Mariko Shibata’s Still Life on a White Desk, 50 in. (127 of these contemporary artists. cm) in height, stoneware and wood, 1999. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 22 American Museum of Ceramic Art

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 23 exhibitions

Clockwise from left: Standing dogu¯, 18 in. (45 cm) in height, Nishinomae, Yamagata pref. 2500–1500 BCE. Courtesy Yamagata Board of Education. Clay figure of a wild boar, 3 in. (8 cm) in height, Tokoshinai, Aomori pref. 1500-1000 BCE. Courtesy Hirosaki City Museum and Ogawa Tadahiro. Goggle-eyed dogu¯, 14 in. (35 cm) in height, Kamegaoka, Aomori pref. 1000-300 BCE. Courtesy Tokyo National Museum. Vessel with human ornamentation, 23 in. (58 cm) in height Dokunmae, Gunma pref. 2500-1500 BCE. Courtesy Shibukawa Board of Education.

The Power of Dogu¯ by Dr. Murray Lee Eiland Ancient human figurines from the Jomo¯n period of Japan can brought rice agriculture and metals. What remains in abundance, as be disturbing to modern viewers. Some cite them as evidence to is the case with many ancient cultures, is their ceramics. support extra-terrestrial visits. It is not hard to see why they could Here lies one of the puzzles, the ceramics are advanced, but ­—with imagination —represent aliens wearing space-suits. All have apparently, the culture that made them was based on hunting and a strange body shape with distinctive features. Some scholars sug- gathering. There were, however, craft specialists that created some of gest that because there are some contemporary clay representations the first known ceramics in the world. Highly abstract themes were of mushrooms, Jomo¯n art may derive from hallucinations. Yet a expressed in unique ways. The Chinese characters for dogu¯ mean close look at the figures shows that there is a unified artistic can- “earth” and “spirit.” It is a broad, catch-all term, as these figurines non, and not a hodge-podge of styles. Clearly, the ancient Japanese could depict humans and animals and perhaps deities in between. artists had a long tradition to draw upon, and were attempting to Interestingly, although Jomo¯n hunters preyed on deer, no deer convey something in particular. In Japan and increasingly in the figurines have been found. The most common animal figurine, also West these figurines inspire artists in a variety of media. The real eaten in abundance, is the wild boar. This animal clearly had some question that emerges is what do they represent? This is the focus special significance. Many anthropomorphic dogu¯ were finely made, of a show featuring dogu¯ figures on loan from private and public suggesting that they were not simply toys. Some are naked, while collections in Japan that was recently on view at the British Mu- others have elaborate clothing and ornaments. A few figurines are seum (www.britishmuseum.org) in London, England. Fortunately clearly wearing masks, as holes around the face show how it would for those who cannot attend, there is an excellently illustrated vol- have been tied onto the figure. Perhaps some, particularly multiple ume titled: The Power of Dogu¯: Ceramic Figures from Ancient Japan human figures depicted on vessels, could even be said to be dancing. edited by Simon Kaner. It will become an important reference for The large eyes on some of the figures led one researcher to speculate archaeologists as well as a source-book for ceramists. that they were wearing protective masks and snow goggles, like some The term Jomo¯n in Japanese means “cord patterned.” Many figu- Siberian peoples in the recent past. Later research suggests that the rines as well as clay vessels from this period have surface decoration eyes of these figures tended to grow more prominent over time, so that was made by impressing cord onto wet clay. The culture that the goggles theory has been abandoned. Some dogu¯ were recovered produced these ceramics flourished between 14,000 to something from deposits with shells, while some special ones were buried. over 2000 years ago. It declined after the spread of a new culture that Almost all were broken in antiquity, which has led some authors to Ceramics Monthly December 2009 24 Left to Right: Dogu¯ with palms pressed together, 8 in. (20 cm) in height, Kazahari I, Aomori pref. 1500-1000BC. Courtesy Hachinohe City. Copyright Ogawa Tadahiro. Animal-faced dogu¯, 10 in. (26 cm) in height, Kamikurokoma, Yamanashi pref. 2500-1500BC. Courtesy Tokyo National Museum. Tanabatake ‘Venus,’ 11 in. (27 cm) in height, Tanabatake, Nagano pref. 2500-1500BC. Chino City Board of Education.

speculate that they were discarded after their use in a ceremony and some areas of Japan soon developed free standing figures, other the departure of their special powers. areas continued to use slabs to create figures. By the Middle Jomo¯n As strange as the figures appear at first, after examining a number (2500–1500 BCE) period, figurines in a variety of styles were made, of them, several themes emerge. Dogu¯ do not apparently depict in- from hollow through solid figures. They could also be larger in size, dividual persons, but rather portray heavily abstracted figures. Many clearly not held in the hand, but used for a standing display. Some did not have a face. While this could be because they were designed of these figures could have elaborate decoration on front and back. to represent deities, it is also possible that some figures had faces It was during the Late Jomo¯n (1500-1000 BCE) that the figures made of animal or plant materials that were attached to the figure developed different head shapes (triangular, heart shaped). Cylin- after firing. When faces are visible they are usually simple, although drical bodies could also be used, and some figures were portrayed some bear marks which could be tattoos or paint. Hair could be squatting or in prayer. The Final Jomo¯n (1000 - 300 BCE) saw the elaborately portrayed. Many combs and hairpins are known from introduction of goggle eyed and horned figurines. Some from this this culture. The bodies of dogu¯ tend to be simple in form. Arms phase were made with very fine burnished surfaces and could be and legs are minimal, but the surface of the body can have elaborate covered with lacquer. decoration, perhaps stitching as would be on clothing. Many figures The debate regarding what these figures meant is far from settled. bear swollen bellies and large hips. Breasts and genitalia can also be Without a written record, much speculation is offered, and few areas represented, confirming that many figures are female. Pregnancy was of certainty emerge. Are there figurines of this style waiting to be venerated as something special. Some scholars suggest that many uncovered in other parts of Asia? What may this suggest regarding dogu¯ were enshrined on a household level. There is no evidence to origins of the aboriginal peoples of Japan? As important as these suggest there were special temples during this period. Across South questions are, one thing is certain: Dogu¯ can be appreciated as art East Asia there is a recurrent theme of the “killing” of the goddess and should be valued as the common heritage of humanity. They of fertility to ensure good harvests. Is this perhaps a myth that has still have much to show us, and will serve as a mine of inspiration a very ancient basis? for many generations to come. Technically there is no easy correlation between date and methods and materials of manufacture. The earliest figurines tended to be the author Dr. Murray Lee Eiland is an archaeologist living in London. He has simple, a female torso that could be easily held in the hand. While a particular interest in ceramics and regularly writes articles for magazines. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 25 Studio Visit Liz Howe Saratoga Springs, New York

Just the Facts Clay Mid-range stoneware Primary forming method Handbuilding studio Favorite surface treatment My studio is located behind my house in Saratoga Springs. Both structures were built in Highly textured wet surfaces, then 1892, and the studio originally served as separate living quarters. It is a very bright south- slips are applied bone dry, glaze is facing building, but is a pretty small space, measuring about 500 square feet, so all of my applied and fired, then paint, paper, firing is done off-site. During the summer I work both inside and outside, and in winter I and various other materials are added post-firing. It is a bit of the kitchen finish some of my fired work in the basement of the main house. A friend keeps encouraging sink philosophy but there is a method me to move to California and I have to say it would suit my working process pretty well to my madness. to have outside workspace all year round. Perhaps it places the work in a larger context as Favorite tool it is being made rather than after it is complete—or maybe I just really like being outside! I have two wooden paddles that were I maximize space by keeping only in-process work in the studio; as soon as it is finished cast-offs from a classmate’s woodwork- it is moved out, photographed and stored elsewhere. In time, the size of the building will ing project in grad school. I use one for probably become prohibitive but it works for me now in many ways. Having other loca- white clay and the other for red. They are exactly the right size, fit, and form tions for storage and firing helps keep the space clear for just making work. Most-used piece of equipment As far as tools and equipment are paying dues (and bills) concerned, I guess you could say I’m at Day job: For the last four years, while teaching ceramics full time at Rochester Institute “fighting trim.” The studio equipment of Technology, I developed a very disciplined work schedule including weekends and consists of basic carpenter’s tools, a evenings, averaging 30+ hours in the studio. In deciding to leave Rochester and return few different saws, cordless drill, heat gun, and of equal importance, a really home to Saratoga, I’ve been able to cut costs associated with living in two places as well as good sound system hooked up to the travel time back and forth. This offers me time to focus more in the studio and currently laptop and ipod. I spend anywhere from 40 to 50 hours a week making work.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 26 town. I also have a really strong network of friends, several of whom work out re- ligiously, and they are great motivators when I need some prodding.

mind I’m currently devouring Let’s See: Writ- ings on Art from The New Yorker, by Pe- ter Schjeldahl. His essays are fantastic! The chapters on Alberto Giacometti and Vija Celmins are two of the most beautifully thoughtful pieces I’ve ever read on a specific artist’s work. I also listen to lots of books on the ipod while I work in the studio—mostly nonfic- tion. Recently, I’ve listened to Terry Gross’ Writers Speak and Fresh Air: Best of Stage and Screen, as well as the very amusing I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This, by Bob Newhart. Visual inspiration is also very important to me—staying physically connected to looking at art. Having the Tang Museum around the corner, Williams College Museum, The Clark, Mass MOCA, DIA, and Stormking all a short drive away, and New York City near enough to head down and back for the day, makes for some great day Ceramic training: My early artistic training was in drawing and trips. When I run into frustration, I find these trips to be invaluable. sculpture. When I was an undergraduate at SUNY New Paltz, the Stepping away from the studio for a brief time helps me to think ceramics studio was primarily a “pot shop,” and I was more inter- problems through a bit. ested at the time in sculpture. I always used clay, but in more of a classical sculptural context (modeling and casting). My interest marketing in ceramics was really piqued much later, after I had been teach- As far as marketing is concerned, I am basically a novice. My work ing secondary studio art for quite a while. At an evening course at has been primarily purchased in gallery and museum exhibitions; my Skidmore College, I started throwing on the wheel and fell in love biggest sale to date was at an exhibition in Spain. Thus far, I have with the whole process. That experience led me to graduate school at sold at most of the venues I’ve shown in, which is always rewarding. Rochester Institute of Technology. A fascination for wheel throwing Making the most sale-able work, however, is not my goal or real led me to ceramics, but once I got to the heart of my own process desire. I know it sounds naïve, but money is not the motivating I returned to hand-built work. factor—if it were, I definitely would’ve gone into something more lucrative! Teaching has been a great way to balance my love of work- body ing with people and the practical demands of living. Keeping up on exercise to guard against the physical demands associ- Ideally, I’d like a healthy balance of signature work and successful ated with ceramics (primarily heavy lifting) tends to be a challenge sales. I have more work to do to reach this end and I am willing to for me. It is no problem getting myself into the studio every day, stay in the game, making smart financial decisions that allow me but getting to the gym is a different story! Since I’m not the most freedom to keep producing my work. disciplined when it comes to physical fitness. Having a dog really My geek-factor is pretty high, and I use the computer for many helps, because I have a daily responsibility to walk with her around aspects of maintaining my business: postcard design, exhibition re-

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 27 cords, inventory, etc. The “virtual” world is also one that I navigate “Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. Make your own pretty comfortably. I enjoy making connections with people online world…”. I love this quote. It speaks to so much of what I believe whom I otherwise would not meet. Many people who visit my per- about the whole process of art and the whole reason to commit a sonal website do so from places where I have not yet shown—like life to it. If the commitment is there to build a life devoted to your Egypt, Iraq, Russia, and Brazil. I have had comments and messages art, then my only advice is to dig, dig, and dig some more to make from many of these visitors that I really value. Of course, there is your art. It matters not what history has dictated, or what is “in,” no substitute for seeing artwork in person, but I find that having what your teachers like, or into how many shows you gain entry. work online helps direct people to one another. Online networks, Lift your head up, look intently, and listen, then shut out the world artists’ communities and social utility sites such as Facebook and and get to work. Whatever setbacks you encounter or specific life MySpace are also pretty interesting to me. Using these sites has led circumstances you face, the only way to maintain a connection to to increased visibility for my work and the much-desired ability to your work is by working. stay connected to friends and relatives who live far away.

most valuable lesson WebFaceSpaceBloGallerTwEtsyList www.lizhowe.com www.lizhowe.blogspot.com I think the best advice I’ve come across about making art came www.artaxis.org www.accessceramics.org from a letter written by Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse in which he stated, www.artists.de www.afonline.artistsspace.org

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 28 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 29 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 30 Function, Utility, and Balance at the Strictly Functional Pottery National

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 31 the weight and balance of the piece to the treatment of the surface. Julie Crosby The success of the firing has the final say in the success of the Trumansburg, New York piece. The biggest challenge in making this form is getting the wall thickness right. Since the pieces are cut down quite a bit, the inside wall must be thick enough to act as the both rim and handles. I This bowl is part of a series inspired by the carved wooden bowls sometimes have to add a bit of clay to beef up the edges. of the Northeast Woodland Indians. The forms were carved from I can see this piece being used for both preparing and serving a a single piece of wood and include square or rectangular handles. side dish. The size also lends itself to eating a meal right out of it. When I saw them at the American Museum of Natural History I think it is important for the pot to clearly speak of function, but in New York City, I was struck by their simple beauty. I wanted I am not concerned with what the user ultimately puts in it. I did to make them out of clay and try to mimic the elegance of the have in mind the ceremony of preparing, serving, and eating food bowl leading to the handles without any attachments. This led to while making this piece. For me, the daily ritual of eating and the a change in the way I work. While I use the wheel to make the aspects involved in getting ready to eat, such as grocery shopping initial forms, most of the work is done off the wheel in the leather or gardening, are tied together with making pots. hard stage. In order to get the form to look right with the handles, It does not bother me if someone buys a pot from me and does they are thrown larger and cut down. not use it at all. I have no control over what someone might do The strength and beauty of the pot should carry over from with a piece. It is totally up to them. the visual form to the pot in action. The handles should enhance At sales, I like to put fruit such as clementines, lemons, or limes the function of the pot while leaving enough space inside for the in a bowl or basket to give some contrast to the color of the clay. right amount of food. These qualities are vital to the integrity of Often, the pots with the fruit in them will sell first. the pot, and they do provide the starting point. All of the formal considerations for making a good pot must also be addressed, from www.juliecrosbypottery.com

Serving bowl, 8 in. (20 cm) in diameter, wood-fired stoneware.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 32 focus pots and function

Now, in my house, this piece is for the express purpose of hav- Drew Nicklas ing a Montana flavored whiskey jam (even though I am currently Seattle, Washington a long term resident at Pottery Northwest in Seattle, Washington). The ceremony is very important—but ceremony is a big word. I would prefer to use “Whiskey Jam.” The principle is simple: the I was really excited this particular piece was accepted, because not more, the merrier! (True for both people and whiskey.) only does it have a clear functional purpose, but it also suggests how I am pretty sure my pottery has not reached the value where cups can be displayed and leans toward an idea of community. The people are afraid to use it. I have pots in my house that are deemed piling or stacking of work, to me, has a great fit. It is able to juxtapose the idea of precious art object with everyday drinking vessel. A bowl full of cups is inviting, disarming, it’s simple—it’s a big stack of pottery! I think that is pretty cool. Sometimes we don’t need to cover it up with too much meaning. The formal aspects relevant to the work are seen in a move toward honesty and sim- plicity. Honesty is an acceptance of what it means to make pottery—understanding that it is a practice. The form and surface of a piece of pottery simply need to point to the fact that it is pottery. A simple approach can be particularly successful in a culture oversaturated with complex imagery. My approach to form leans toward stark and stoic, highlighting the process of throwing and firing. I value the time it takes to throw each cup and the variation found in each cup. The Whiskey Jam (A Pile of Tumblers), 17 in. (43 cm) in diameter, wood-fired stoneware. work hints more at a practice than a final object. Beyond that, the cups need to hold liquid of some sort—preferably whiskey. Function is obviously the key component here. However, it “top shelf,” and I try not to use them, but tableware is supposed to is dizzying to see all the new forms and surfaces people are com- be used as such, and I try to push this idea with my own work. ing up with today. I think this has a lot to do with the quality of I think people will always value hand-thrown pottery. It is ceramic education in art departments and continued in residency a mark of craft and stability. A hand-thrown pot can contain programs. This makes for good functional work and increases nourishment as well as provide it. It sells itself. Utilitarian pottery formal vocabulary. Personally, I return to simple forms, but I have reconciles the precious nature of art objects with the necessity to been working with wood-fired reduction cooled surfaces to dress inject artful practice into all the things we make and consume. It them up a bit. establishes a balance between a unique and valuable item and an I want to keep things simple. While perhaps counter intuitive, acceptance of a functional end. This specific piece came out of a simple is the most difficult to pull off. I have a tendency to want to pile of cups I saw at my friend Dean Adam’s house. I think this over think, over throw, over decorate a piece of pottery. Sometimes is how a potter would display cups. And during a whiskey jam its the most successful pieces are those brought back to the basics. good to have an extra couple cups on hand. The owner of a piece can do whatever they feel is suitable. As a potter, you can help them get to where you think they should www.potterynorthwest.org be by the design and execution of the work. In my eyes, this is a set of whiskey cups. Sure, it’s decorative. But I am not the one to say whether it should be used for whiskey, wine, or to present at a lemonade stand.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 33 I chose to make this form because of its uniqueness first and, Shadow May in a utilitarian sense, it gives the appearance of one piece while Chattanooga, Tennessee utilizing two containers. I really just love making containers that consolidate or stack in any form or medium. Making this piece let me contribute to the idea of consolidated containers. I want it to fit together, be useful for food or just appreciating. I want people to want to pick my pots up and use them. If I make a piece for function, then it needs to work. Although, I think that if your main focus is function then a lot of times you leave little to no room for creativity, which is my first priority in making a piece. Patience is my main challenge. These pieces are not your straight forward piece of pottery you can finish in half an hour or so. You really have to picture the finished piece and then work your way through it until it’s finished. Also, since I fire each section of each piece separately, the fitting back together is always a concern; otherwise the piece doesn’t work and I won’t like it enough for the public to see. It is not really important to me that the user be aware of an intended function for this piece. I make the piece out of a sense of fun and creativity. Function falls about third down on my list, even though my pots are completely functional. I’m more interested in the artistic expression of a particular piece and the idea behind it. I imagine that, if this piece is used, whether putting your car keys in it after a long day or your coffee and sugar for the morning, it would be considered a piece that plays a small but very important role or ritual in your life. Looking and appreciating are as important as function. Sometimes people need to just stop and look at something to make them feel better, take them back to a particular time in their lives—or just smile. I do about 20–25 juried fine art shows a year and that has gotten my pots out there extremely fast. I do have a website, a Facebook fan page under Shadow Pottery, a Twitter account, and a Myspace page. I also have an Etsy and blog account, but rarely have a chance to get to them. My pots are always changing. Doing a lot of shows lets my pots evolve quickly. From the beginning, I’ve tried to sell the idea that if you like my pots then you’ll trust that whatever I make you’ll like. I really don’t want to be making the same stuff day in and day out. My body of work will always look like I made it, but it will change in a matter of moments because I work so much in the clay and love stepping out and playing Square stacked jar, 15 in. (38 cm) in height, porcelain, that risk. That’s how good pots are made! fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln.

www.shadowpottery.com www.twitter.com/shadow_may www.myspace.com/shadowpottery

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Toasting Cups was made with the understanding that when Nicholas Bivins people gather, they like to celebrate the occasion with a toast. Red Lodge, Montana The type of beverage consumed can be quite arbitrary, but it’s the tradition of toasting each other that I am keyed in on. This situ- ation is a wonderful arena to play in, because of the importance I make Toasting Cups as a way to fit functional pots into peoples’ of the role of the objects. It bothers me somewhat if a buyer does collective celebration of their lives. This piece gains significance not use my work, because there is a huge amount of information the more times it is used. A toast cannot occur with only one, and contained in the use experience. I put a lot of time, effort, and many times, the more the merrier. My goal for Toasting Cups is the research into making my pots feel good, not only to eyes, but also act of toasting, so by experiencing the piece with friends through to hands and lips. celebration, it is fulfilling its purpose. Using formal language to I have not yet tried to independently market my work. All of describe necessary qualities of a functional pot is a beginning, but my sales have come directly from three sources: I know the buyer for a piece to become truly successful it requires a much more personally; I applied and exhibited work at a show/gallery; or dynamic investment and agreement between maker and user. they approached me because they saw my work in one (or both) A challenge I repeatedly face when making these types of sets of these places. is finding the right balance between sameness and difference when working with multiples. www.nicholasbivins.com

Toasting Cups, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, porcelain with glaze, fired to cone 10 in oxidation.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 35 My functional pots are forms that convey the significance of Birdie Boone what I call “domestic intimacy,” a recognition of the impact that Helena, Montana domestic actions have on our identities and the quality of our lives. This flower vase with bowl is a piece that celebrates the power of beauty in the domestic environment. In terms of my aesthetic goals, the work must have a strong presence as an object, yet have the ability to offer its contents (in this case, flowers) as a symbol of attentiveness and care for one’s domestic environment. The specific qualities of this piece that make it successful are softness of form and a quiet, soft surface. I have been told that the qualities that give my pots their sweetness are successful, but my work is also personal: As I change, so do my thoughts on domestic intimacy, which leads to shifts in the way I consider form, touch, surface, and color. The challenge in making this type of form is to be innovative with the structural elements in a way that creates a gestural means for an “of- fering,” as if it actually wants to give something to its environment. It is only important that the user be aware of my intended func- tion if that user takes an interest in the ideas behind what I make. Beyond that, I think that when I put a piece out into the world, I cannot expect to retain control of whatever thoughts or emotions were at play when I made it. In fact, I hope that it will adapt to its new environment and gain some special meaning for its owner. Daily, habitual acts of domestic activity are things I define as ritualistic in terms of observing the body-mind connection. To that extent, I always consider ritual. But once a pot is no longer mine, I may be curious as to why it isn’t used, but would not be bothered were it not used. Function is a multifaceted term and so a pot’s function may even be to be appreciated only visually. That is absolutely the owner’s choice. If anything, I think that making a personal connection with a prospective buyer can make a big difference. When I buy a pot, it is usually because I like the person who made it.

www.birdieboone.com www.archiebray.org Flower vase with bowl, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, mid-range redware, fired in oxidation. www.northernclaycenter.org

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I have made a conscious decision in my mind as to what the Jessica Caccamo function of each piece I’m making should be. However, within Ballston Lake, New York that form, I am open to the possibilities of several different uses. I know what I would use it for, but I have chosen to let the users ultimately choose for themselves how they want to integrate it into their lives. I have always loved making bowls; there is something so satisfy- I think that often when I sit down at the wheel to throw, I ing about working on the curve, especially when you get it right. start with a notion of what I need in my daily life and go from I also find there to be a great variety within the form itself. One there. The type of ceremony and/or ritual that I consider in my of the only parameters is that it must be able to hold volume, and work is much more informal than the word’s connotation; perhaps that leaves a lot of choice up to the artist. It also must have an the ritual of breakfast, a favorite snack, or a decoration for one’s opening that is both large enough to make food-use a possibility, favorite end table. and larger than the foot. Of course I would like my work to be used, but I have made These qualities certainly dictate what your form will be named, a decision to let the ultimate choice of function be the users. My but as to whether or not it is successful, there is a lot more in- works can oscillate between the realms of tool and function and volved. There are many unsuccessful bowls out there in the world, can do both well; it remains up to the user to decide if they will and what I believe sets successful bowls apart from the others are use it for food or as a decoration. proportions, curves, weight, and surface treatment. I’m very new to marketing my work and trying to sell it, but I think that the challenge of making a bowl lies in achieving I think that ultimately people need to use the work to fall in love the curve of the bowl and overall balance. I can spend what feels with it. Let others experience your work as often as possible. like forever smoothing that curve at the bottom so it really has no beginning or end and is just seamless. www.jcaccamopottery.etsy.com

White Glacier Bowl, 7 in. (18 cm) in diameter, porcelain, fired to cone 10 in oxidation.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 37 The addition of a lid or cover on a form adds additional Maureen Mills complexity to the making and the composition of both Portsmouth, New Hampshire form and surface that I find challenging. The covered form allows for play in scale of form and surface treat- ments as well. A covered form should have a well-fitting lid with strong form and confident surface treatments, whether it is decorated or not. But good design is just that. Without the spirit of the maker showing passion for the work, it will be just a good pot. That’s not particularly tangible, but I feel like we all know what that is when we see it. There really are unlimited opportunities for exploring scale and proportion in a covered form. Then, modifying the details of the lid or knob, foot or bottom, and the surface treatments so that they are appropriate for the form are good challenges to focus on. Jars are always intriguing to potters, and I am no exception. While they insinuate function, because they hold something and have a cover, the actual use of my jar forms becomes much more personal to the buyer without any imposed function. It does not always bother me if someone buys a piece and does not use it. There are some pieces that beg to be used more than others. In my experience, jars are an appealing form for both the maker and the user, and they have the option of being functional, but they are often objects that find a way to usefulness once they are in the home.

Jar, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, wood-fired porcelain.

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lives up to my vision for it, and it always has room for improvement. Matthew McGovern Maybe the foot could have been a little taller or narrower, maybe the Glen Arbor, Michigan glaze could have been applied a little thicker, maybe the kiln could have been fired a little hotter with a bit less soda and a bit more carbon trapping. Success is always within a quarter inch. Secondly, when finished, the work has to be utilitarian. It must function with The main motivation behind any of my work is simply making and ease and with grace. It should not leak, drip, or want to fall over, and creating with my hands. I believe that, in a world full of anxiety and it should feel good, both in the hand and to the lips. fear, immersed in an age that moves at a supercharged technological Making, beauty, and utilitarianism are all circled around each pace, beautiful handmade objects that promote spending time with other. They are all starting points and places to end. If the piece ourselves, our friends, or our family are not only important, but are meets these initial criteria, it still has not achieved true success. For crucial to our spiritual well being. My highest aspiration as an art- me, true success is when someone purchases a piece and brings it ist is for my work to inspire these moments of personal and shared home because they had to have it in their lives. When they come reflection for the owners/users. back and tell me that the piece has become an integral part of their When I started developing this form, I was in graduate school, daily lives or a part of a new tradition or that it’s the serving dish and finding the time to sit down to a cup of coffee, tea, whiskey, that they bring to every pot luck they go to, I know that the piece

Three cups, 7 in. (18 cm) in height, porcelain, soda fired to cone 10. or wine was becoming so infrequent that I thought of making an has fully succeeded. In some ways, the qualities that I imbue my object to inspire me to do so. I was looking at wine cups and stands work with are just a starting point; success comes when a piece makes from the Korean Koryo dynasty and was struck by the way the stand someone’s life a little more beautiful or extraordinary. gave the cup a place to reside that wasn’t the cabinet or the shelf. It I believe that ceramic artists need to be very careful when they occurred to me that, by giving utilitarian objects a home, I could start associating and defining their work with the termsritual and cer- give them a setting or context that would allow me to further explore emony. These two words have been in use by artists (myself included) both their formal and metaphorical aspects. Three Cups with Stands for a long time in the wrong context. When I started graduate school was developed from the memory of getting together with three very and began making this work, I was completely engrossed with the good friends of mine from college whom I now rarely see. When on idea that I was creating objects for daily rituals and social ceremonies. display, the piece reminds me of those days, and the conversations But ritual and ceremony are based around religion, spirit, language, we used to have over a bottle of wine. form, time, place, participants, movements, and processions. As I For me, any object that I make has to be as beautiful as I can delved deeper into my research on rituals and ritual objects, it became possibly make it. First and foremost, it must be impeccably made and very apparent that what I deemed a daily ritual was actually a daily the craft must never be rushed. Most of my work never completely habit or a necessary action for survival. I am not saying that daily

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 39 McGovern cont. rituals and ceremonies don’t exist would make a great bowl for oatmeal,” to a little boy saying about my anymore, or that people don’t per- large oval serving dishes, “Look at the pretty bird baths, daddy.” This form them, but when a person gets up in the morning and has a cup dialog varies, but it is always a learning experience for both of us. of coffee, even if it is out their favorite mug, they are not performing I feel that in modern day ceramics, we need to redefine the a daily ritual. Drinking coffee is a habit that is controlled by a need language we use to describe and critique our work. There are many or desire for caffeine. As creators of functional utilitarian objects, words out there that get tossed around and have created a cloud of we supplement these needs and actions with objects of beauty and misunderstanding around art and utility. These words are functional, utility. We have to stop using the terms ritual and ceremony when non-functional, utilitarian, and use. Webster’s dictionary defines these describing our work. I consider myself a maker of functional utilitar- terms as follows: ian objects, not a maker of objects for daily ritual or ceremony. My Function: The work a thing is designed to do, its official duty. pots may someday be incorporated into a ritual or ceremony, and Utilitarian: Holder of utilitarianism, doctrine that the morality I take this into account when making my work, but until then my of actions be tested by their utility. work remains an object of visual beauty and utility. Utility: Usefulness, profitability I am fascinated by the ideas of intended use and actual use. My Use/Useful: To employ with a purpose, consume as material, intention is to celebrate handmade utilitarian work on two different serviceable, and efficient. levels, both as symbolic objects that affect our lives on a purely visual A maker can get lost in the land of superiority when making level and as objects intended for use. I believe that it is very important functional or non-functional work. I feel that this is in part because for the customer to hear the creation story of a piece and understand art critics of the past have stated that function is not content or a what the intended visual and utilitarian functions are. It helps them concept. Sculptors and painters have all but removed the terms from conceptualize the work and understand its presence. But this is not to their aesthetic vocabulary, because anything slightly associated with say that they can only use it for that intended purpose. Say someone function will smack of craft and will be deemed not high art. But buys one of my pieces (the piece shown here, for example) and pur- what the critics of the past have failed to realize is that the term non- chases it because they have three daughters and they want to give one functional should not be used in any art lexicon. There is nothing to each of them so that they all may know that each of them possesses under the sun that does not have some sort of function, even purely a part of a whole. They separate the piece and completely change its visual objects function on some sort of level. But everything under format, individualizing each cup and possibly breaking up the piece the sun does not have utility. It is important that we stop using the forever. For me, this would be okay: if a customer appropriates my words functional and non-functional and start using the words utili- intended utility and visual function and uses the piece for their own tarian, use, and function. Let’s replace the term non-functional with symbolic purposes, so be it. On the other hand, I have a friend who non-utilitarian when describing purely visual and tactile qualities. purchased two of my coffee mugs to have coffee with a lady friend Then artists can begin the creation process by asking themselves who was coming to visit him. She stayed with him for a week and what sort of utility they want their work to have and how well do every day they drank coffee out of those two mugs, talking and shar- they want this function carried out, or how useful they want this ing thoughts. After she left, he washed the mugs and put them on particular object to be and in what context. his dresser, never to be used again, but they now function up there Once a maker knows how they want their work to function, it on his dresser as a visual symbol of two friends getting together and becomes a lot easier to justify and define the work. As a maker of spending time with one another. By doing this, he took two separate utilitarian objects, I believe it also makes a great deal more sense pieces that were not intended purely for display or as a set, and made to think about the particular food or event that the work will be them into a set and removed the utilitarian function from their life. used for before creating the work. For example, I wanted to make This is also fine with me, and is in fact very exciting, because part of dinner plates this winter, but was confused about what shape and my work’s intended function is to bring beauty into the owner’s life size I wanted. I started by asking myself what kind of food would purely on a visual level. My work is made with the idea that it may be consumed on these plates. I decided that the plates would be only function on this level. designed around the type of food my wife and I eat and our cabinet I always encourage a customer to pick up the work and let them sizes. I designed a shape that could be used for both creating a larger know that it is okay to handle it, informing them that I do not have a shallower bowl, good for both pasta and for soup. In the end, it was “break it, buy it” policy. Getting the customer to comfortably interact very easy to talk about and critique the work, because my intentions with the work is very important. Talking about the work in a way that were known right from the get-go. It was also easy to understand the lets the customer know why you make pots, what you think handmade changes I was making during the process, because I could always ask utilitarian ceramics are all about, your process, and how it affects and myself if I had shifted from my initial intents. Once we begin to use transforms the work, helps too. If a customer wants to know the intend- the proper language when creating and defining our work, we are ed use for a piece, I will describe my own inspirations and intentions in able to fully immerse ourselves in, and relish the task of, creation. making it, and usually after I do so I will turn the question back to them, asking, “But what would you use it for?” The replies vary from, “Oh, www.mcgovernpottery.com I would never use that because I would break it,” to, “Oh, I thought it www.lakestreetstudiosglenarbor.com

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 40 focus pots and function

piece for simply its visual aspects; that’s a lovely compliment all Lisa Buck on its own. Afton, Minnesota Marketing is something I feel I could do a much better job at, but here are a few things I do: I make sure the images of the work present the pieces as well as possible, but I think that’s important no matter if a piece is functional or sculptural. At my own sales, This is a bit of funny form in that it came out of a series of work I I try to present the work in relationship to food and have some was making as I was getting ready for my annual holiday sale. I was pieces in service, and then talk about how they can be used. Some thinking about the lovely handmade chocolate truffles a friend of particular pieces may come with contents, such as the little salt mine makes each Christmas and then delivers in a box to our door. pots I make; I will fill them with sea salt. I like my work best in the I wondered what kind of pottery form would do them justice in pre- kitchen, on the table or resting in the cupboard and being viewed senting them on a table. This is what came out of those thoughts; a in that context, so I have done some sales in our kitchen and living basket form that was very open, but still allows one to take care when room to add to that connection and really appreciate the shows I dipping your hand in to select that tiny, tasty morsel of chocolate. have been in that used domestic furniture to display the work. I It’s significance is really about honoring a tradition. have also started to have some of the owners of my work send me As with all pots, I think the form needs to have a strong visual pictures of the pots filled with food or just taken out of the oven, balance, where all of the parts come together to create a pleasing but I have yet to decide what to do with those. I have had brief whole, feel good in your hands and function well for the intended discussions with a local cooking store regarding having some of purpose. The components that make up a strong form can be obvi- my work there as well, and I would like to pursue that further as ous parts, such as handle, foot, and body, but they are also the more it seems like a natural fit. nuanced “parts” such as line, volume, gesture, movement, etc., that really create the feeling or personality of the pot. So, those minimum www.mnartists.org/Lisa_Buck2 qualities would be just that, minimum starting points. www.thegrandhand.com Because this form came out of a specific idea, it feels like less of www.minnesotapotters.com a “type” of form, although I guess it might fit under the umbrella of a basket form. That said, I think the challenge is in creating an interesting tension and rela- tionship between the handle and the body of the form, as the line of the handle really completes the idea/form. I think a user’s aware- ness of the intended func- tion adds to the piece and further communicates with the user what I was think- ing, but it doesn’t have to be important for the pot to be enjoyed. There are some pots I make, particularly the baking dishes, that are intended to move from oven to table—utility to presentation—in a way that I think truly enhances them and adds another level of information/com- munication with the user. But, it doesn’t bother me if someone prefers to enjoy a Truffle basket, 8 in. (20 cm) in height, earthenware, fired to cone 04 in an electric kiln.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 41 My main challenge is finding balance, both visual and literal. Susan Kennedy I want the form to have an animated feel, as though it is strolling Waco, Texas the room, handing out hors d’oeuvres. The visual elements that make the pot animated often counteract the actual stability, and can interfere with the piece sitting on a flat surface without a (dreaded!) wobble. The egg tray idea actually began as a mancala board. Mancala is a I see the pieces I make as characters in an epic narrative, existing game using seeds or stones, dropped into round divots, five or six on many levels. I want to give the user a vivid backstory, to bring on each player’s side, with a larger, collection divot on each end. I the user up to date with the life of a piece thus far. After the piece had some finished boards around the studio at pot luck time, and leaves my world, it has a life of its own, continuing forward in the immediately recognized how well deviled eggs would nestle into narrative, perhaps even finding a new career later in life. the depressions. I enjoy specificity of function, and the celebratory As a child, I loved decorating the Christmas tree with my mom. feel of an elaborate serving piece. And I enjoy eggs. As she unwrapped various globes of glass and silver, and aged yellow lace, she told me stories about my great grandfathers who worked in glass factories, or the student whose mother knitted the snowflake as a gift for my mom in her first year teaching. I am drawn to the power of the object, humble or valuable alike, to hold strong memory and deep feeling. Objects have a tactile way of connecting us through time. I believe our ceremonious interactions with nostalgic objects perform the function of ritual in a contemporary life. I do feel sad if I catch my pots in the back of cabinets, but I accept the fact that once a pot is sold, it is beyond my control. Sometimes I have seen a pot put to better use than was intended, and welcome seeing a piece through someone else’s eyes. Egg tray, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, stoneware with glaze, soda fired. Not being much of a sales- person, sometimes I shy-out on marketing strategy. Feeling bold, Since eggs can be quite slippery, and prone to rolling, an egg I would paint a picture of possibilities, illustrating a future that tray needs depressions, somewhere for the eggs to sink in just a bit. is richer, more mindful, filled with daily interactions with a well Without this, the function of the egg tray becomes entertainment loved piece of handmade pottery. rather than food containment as the decked-out eggs slide into I have more questions to ask than to answer, particularly about someone’s dressed up lap. the various meanings of function. Is there a distinction between Of course the possibilities for an egg tray are endless, especially function and utility? Do we use the word functional when we mean considering the broad range of ways we eat eggs. From the elegant to say tableware? Is function inextricably linked to food? Is contain- single serve soft-boiled egg cups, to chicken shaped casserole dishes for ment an essential parameter for function? There aren’t necessarily quiches, and even scrambled egg steamers for the microwave found at answers; I am more interested in the conversation. festivals, there are always chefs cooking up new, tasty egg treats, and for each, a potter designing a new form to contain and showcase it all. www.skennedyart.com

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 42 focus pots and function

the contrast of slow. This is my special time with myself and my Tina Gebhart husband, talking and drinking tea. Berea, Kentucky The minimum qualities for the teapot format are: appropriate containment, hand-handle position, spout pourability, lid sit, knob grip (the pure utility issues); integration of the parts into a cohesive visual whole (the visual issues); excellent assembly Professionally, I make teapots because they embrace the complex- (construction issues). There are just too many attachments and ity of parts coming together as a whole. This form comes with form joins that can become a distraction if construction is not more design parameters than most traditional forms, and each sound. As are most parameters, these are simply a starting point, decision in the process shapes the way the following decisions will the fundamentals without which one cannot effectively approach be made. In some ways, they are like choose-your-own-adventure this next arena of “making special.” books—simply (or complicatedly) life. I can imagine a teapot that was utility-effective and visually Personally, I am interested in the teapot form because it exem- cohesive, yet bored me to tears and I would never ever want to plifies taking time. Each morning, I drink a full pot of tea, and use. The pot must be compelling on some level, either by visual do so in slow time. This may be the only slow time of that day, content (in a Modernist sense), emotional-material content (in and I take it first, not last, in preparation for the business that will an Expressionist sense), narrative content (in, well, a narrative almost inevitably occur. I like a brisk pace overall (my students sense), and cognitive content (in a Postmodern sense). Work that comment that I even walk fast), but it cannot be relished without focuses on one of these categories still benefits greatly from the

Lobed teapot, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain, salt fired to cone 10.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 43 Gebhart cont. presence of at least some amount imagine getting up in the morning with the intent to make some- of the others. The visual may be thing half well. Make it well, or consider not bothering with it at the initial powerhouse, otherwise the viewer may never access the all. A quality product is worth the extra effort in making and in other intended content layers; yet it also requires some amount of buying, and it can sell itself to a degree. the others or the viewer may never linger. If the layers are never I have a Prada backpack that is a hand-me-down. I would have uncovered, do they actually exist? Entice. Deliver. Allow space never bought one of these, but now I know why people do. It isn’t for rumination. just the name. This thing has been through the wringer; I lug thirty There is not a perfect handle, or spout, or any part. All things pounds around in it, flinging it over my shoulder by one strap, depend on each other for their success. The spout has to be right and not a single seam is starting to come apart even after years for that body. The knob for all things that have come before of abuse. It will last longer than ten cheap backpacks and be less it. The great handle from one expensive in the end. It does its form can fail miserably if placed For professional studio making; if job and does it well. on another pot. The decisions For professional studio mak- have to be made in some kind it’s not good, don’t keep making it. ing; if it’s not good, don’t keep of sequence, and that sequence Change something, anything that making it. Change something, can exaggerate or obliterate pre- anything that might improve existing strengths. The handle might improve things. The world things. The world does not may adjust a slight mismatch of does not need another poorly-made, need another poorly-made, low- body to spout, or exaggerate it quality, throw-it-away thing. into serious visual problems. low-quality, throw-it-away thing. Investing in quality is cheaper The pot isn’t fully alive Investing in quality is cheaper in in the long run, and investing when at rest, yet it must also be the long run, and investing in our in our personal existence (or enjoyed when it is still. It’s like that of our customers and col- sleep, which is good, but in doses personal existence (or that of our lectors) is worth every penny between other activities. It does customers and collectors) is worth and every hour. And figure out disappoint me when my pots how to make it well while mak- are not used for their generally every penny and every hour. ing it briskly, or you may break intended function, but if a user the bank. prefers something other than tea from the teapot, I would not For learning-focused making, we have to go through a few tons complain. At least they are pouring something from it. Just please of pots (a likely equivalent to the 10,000 practice hours of a skilled don’t put flowers in it—my skin may crawl off. activity which are necessary to be a virtuoso) to get to the good I consider the ceremony and ritual of others before and after ones, so accept making lots of bad pots. Every tenth one may be making or designing (drawing), never during. That would actually somewhat good, or even every fifth one. Eventually, nearly every interfere with my own ritual in making. pot coming out of our hands may be at least good, even great, or When I make, I am fully with that pot, that group of pots. Noth- maybe even quite excellent. Don’t loose sight of this, ever, or you ing else exists. I am connected in a quiet intensity to my hands, and may never get there. my hands to those forms. Part of my mind is not allowed to wake I propose that function isn’t; function does. It is defined by until I step back. Then I am in a different gear, one of brisk analysis its action, instead of its being. The functional pot invokes action of the parts, the balance, tension of a line, flow of a curve. There I on our parts, both as makers and users, and acts in its own right. decide a conscious, basic course of action, of reframing or redirecting, By being engaged, we and it continue to more fully exist. We do, and then I jump back in and make simultaneous, half-conscious, therefore we are. It does, therefore it is. It earns its existence by micro-decisions to make it do what it needs to do. serving us, giving us time, showing us time, and making that time I think of marketing strategies as design strategies. In this case, more noticed, more special, more true. it may not be simply “Build it and they will come” but “Build it In a world of fast, instantaneous change of state and engage- and then go find them.” If the work is good, get it where it needs ment—in cell phone/Facebook/Google/microwave land—time is to be to be seen by the people who will buy it. existence, and celebrating time reminds us that we are. I believe that good sales mechanics can probably sell just about anything, even if it is low quality. In my heart of hearts, I cannot www.tinagebhart.com

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 44 Creed Nuala by Diane Chin Lui

Nuala Creed’s sculptures of precious babies and sweet children draw our attention and entice our interest. Their innocence and helplessness draws out our humanity. The gas masks and weapons strapped to the babies startle and pique our curiosity. Her children pose lovingly with animals while endangered insects and birds swarm their heads as protective headgear. Babies bearing arms and children cradling en- dangered species challenge our sensibilities and force us to consider the impact of our present actions on future generations.

Nature Child, 43 in. (109 cm) in height, stoneware with stains, underglaze, and glaze, fired multiple times to cone 4, 04, 06, and 017, metal stand, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 45 In 2002, the White House invited Creed to create an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. She created a hummingbird or- nament, which can now be seen on her website (www.nualacreed.com). She wanted to express her feelings of opposition to President Bush’s policy on the war in Iraq but felt that was not the appropriate venue. And so, Creed created a Presidential Squadron series that features hum- mingbirds wearing different uniforms and toting weapons. This led to her Babes in Arms series, which further articulates her strong feelings against war, yet quietly challenges us to think about the serious topic of war. These handbuilt ceramic babies have beautiful wide-open eyes that dare you to look away from them. Some people may do just that—avert their eyes and back away in disgust at the thought of using babies to open a discussion about such a violent topic. For those who dare to think about war and the effects on babies, Creed starts a dialogue about children who may accept war as an everyday oc- currence because they have never experienced a day of peace. Is this what children of the future have to look forward to? One rosy-cheeked baby squeezes a doll in her sleep and lays her head on a missile used as a pillow. Another baby, with a bomb strapped across his back, holds a doll with a gas mask on its face. Weapons and war para- phernalia become toys and accessories to their everyday routine. Creed’s ceramic sculptures cut through the political rhetoric and appeal to our sense of responsibility to future generations of humanity. In their innocence, the babies do not know that weapons are lethal to themselves and others. A sitting baby in blue holds a rifle and stares out Frog Boy (detail), 20 in. (51 cm) in height, stoneware with stains, underglaze, and glaze, fired with wide-eyed wonder. A black and white target multiple times to cone 4, 04, and 06, 2008. has been painted on his back, above the belt of bullets that he wears. Young babies cannot de- fend themselves; that’s a job for adults. Babies are meant to be for a green future. Also, earth-tone glazes color their clothing, cuddled and loved. On the back of the baby’s blue helmet, “you carrying the theme forward. are special” has been printed above a pair of hands in a gesture All of Creed’s Eco Children are comfortable with their charges of prayer, which Creed places here as a hope for the baby’s safety and form engaging portraits. Nature Child proudly stands with and protection. her bird and animal friends. Colorful birds flock together to form With that same hope, Creed gently approaches the subject of her hairdo and playfully peer at the world around them. An owl the environment and childhood with her Eco Children series. Her and other birds nestle in the pockets of her dress. A family of commentary remains clear and centered on the future genera- squirrels and a rabbit sit in her back pockets. With a contented tions. As with the Babes in Arms, she continues to urge us to focus and peaceful countenance, she appears to enjoy nurturing and on ethics and values of cooperation and concern for others. With protecting her woodland friends. frogs, insects, and birds forming the children’s hair, Creed’s boys In contrast, Creed’s Frog Boy, in yellow rain boots, crouches and girls unite with nature to form a single force as advocates low to the ground, with a look of concern on his face. With sad

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 46 Babe in Arms, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, stoneware with stains, underglaze, and glaze, fired multiple times to cone 4, 04, 06, and 017, metal stand, 2007.

eyes, he studies a mutated brown frog with five legs instead of and perspective on the future. Through their presence, the chil- four. Brightly-colored rainforest frogs crowd and form his head- dren force us to think about the consequences that await future dress, as if they are constantly on his mind. The endangered generations. They also pull us back to the present and make us frogs may represent the boy’s thoughts and distress about the think about the human practices that may perpetuate a violent amphibians. In this way, Creed outlines her concerns about and polluted environment. the environment and the effect current conditions will have on Through her babies, dressed in cute clothing and pajamas, children and animals; namely, that it will be the job of today’s carrying oversized weapons, and children, who joyfully com- children to address issues of environmental destruction and mune with their insect and animal friends, Creed expresses her biological extinction. concerns with urgency. With clarity and passion, Creed’s ceramic Whether depicting babies as future warriors or children as art openly confronts and provokes us to think about our past and future stewards to our world, Creed appeals to a wide audience present actions and their affects on the future of humanity and with arguments and questions about our actions in the present on the environment.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 47 The MFA Factor We continue our series of profiles of ceramic graduate-study programs with a private school in Syracuse, New York, nestled between three cultural city giants.

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Across all studios, our overriding objective is to cultivate and enrich curiosities. We ask the individual to become comfortable with the uncertainties of risks, in exercising the freedom of the graduate experience to explore what they don’t know. We want them to become in- novators and practitioners of change in their respective studios and, at the same time, be cognizant of, and a willing advocate of, tradition. Teaching to the unapologetically functional vessel through to conceptually framed inquiries, the faculty promotes an Program Details open dialog with other disciplines. This has been the underlying strength of our • 3-year/ 60-credit MFA program. program through much of its110 year history. • Solo thesis exhibition required at the end The ceramics facility is housed in the ComArt complex, which is home to fibers/ of the program textiles, metal, printmaking, and sculpture, with a graduate population of approxi- mately 25 students. As a Level I private research university, there are numerous • Approximately 20 applicants per year institutional resources beyond those of this extensive and contemporary facility, • 1–2 accepted per year both abroad and on our urban campus. Regionally, the school is equidistant to • Graduate assistantships and stipend Montreal, New York City, and Toronto, often the destination points of one-day awarded to all full-time MFA students, seminar or class excursions. competitive full-tuition fellowships avail- able as well • Career-planning and job-placement as- sistance available Syracuse[Faculty] • Cost: Tuition: approximately $21,500 Graduate materials fee: $500

Margie Hughto

Margie Hughto, professor, earned her MFA degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA from Buffalo State University. Hughto, who has been teaching at Syracuse University for 36 years, is represented by Loveed Fine Arts in New York, New York. Left: Forest Sunset, 18 in. (46 cm) in width, stoneware, glass, and found objects, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2009. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 48 Errol Willett Facilities Highlights • 12,500 square-foot dedicated space • 200-square-foot private graduate studios • 50- and 125-cubic-foot downdraft, car kilns • 34-cubic-foot downdraft gas kiln • 40-cubic-foot soda kiln • 30-cubic-foot salt kiln • 15-cubic-foot outdoor gas kiln • Anagama kiln • Train-style wood kiln • Two 3-cubic-foot, one 10-cubic-foot raku kilns • Seven electric kilns • Three glass slumping/annealing electric kilns • Pit and experimental firing area with portable burner system • Clay mixers – large Soldner mixer, 500 lb. dough mixer, Bluebird mixer • Two pug mills • Walk-in spray booth • Two slab rollers • 20 wheels, kick and electric • Two extruders, one pneumatic • Dedicated spaces: materials room with forklift ac- Errol Willett, associate professor, received his BA from the cessible loading dock, critique gallery, plaster and University of Colorado, Boulder and his MFA in ceramics mold making room, wet and dry glaze labs from the Penn State University. He has been at Syracuse University for twelve years. His work has recently been shown at the Icheon World Ceramic Exposition Centre in Icheon, Korea, the Everson Biennial at the Everson Museum of Art, in Syracuse, New York, and the Limestone Gallery in Fayetteville, New York. Above: In the Same Boat, 14 ft. (4.3 m) in length, slab-built and press-molded stoneware, Peter Beasecker porcelain slip, terra sigillata, and coal, fired to cone 04 in an electric kiln, 2005.

Peter Beasecker, associate professor, recently joined the Syracuse faculty. He received his MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and a BA from Miami University. He is represented by Harvey Meadows Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, Santa Fe Clay in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Lacoste Gallery in Concord, Massachusetts. Right: Double vase, 18 in. (46 cm) in height, wheel- thrown porcelain, glaze, fired to cone 10 in reduction, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 49 THE MFA Factor

Elizabeth Fezzuoglio Syracuse[grad students]

Upon arrival I found the facilities to be amazing and the space and funding to be generous. There was a full range of learning experiences at Syracuse University, from an incredible visiting artist program to in-depth tech classes and a series of teaching opportunities as well as a very active ceramics club. From the very first day I was encouraged to take chances and explore. My studio practice was fairly free and flexible but it was tempered by regular and very serious critiques. I was very impressed that the faculty not only didn’t mind my showing while in school, they strongly encouraged it. It was a very important educational tool as it helped prepare me for the exhibition world. Syracuse University has to be one of the best kept secrets for graduate ceramic study. Ed Feldman

The main reason I chose to go to Syracuse was because the program is three years. That extra year will give me time to experiment with my work and absorb what I can from the faculty and my peers.

Randy Jones

Syracuse University offers a three-year program which provides me an extra year to experiment and develop a conceptual and material practice, network through a strong visiting artist program, and because of the schools central location, interact with larger cities, art institutions, and diverse art communities. After graduation, I will center on returning to the West coast. There I will continue to develop my ideas and studio practice, look for a teaching job to provide a steady income, focus on opportunities to show, and play an active role in the larger art community. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 50 Shawn O’Connor I took two years off between undergraduate and graduate school. I spent that time working, attending workshops, and participating in two different residency programs. When choosing a graduate school, I was looking for a change from the small, mostly commuter school where I received my undergraduate degree. I was impressed by the strong program and facilities that Syracuse University has to offer. My career plans for post-graduate school life are still up in the air, but working for non-profits has sparked my interest in that direction.

Tijana Djordjevic

I took almost four years off after undergraduate school. I worked at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for almost a year and I had a two year apprenticeship in Floyd, Virginia before entering graduate school. I chose Syracuse University because it has great facilities and an awesome faculty. The school continues to hire high quality faculty, showing a dedication to the program for the long term. Zach Dunn

Syracuse University was a great choice for me because I have the opportunity to learn in a foreign language from three great professors and try things we don’t have in Serbia, like firing in soda kilns and wood kilns.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 51 Roxanne Jackson: We Believe in Something By Christopher Atkins

Lyuba Twins, 9 ft. (2.7 m) in length, ceramic, glaze, flock, 2009.

“A gentle and reasonable being can be transformed into a maniac or a savage beast. One is always inclined to lay the blame on external circumstances, but nothing could explode in us if it had not been there.”—Carl Jung “You could say it’s my instinct. Yes I still have one.” —Neko Case

As we make lifestyle adjustments to minimize our impact on the Before she even begins her carefully molded sculptures, Jack- environment and do what we can to conserve natural resources, we son researches Native American folklore, gleans images from can’t help but be reminded how much we, as humans, will suffer the newspaper articles and nature magazines, and watches hours of effects of global climate change, pollution, and species extinction. After film. Amidst all of this material, she is particularly attentive to all, we’re animals too. But it hasn’t always been this easy to appreciate specific instances of transformation in which humans take on our connection to the natural world. There are innumerable argu- animal traits and vice-versa. Jackson’s White Diamond (2009) is ments for why humans and animals are different; we have an ability a buffalo head rendered in ceramic, white glaze, and flock. The to reason and make decisions, we have developed elaborate religious white buffalo is an important Native American symbol derived and economic systems, and we have attempted to control our instincts. from the story of a woman who first appeared to two hunters Roxanne Jackson’s ambitious two-gallery installation at the Minneapo- as a white buffalo. Since then, white buffaloes born in nature lis Institute of Arts’ Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program Galleries and captivity have come to be greeted as good luck but also as (www.artsmia.org), “We Believe in Something,” explores human and omens that mark an era of salvation and the restoration of Native animal interaction but also critiques the assumed differences between American culture. them. With ceramic sculptures, wall installations, and video she asks, In addition to religions and folklore, Jackson is equally interested among other questions, are we more alike than different? in the horror film genre as another realm in which the tensions be-

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 52 Above: Eat Your Heart Out, variable dimensions, ceramic, glaze, paint, and flocking, 2008. Above Right: White Diamond, 29 in. (74 cm) in height, ceramic, platinum gold luster, glaze, flocking, 2009. Monthly Methods tween humans and animals are played out. Werewolves, vampires, Fierce Fangs and Furry Flocking and zombies are just a few of the monsters we are most familiar Jackson’s ceramic sculptures are built solid and, once with. While many of these films are based on hunter-prey, kill-or- the clay becomes just beyond leather-hard, she hollows be-killed plot trajectories, they don’t make a direct appearance in out the form. Her work is bisque fired to cone 04 and her work. To her, “These images provoke a psychological simile glazed between the range of cone 06 and 04. Often, between animal and human, instinct and reason, the subconscious there is an additional gold or silver luster firing (cone and the conscious.” In Eat Your Heart Out (2008), a wolf’s snarled 018)—usually applied to the teeth of a piece. Jackson teeth and snout emerge glossy-red from the mouth of a human is interested in enhancing the quality of the glazed head. Her precisely molded and glistening glazed forms are both surface and accomplishes this by juxtaposing it near beautiful and grotesque, asking us to consider how animal in- a soft, matt material—usually felt flock fibers. For stincts are still part of and within human nature. instance, matt, gray flock, when placed adjacent to shiny red glaze, emphasizes both the saturated color Text excerpted from the exhibition brochure for “We Believe in and juicy quality of the glaze. Something,” written by Christopher Atkins, coordinator for the Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 53 Perfection Repair and Use By Megan Fizell

With the cup moving from the table to the shelf, the focus of ceramic production has shifted from utilitarian to decorative. The art market’s continual search for perfection has stripped bowls, cups, and plates of their personal history. Utilitarian objects carry the story of their use in chips and stains that are deemed imperfections by collectors and investors. It is within these cracks that the user experience is recorded, and an art form with many identical multiples (a set of plates in a dinner service for example) is able to assume an individuality between pieces. The idea that use is damage has been taken up by contemporary ceramists and explored within a temporal context. For example, British artist Bethan Laura Wood (www.woodlondon.co.uk) has designed her bone china cup series titled Stain to improve through use. Each cup is treated so that areas are susceptible to stain in a predetermined pattern. Through use, the pattern is revealed and the user’s individual drinking habits are built up over time. In her work, the history of the teacup, as denoted by the stain, becomes its defining factor. Temporal time is measured through the strength and saturation of the individual stain on the cup, and the decorative detail of the stain emphasizes user experience. The stain shifts from being an element that is typically restored to an item of beauty, thus challenging the assumption that use is damaging or bad. Rather than recording use, Reiko Kaneko’s work (www.reikokaneko.co.uk) freezes a moment

Bethan Laura Wood, Stain, with Spot (right) & Willow (left) patterns, hand-finished bone china, 2006.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 54 focus pots and function

Reiko Kaneko’s Lip Tease and Drip Tease teacups, 4 in. (11 cm) in length each with handle, 24k gold on fine bone china. in temporal time through the use of 24k gold. In both of her works Lip Tease and Drip Tease, a moment in time is frozen in the form of a blemish. Lip Tease glorifies a lipstick mark on the rim of a delicate teacup, while Drip Tease depicts what the title suggests, tea drips down the side of a cup. According to Kaneko, “The design suggests its future and its purpose as well as being an anchor point to compare your own marks to the existing ones.” And so, like Wood’s work, the emphasis is on user experience. The precious gold becomes a way to glorify patterns of use upon the surface of the teacup. Kaneko takes this idea one step further with her Crack of Thunder Plate (see page 57), which incorporates a delicate gold crack running through the center of the plate. The gold places the mark of damage at the initial point of production, turning it into a decorative form.

Typically, when there are delicate rivers of gold running Andy Brayman, Gold Lined Cup with Concealed Decoration, 4 in. (10 cm) in through the body of a vessel it is the mark of restoration. diameter, porcelain, 23k gold, platinum, 2007.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 55 Joana Meroz, The Ornamented Life— Crackery-Crockery, ready-made porcelain, gold-luster, self-made transfers, 2006.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 56 focus pots and function

Reiko Kaneko’s Crack of Thunder Plate, 10 inches diameter, porcelain, 24k gold on fine bone china.

Appearing in two different forms, gold lacquer repair is either a document wear, Brayman effectively glorifies the use of his cup. bonding adhesive holding together the cracked body of the vessel The ultimate celebration of imperfection through use is a series or a filler for missing portions of the rim or footing. Both methods of work titled The Ornamented Life—Crackery-Crockery by Joana employ a similar methodological technique of heating gold until Meroz (www.joanameroz.com). Reclaiming cast-off dishes, she it is liquid and either running it through the cracks to hold them gilds and fills in cracks and chips in the style of gold lacquer repair together or molding lacquer to fill a gap and then applying gold of old and then paints delicate flowers and plants sprouting from leaf over that. the damage. Meroz turns trash into usable art and incorporates the Essentially, by adding this precious metal to the chips and gold lacquer filling into the decorative ornamentation. The previ- cracks, the negative is turned into a positive. The delicate gold ous history of the discarded plate is embraced and its usability is cracks create beauty out of a damaged product and circumvent the restored for the story to continue. problems of discoloration and precise color matching. Ceramic artists have to be many things at once: sculptors who The idea of documentation of personal use is manifested in the create elegant forms, painters who create enticing images, and work by ceramic artist Andy Brayman (www.matterfactory.com) experts in the sciences to successfully glaze and fire their creations. as well. His porcelain cup titled Gold Lined Cup with Concealed Even though ceramics is such a technical and complex art form, Decoration (see page 55) is just that, a cup with a band of gold these artists have created work that celebrates the original concep- positioned where the user would hold it. Over time, the gold wears tual use of the everyday bowl, plate, or teacup. They have moved away through use and a message is revealed. Each cup is unique away from the idealized perfection commanded by art market and, furthermore, each pattern of wear would be unique as it is collectors. Although the form and decoration on these works of based on the individual’s specific cup-holding habits. art are beautiful, it is exciting to see work that encourages use Whereas Stain tracked temporal time through the additive and records personal history like a visual diary, marking moments nature of staining, Brayman reverses this by applying a precious and meals over a lifetime. metal to mark time through a reductive process. As mentioned earlier, traditionally, gold lacquer was used to repair cracks and the author Megan Fizell is an art specialist and writer of the art/food chips in porcelain. By using a material that was commonly used blog Feasting on Art, http://feasting-art.blogspot.com. She is currently a as an additive for repair and reversing it to be a reductive agent to gallery associate and a freelance photographer in Sydney, Australia.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 57 call for entries Deadlines for Exhibitions, Fairs, and Festivals Submit online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org international exhibitions digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. Jurors: Chuck Hin- ratxí, Balearic Islands 07141 Spain; [email protected]; des and Joe Zeller. Contact Dan Murphy, Utah State www.marratxi.es; 971-797-624. December 1, 2009 entry deadline University, Dept. of Art, 4000 Old Main Hill, Logan, California, Mission Viejo “Small Fish, Large Pot IV: Colorado, Erie “Call for 2011 Concurrent, Indepen- UT 84322; [email protected]; www.art.usu.edu; 4th International Small Teapot Show and Competi- dent Exhibition (CIE) proposals.” Contact Linda Gan- 435-797-3566. tion” (February 11–March 11, 2010) open to small strom, NCECA, 77 Erie Village Square, Erie, CO 80516; December 4, 2009 entry deadline teapots. Juried from actual work. Fee: $40 for three [email protected]; www.nceca.net; 866-266-2322. Minnesota, Elk River “Arts in Harmony” (February entries. Juror: Guanzhen Zhou. Contact Tony Huntley, Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Pkwy., Mis- Pennsylvania, Philadelphia “Tell-Tale Tiles & Fractured 8–March 25, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: sion Viejo, CA 92692; [email protected]; Fantasies” (March 19–April 19, 2010) open to tile work. $30 for two entries. Jurors: Marian Ortolf Bagley and http://gallery.saddleback.edu/; 949-582-4401. Juried from digital. Fee: $45 for three entries. Juror: George Robinson. Contact Elk River Arts Alliance, PO Susan Tunick. Contact Sheila Menzies, Tile Heritage Box 737, Elk River, MN 55330; [email protected]; December 18, 2009 entry deadline Foundation, PO Box 1850, Healdsburg, CA 95448; www.elkriverart.org. Minnesota, St. Paul “3rd Biennial Concordia Conti- [email protected]; www.tileheritage.org; December 11, 2009 entry deadline nental Ceramics Competition” (January 28–February 707-431-8453. Spain, Sa Cabaneta “Bienal Internacional de Cerámica 19, 2010) open to residents of North and Central Utah, Logan “Ceramics West” (January 11–Febru- America. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $30 for three de Marratxi” (May 29–July 10, 2010). Juried from entries. Juror: Wil Shynkaruk. Contact Marko Fields, ary 6, 2010) open to artists in the US, Canada, and digital. Contact Area de Cultura del Ayuntamiento Concordia University, St. Paul, 1301 Marshall Ave., St. Mexico, works not exceeding 36 in. Juried from de Marratxí, C. Santa Bárbara s/n, Sa Cabaneta, Mar- Paul, MN 55104; [email protected]; www.csp.edu/art; 612-978-0069. December 31, 2009 entry deadline France, Vallauris “XXI International Biennial of Val- lauris (BICC)” (July–November 2010). Juried from digital. Contact Comite de la Biennale, Biennale Internationale de Vallauris (BICC), Hotel de Ville, Place Jacques Ca- vasse, Vallauris, 06220 France; [email protected]; www.vallauris-golfe-juan.fr; 04 93 64 34 67. January 8, 2010 entry deadline Colorado, Snowmass Village “Call for solo exhibition proposals“ (February 9–March 2, 2010). Contact Doug Casebeer, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, PO Box 5598, Snowmass Village, CO 81615; [email protected]; www.andersonranch.org; 970-923-3181. January 15, 2010 entry deadline Illinois, Peoria “2nd Biennial Central Time Ceramics” (March 4–April 2, 2010) open to artists in the Central Time Zone, including Canada and Mexico. Juried from digital. Fee: $40 for five entries. Juror: Matt Wilt. Contact Elizabeth Kauffman, Bradley University, Heuser Art Center, 1501 W. Bradley Ave., Peoria, IL 61625; [email protected]; slane.bradley.edu/bug; 309- 677-2989. January 20, 2010 entry deadline Florida, West Palm Beach “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” (March 2–16, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Contact Helen Otterson, Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33401; [email protected]; www.armoryart.org; 561-832-1776. February 4, 2010 entry deadline Illinois, Chicago “21st Annual Teapot Show” (April 4–May 16, 2010) open to teapots. Fee: $25. Contact Joan Houlehen, A. Houberbocken, Inc., PO Box 196, Cudahy, WI 53110; [email protected]; 414-481-4000. Louisiana, New Orleans “Curate This! 2010: Den- ver” (June 24–August 12, 2010). Fee: $30. Contact, BECA, 527 Saint Joseph St., New Orleans, LA 70130; [email protected]; www.becagallery.com; 504- 566-8999. February 6, 2010 entry deadline California, Lincoln “Feats of Clay XXIII” (April 24–May 31, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for one entry; $25 for two entries; $30 for three entries. Juror: Bill VanGilder. Contact Claudia Renati, Lincoln Arts & Culture Foundation, 580 Sixth St., Lincoln, CA 95648; [email protected]; www.lincolnarts.org; 916-645-9713. February 19, 2010 entry deadline Italy “Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition 2010” open to ceramic tiles. Juried from digital. Contact Novità Communications, Italy; [email protected]; www.tilecompetition.com. March 5, 2010 entry deadline Ohio, Kettering “Call for proposals for 2011 solo exhibition schedule.” Contact Amy Anderson, Rose- wood Gallery, Rosewood Arts Centre, 2655 Olson Dr., Kettering, OH 45420; [email protected]; www.ketteringoh.org; 937-296-0294. united states exhibitions December 15, 2009 entry deadline Florida, West Palm Beach “Spin a Tale of Love” (Feb- ruary 8–20, 2010). Juried from actual work. Fee: $48. Contact Ilene Adams, Flamingo Clay Studio, 605 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, FL 33460; [email protected]; www.thespindleproject.org; 215-2056-9441. December 16, 2009 entry deadline Illinois, LaGrange “Pour” (January 16–February 17, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. Juror: David Toan. Contact David Toan, Terra Incognito Studios and Gallery, 35 S. LaGrange Rd., LaGrange, IL 60525; [email protected]; www.terraincognitostudios.com; 708-352-1401. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 58 2010/2011 Artists’ residency ProgrAm Online applicatiOn deadline: February 1, 2010 http://andersonranch.slideroom.com andersonRanch.org/residencies

Margaret Bohls debra Fritts pete pinnell 2010 summer workshoPs ted adleR, MaRgaRet BOhls, Kathy ButteRly, dOug caseBeeR, tOM cOleMan, deBRa FRitts, andRea gill, JOhn gill, chRis gustin, saM haRvey, JasOn hess, ReBecca hutchinsOn, FRanK MaRtin, lORna Meaden, alleghany MeadOws, lisa ORR, pete pinnell, Jeanne Quinn, KaRi Radasch, pelusa ROsenthal, Ralph scala, JOhn tOKi

Post Office Box 5598 Snowmass Village, CO 81615 P 970/923-3181 F 970/923-3871 AndersonRanch.org

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 59 call for entries

December 21, 2009 entry deadline cups, and tea accessories. Juried from digital. Fee: Dean Adams. Contact Anderson Turner, Downtown Arizona, Flagstaff “Small Gems” (February 1–28, $35 for three entries. Contact Christine Bevilacqua, Gallery, Kent State University School of Art, 141 2010) open to entries no larger than 5.5x3x1in. Juried Newport Potters Guild, 302 Thames St., Newport, E. Main St., Kent, OH 44240; [email protected]; from digital. Fee: $20 for three entries. Juror: Bruce Horn. RI 02840; [email protected]; http://dept.kent.edu/art; 330-672-7853. Contact Joan Pevarnik, The Artists Gallery, 17 N San Fran- www.newportpottersguild.com; 401-619-4880. Texas, San Angelo “The 18th San Angelo National cisco St., Flagstaff, AZ 86046; [email protected]; January 18, 2010 entry deadline Ceramic Competition” (April 16–June 20, 2010). Con- www.flagstaffartistsgallery.com; 928-773-0958. Colorado, Grand Junction “3rd Biennial Contem- tact Karen Zimmerly, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, December 31, 2009 entry deadline porary Clay 2010” (May 14–June 26, 2010). Juried 1 Love St., San Angelo, TX 76903; [email protected]; Texas, Denton “42nd Annual Visual Arts Exhibi- from digital or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. www.samfa.org; 325-653-3333. tion” (April 22–May 28, 2010). Juried from digital Juror: Pete Pinnell. Contact Cheryl McNab, The Art February 3, 2010 entry deadline or slides. Fee: $35. Juror: Melissa Miller. Contact Center, 1803 N. 7th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501; New York, Rochester “College Clay Collective” Deanna Wood, Visual Arts Society of Texas, PO Box [email protected]; www.gjartcenter.org; (April 2–30, 2010) open to artists currently enrolled 1281, Denton, TX 76202; [email protected]; 970-243-7337. in college. Juried from digital. Fee: $15 for three www.vastarts.org. February 2, 2010 entry deadline entries; $20 for five entries. Juror: Bonnie Seeman. January 15, 2010 entry deadline Ohio, Kent “10th Annual National Juried Cup Contact Kate Whorton, Genesee Pottery, 713 Monroe Rhode Island, Newport “Newport’s Tea by the Show” (March 5–27, 2010) open to cups not exceed- Ave., Rochester, NY 14607; [email protected]; Sea” (March 1–April 1, 2010) open to teapots, tea- ing 12x12x12 in. Juried from digital. Fee: $15. Juror: www.geneseearts.org; 585-271-5183. March 5, 2010 entry deadline Arizona, Prescott “Call for exhibition proposals for 2011–2013 exhibition schedule” (October). Juried from digital or slides. Contact Michael P. Gallagher, Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, AZ 86301; [email protected]; www.yc.edu/content/artgallery; 928-776-2031. regional exhibitions December 12, 2009 entry deadline California, Pomona “Ink & Clay 36” (March 18–May 1, 2010) open to residents of CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, ND, SD, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, and WY. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $20 for three entries. Juror: Elaine Levin. Contact Patrick Merrill, Kellogg Art Gallery, California State Polytechnic University, 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768; [email protected]; www.csupomona.edu. December 31, 2009 entry deadline Washington, Bellevue “BAM Biennial 2010: Clay Throwdown” (August 28, 2010–January 16, 2011) open to artists in the Northwest region including AK, British Columbia, ID, MT, OR, and WA. Juried from digital. Fee: $35 for 10–20 images. Jurors: Stefano Catalani, Namita Wiggers, Akio Takamori, and Bif Brigman. Contact Mark W. Crawford, Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004; [email protected]; www.bellevuearts.org; 425-519-0770. February 13, 2010 entry deadline California, Davis “2010 California Clay Competion” Functional and sculptural work. Fee: $15 per entry. Juror: Stan Welsh. Contact The Artery, 207 G St., Da- vis, CA 95616; [email protected]; www.theartery.net; 530-758-8330. March 1, 2010 entry deadline Texas, Houston “CraftTexas 2010” (September 25, 2010–January 9, 2011) open to TX artists. Juried from digital. Fee: $35. Jurors: Gail M. Brown, Cindy Hickok, and Paula Owen. Contact Mary Headrick, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main St., Houston, TX 77002; [email protected]; www.crafthouston.org; 713-529-4848. fairs, festivals and sales December 8, 2009 entry deadline New Jersey, Tinton Falls “40th Anniversary of Monmouth Festival of the Arts” (April 17–21, 2010). Juried from actual work or digital. Fee: $20. Contact Rose Grossman, Mon- mouth Festival of the Arts, 332 Hance Ave., Tinton Falls, NJ 07726; [email protected]; www.monmouthfestivalofthearts.com; 732-747-8278. January 25, 2010 entry deadline Wisconsin, Cambridge “Cambridge Pottery Festival & US Pottery Games” (June 12–13, 2010). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $25. Contact Wendy Brabender, Cambridge Pottery Festival & US Pottery Games, PO Box 393, Cambridge, WI 53523; [email protected]; www.cambridgepotteryfestival.org; 608-423-3164. January 29, 2010 entry deadline Washington, Bellevue “2010 BAM Artsfair” (July 23– 25, 2010). Fee: $40. Jurors: Pamela Belyea, Davira Taragin, and Lewis Wexler. Contact Mark W. Crawford, Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004; [email protected]; www.bellevuearts.org; 425-519-0770. February 10, 2010 entry deadline Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh “Three Rivers Arts Festival” (June 4–13, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $25. Contact Sonja Sweterlitsch, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 803 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222; [email protected]; www.artsfestival.net; 412-471-3191. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 60 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 61 new books

Unpacking the Collection: the evolution of the museum as a community Selections from the Museum of resource, drawing connections between the col- Contemporary Craft lection and the museum’s exhibition history. It by Namita Gupta Wiggers also connects regional history for the Northwest Featuring selected works from the collection of to the American Craft Movement. the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, The book showcases many early and transi- Oregon, this book documents how changes in tional works by craft artists who have become artistic practices have affected craft from the 1930s leaders in the field. Works from different stages to the present. Using artwork, essays by Glenn of various artists’ careers, are separated into chap- Adamson and Janet Koplos, texts by the museum ters organized by decade. Chapters begin with a curator Namita Gupta Wiggers, archival photos discussion of an overarching theme or focus of and an exhibition chronology, the book charts the museum’s acquisitions and mission for that

time frame as well as the emphasis and concerns of the larger craft movement in the country. Because of the predecessor to the museum’s early focus on ceramics (it was originally founded as the Oregon Ceramics Studio in the 1930s), the book contains many details about the emerging crafts movement in the Northwest, with a specific focus on the pre- and post- World War II ceramic artists who settled in the area, came to the studio to do workshops, or participate in exhibitions as the American Craft movement was beginning to be defined. Works investigating and responding to Mod- ernism, Mingei and Folk Art, Abstract Expression- ism, Land Art, Funk Art, the Super Object, and the pluralism of Post-Modernism are discussed as are an interest among a number of artists in integrating elements of European and Asian de- sign. Situating the artwork within the historical time periods and the larger cultural and artistic movements as well as noting their importance and connection to a single arts organization helps readers to understand the artists’ intent, while also seeing the institution’s role in supporting and connecting artists. The many artists working in clay who are represented in the book include Laura Andreson, Robert Arneson, Rudy Autio, Fred Bauer, Frank Boyden, Elaine and Tom Coleman, Ruth Duck- worth, Ken Ferguson, Betty Feves, Ray Grimm, Otto and Vivika Heino, Wayne Higby, Howard Kottler, Glen Lukens, Bodil Manz, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, John Mason, Hal Riegger, David Shaner, Paul Soldner, Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, and Betty Woodman, among others. 136 pages, 158 images, 116 in color. Pa- perback, $35. ISBN: 0-9728981-3-1. Pub- lished by Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis St., Portland OR, 97209; [email protected]; www.MuseumofContemporaryCraft.org. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 62 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 63 calendar Conferences, Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs submit listings at www.ceramicsmonthly.org

conferences California, San Diego February 5 to February 7, North Carolina, Asheboro March 5 to March Alabama, Dothan February 19 to February 21, 2010 2010 “Porcelain: Potters Council Regional Confer- 7, 2010 “24th Annual North Carolina Potters Con- “Alabama Clay Conference 25: Rhythms, Generation, ence,” with Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Meira ference,” with Bruce Cochrane, Sara Jaeger, Lorna Re-Generation,” with Marko Fields, Spencer MacCal- Mathison, and Tom Turner. Contact Potters Council, Meaden, Elaine Olafson-Henry, Anthony Schaller and lum, Brian Nettles, Juan Quezada, and Lana Wilson. 600 N. Cleveland Ave. Ste. 210, Westerville, OH Jeff Zawek. Fee: $175. Contact, Randolph Arts Guild, PO Contact, Troy University and Alabama Crafts Council, 43082; [email protected]; www.potterscouncil.org; Box 1033, Asheboro, NC 27205; [email protected]; 500 University Dr., Dothan, AL 36303; [email protected]; 866-721-3322. www.randolphartsguild.com; 336-629-0399. www.alclayconference.org; 334-670-3375. Florida, Pensacola February 11 to February 13, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia March 31 to April California, Laguna Beach January 31 to Febru- 2010 “Gulf Coast Clay Conference and Woodstoke 3, 2010 “NCECA 2010: 44th Annual Conference.” ary 4, 2010 “Paperclay Today,” with Rosette Gault Festival,” with Patrick Bodine, John Brit, Bill Clover, Contact Dori Nielsen, NCECA, 77 Erie Village, Suite 280, and Graham Hay. Contact Linda Saville, Laguna Steve Dark, Jason Stokes, and Anne Halley Webb. Erie, CO 80516; [email protected]; www.nceca.net; Beach Ceramics, 31071 Monterey St., Laguna Beach, Fee: $95. Contact, Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society, 7507 866-266-2322. CA 92651; [email protected]; Buckeye Dr., Navarre, FL 32566; [email protected]; Canada, Burnaby March 13, 2010 “5th Trien- www.lagunabeachceramics.com; 949-499-7446. www.gulfcoastkilnwalk.org; 850-939-7972. nial Canadian Clay Symposium: Aesthetics,” with Robert Baron, Kathryn Finnerty, Amy Gogarty, Don Hutchinson, Les Manning, D’arcy Margesson, Gailan Ngan, Alwyn O’Brien, Peter Powning, Jack Troy, and Kathy Venter. Fee: $124.95. Contact, Canadian Clay Collective, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; www.canadianclaysymposium.ca; 604-291-6864. Denmark, Skælskør November 3 to December 16 “Network 2009: Symposium.” Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Jernbanevej 14, st. tv., Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Denmark, Skælskør January 5 to February 17, 2010 “Network 2009: Symposium.” Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Jernbanevej 14, st. tv., Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Germany, Bröllin September 3 to September 5, 2010 “1st European Woodfire Conference.” Contact Markus Böhm, First European Woodfire Conference, Alt Gaarz 6, Lärz, D-17248 Germany; [email protected]; www.woodfire.net. solo exhibitions California, Beverly Hills October 9 to December 12 “Picasso Ceramics 1947-1969,” works by Pablo Picasso; a, 179 S. Beverly Dr. California, Davis December 2 to December 20 “New Work,” works by Shalene Valenzuela; at John Natsoulas Center for the Arts, 521 First St. California, Pomona September 12 to January 9, 2010 “A Timeless Legacy,” works by Harrison McIntosh; at American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave. California, San Diego November 14 to December 12 “Featured Artist Presentation,” works by Mari Page; at San Diego Sculptors Guild and Gallery, Spanish Vil- lage #36 Balboa Park. California, San Francisco November 18 to December 1 “Gratitude: 63 Bowls for My 63 Years,” works by Bonita Cohn; at Ruby’s Clay Studio and Gallery, 552A Noe St. Colorado, Denver December 4 to December 28 “Retrospective: 1973-2009,” works by Jonathan Ka- plan; at Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. Maryland, Bethesda November 13 to December 5 “Dye, Stitch, Join,” works by Laura Peery; at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East West Hwy. Massachusetts, Boston December 5 to January 18, 2010 “Striking Balance,” works by Randy Johnston; at Pucker Gallery, 171 Newbury St. Michigan, Detroit January 15 to March 7, 2010 “New Work,” works by William DePauw; at Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson Ave. Michigan, Midland October 17 to January 3, 2010 “Pareidolia,” works by James Freeman; a, 1801 W St. Andrews Rd. Minnesota, Minneapolis November 22 to January 3, 2010 “Light Sculptures,” works by Margaret O’Rorke; at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave. E. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 64 Visit us at ceramic artsdaily.org

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Ceramic Publications Company, 600 N. Cleveland Avenue, Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082 Phone: 866-721-3322 Fax: 614-794-5842 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 65 calendar solo exhibitions

Missouri, Sedalia October 3 to December 6 “An- The Netherlands, Delft November 28 to December drogyny,” works by Sergei Isupov; at Daum Museum 31 “New Work,” works by Daphné Corregan; at Gallery of Contemporary Ar, State Fair Community College, Terra Delf, Nieuwstraat 7. 3201 W. 16th St. The Netherlands, Deventer November 22 to Montana, Red Lodge December 1 to December December 24 “New Work,” works by Philippe Dubuc; 31 “Featured Artis,” works by Jenny Mendes; at Red at Loes & Reinier International Ceramics, Korte As- Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. senstraat 15. New Jersey, Springfield November 16 to De- Switzerland, Geneva May 7 to January 11, 2010 cember 29 “Frogs, Friends & Fireplaces: Through the “+ PT Projects,” works by Philippe Barde; at Musée Seasons with Earthsongs Studio,” works by Linda Ariana, Ave. de la Paix 10. Vonderschmidt-Lastella; at 66 Mountain Ave. group ceramics exhibitions New Jersey, Union November 3 to December 17 “Monoprints and Clay,” works by Kathy Erteman; at Arizona, Scottsdale December 3 to December 31 Kean University Art Galleries, 1000 Morris Ave. “Double Vision: Reinterpreting a Classic Zuni Jar”; at New Mexico, Santa Fe October 30 to December King Galleries of Scottsdale, 7100 Main St., #1. 5 “Harmony and Dissonance,” works by Chris Staley; California, Bakersfield November 6 to December at Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. 19 “Three Oakland Potters,” works by Jason Dunn, New York, New York October 22 to December 5 Noelle Nakama, and Hue Yang; at Surface Gallery, “On Tender Hooks,” works by Beth Cavener Stichter; 1703 20th St. at Claire Oliver, 513 W. 26th St. California, Berkeley November 21 to December New York, New York December 9 to February 12, 24 “Bi Costals,” works by Trent Burkett and Michael 2010 “New Work,” works by Yoshikawa Masamichi; at Connelly; at TRAX Gallery, 1812 Fifth St. Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., 39 E. 78th St., 4th Fl. California, Davis December 23 to January 24, 2010 New York, Woodstock November 21 to January “Trompe L’Oeil,” works by Malia Landis, Marilyn Levine, 3, 2010 “The Time is Now,” works by Craig Wood; Emma Luna, Richard Shaw, Victor Spinski, Claudia at Woodstock Artists Association & Museum, 28 Tarantino, and Shalene Valenzuela; at John Natsoulas Tinker St. Center for the Arts, 521 First Street. North Carolina, Bakersville November 7 to Decem- California, Fresno November 5 to December 19 ber 31 “Yakishime-Kohiki-Yuuyaku,” works by Akira Sat- “Intimate Cups”; at Clay Mix, 1003 N. Abby St. ake; at Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 Crimson Laurel Wy. California, Novato December 5 to December 28 North Carolina, Bakersville November 7 to De- “Contemporary Concepts in Clay and Glass: ACGA cember 31 “Lindsay Rodgers,” works by New Work; at Invitational,” works by Jane Burgon, Michelle Collier, Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 Crimson Laurel Way. Jane Grimm, Carol Koffel, Tuppy Lawson, Barbara Glynn Ohio, Canton November 27 to March 7, 2010 Prodaniuk, Gary Marsh, Joyce Sakato Rau, and Charlene “Forty Five,” works by Terri Kern; at Canton Museum Doiron Reinhart; at MarinMOCA, 500 Palm Dr. of Ar, 1001 Market Ave. N. California, Oakland November 24 to January Ohio, Cleveland November 6 to December 19 “The 15, 2010 “Juried Annual 2010”; at Pro Arts Gallery, Cleveland Ceramics,” works by Yasuhisa Kohyama; at 550 Second St. The Sculpture Center, 1834 E. 123rd St. California, San Rafael October 16 to January 2, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia January 8 to January 2010 “Out of the Fire: Clay & Glass from ACGA”; at 31, 2010 “New Work,” works by Nathan Prouty; at Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave. The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. California, Walnut Creek December 1 to Janu- Pennsylvania, Philadelphia January 8 to February ary 31, 2010 “Objects of Virtue: A National Exhibit 14, 2010 “The Origins of Allegories,” works by Steve of Contemporary Pottery”; at Bedford Gallery, 1601 Thurston; at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Civic Dr. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia January 8 to January Colorado, Denver December 4 to December 28 31, 2010 “New Work,” works by Deborah Schwartz- “Plinth Gallery Retrospective 2009,” works by Dan kopf; at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Anderson, Conner Burns, Amanda Jaffe, Suzanne Kane, Texas, Johnson City October 24 to January 5, Danny Meisinger, Peter Saenger, Kevin Snipes and Russel 2010 “Recent Works,” works by Danville Chadbourne; Wrankle; at Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd. at Kirchman Galleries, 213 N. Nugent Ave. Vermon, Bennington November 14 to December District of Columbia, Washington April 1 to 26 “New Work,” works by Molly Hatch; at The Ben- January 1, 2010 “Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast nington Museum, 75 Main St. (Rt. 9). Asia”; at Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institu- Washington, Bellevue October 10 to January tion, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. 31, 2010 “Bright Abyss,” works by Robert Sperry; at Georgia, Sautee Nacoochee September 1 to Au- Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. gust 31, 2010 “International Folk Pottery Exhibition”; Wisconsin, Racine September 20 to January 17, at Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, Georgia 2010 “Collection Focus,” works by Michael Lucero; at Hwy 255, Sautee Nacoochee Center. Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St. Iowa, Iowa City November 13 to December 4 “30 x Australia, Surry Hills November 21 to January 5: Ceramics Invitational”; at AKAR, 257 E Iowa Ave. 31, 2010 “Living Treasures: Masters of Australian Louisiana, New Orleans November 12 to Decem- Craft,” works by Jeff Mincham; at Object Gallery, St. ber 13 “Art of the Cup: Functional Comfort”; at Ogden Margarets, 417 Bourke St. Museum of Southern Ar, 925 Camp St. Canada, Aurora November 4 to December 5 Massachusetts, Brockton June 6 to January 3, “The Great Umbrella Caper,” works by Ann Mor- 2010 “The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories”; at Fuller timer; at Church Street School Cultural Centre, 22 Craft Museum, 455 Oak St. Church St. Massachusetts, Northampton October 9 to Febru- England, London November 18 to December 18 ary 28, 2010 “Touch of Fire: Contemporary Japanese “New Work,” works by Hans Vangsø; at Galerie Besson, Ceramics by Women Artists”; at Smith College Museum 15 Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond St. of Ar, Elm St. at Bedford Terr. The Netherlands, Amsterdam January 16 to Febru- Massachusetts, Pittsfield November 21 to Janu- ary 13, 2010 “Costume,” works by Anita Manshanden; ary 9, 2010 “Paper or Pottery not Plastic”; at Ferrin at Galerie Carla Koch, Veemkade 500. Gallery, 437 North St. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 66 potters council potters Potters Council — Making a Difference!

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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 67 calendar group exhibitions Michigan, Ann Arbor November 1 to December 5 “25th Anniversary Invitational Exhibit,” works by JT Abernathy, Royce Disbrow, Shirley Knudsvig, Yiu Keung Lee, Roann Ogawa, John Stephenson, Bobbi Stevens, Shirley White-Black, Donna Williams, and Monica Wilson; at Clay Gallery, 335 S. Main St. Montana, Red Lodge January 8 to January 30, 2010 “Inferno”; at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. New Jersey, Newark September 23 to January 10, 2010 “100 Masterpieces of Art Pottery, 1880-1930”; at The Newark Museum, 49 Washington St. New Mexico, Santa Fe December 11 to January 23, 2010 “New Work,” works by Peter Beasecker and Edward Eberle; at Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. New York, Eastchester December 4 to December 6 “Eastchester Exhibition,” works by Robin Ascher, Yaffa Barelkovsky, Kate Poland, Marilyn Price, Sally Spielvogel, and Audrey Worman; at 11 Oakridge Pl. New York, New York January 7 to February 7, 2010 “Studio Pottery and Mid-Century Style: A Period Room Installation”; at Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. New York, New York November 11 to December 4 “Eastern Departures: Ceramic Artists of Eastern Japan”; at Joan B. Mirviss Ltd., 39 E. 78th St., 4th Fl. New York, New York January 20 to January 24, 2010 “Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware”; at National Academy of Design Museum, 1083 Fifth Ave. North Carolina, Charlotte October 3 to December 23 “Interpreting Wabi-Sabi,” works by Alice Ballard, Ahmad Sabha, and Michael Sherrill; at Hodges Taylor Gallery, 401 North Tryon St. North Carolina, Seagrove November 10 to January 30, 2010 “Fire in the Valley: Catawba Valley Pottery Then and Now”; at North Carolina Pottery Center, 233 East Ave., PO Box 531. Ohio, Columbus November 15 to December 31 “New Work,” works by Elaine Coleman and Tom Cole- man; at Sherrie Gallerie, 694 N. High St. Virginia, Alexandria November 30 to January 3, 2010 “Gifts from the Earth”; at Scope Gallery at The Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St. Virginia, Williamsburg January 1 to December 31 “Inspiration and Ingenuity: American Stoneware”; at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, 325 W. Francis St. Virginia, Williamsburg May 29 to January 2, 2011 “Pottery with a Past: Stoneware in Early America”; at DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 325 W. Francis St. Washington, Bellevue November 2 to Decem- ber 9 “Three/Solo,” works by Jacob Foran; a, 3000 Landerholm Cir. SE. Canada, Toronto September 2 to January 10, 2010 “For the First Time Recent Acquisitions 2005-2009”; at Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Ar, 111 Queen’s Park. England, London September 30 to December 20 “Terra Incognita: Italy’s Ceramics Revival”; at Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Ar, 39A Canonbury Sq. England, London September 1 to March 1, 2010 “Objects of Luxury: French Porcelain of the Eighteenth Century”; at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd. France, Paris December 10 to January 23, 2010 “Forms of Freedom,” works by Guidette Carbonell, Denyse Gatard, Mado Jolain, Elisabeth Joulia, Jacqueline Lera, Suzanne Ramie, Valentine Schlegel, and Vera Szekely; at Galerie Anne Sophie Duval, 5 Quai Malaquais. Germany, Berlin November 21 to January 25, 2010 “Allerhand Weihnachtliches aus Keramik”; at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Schustehrusstr. 13. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 68 2 New Releases And Great Gift Ideas

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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 69 calendar group exhibitions

The Netherlands, Leeuwarden November 29 to Arkansas, Little Rock through December 10 “Form California, Santa Barbara through January March 14, 2010 “New Loves,” works by Karel Appel, James Follows Function or Does It?,” including ceramic works 28, 2011 “Ceramics Rediscovered: Science Shapes Brown, Caroline Coolen, Johan Creten, Hella Jongerius, by Judith Duff, Gerard Justin Ferrari, and Elizabeth Rob- Understanding of Hispanic Life in Early California”; at Pablo Picasso, Bas van Beek, and Anne Wenzel; at Ceramic inson; at University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Dept. of Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, 123 E. Museum Princessehof, Grote Kerkstraat 11. Fine Arts- Ceramics, 2801 S. University Ave. Canon Perdido St. Spain, Barcelona October 1 to January 30, 2010 California, Novato December 5 to December 28 District of Columbia, Washington August 7 to “Elegance and Minimalism: Imperial Chinese Porcelain “The Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California January 3, 2010 “Renwick Craft Invitational 2009,” from the Baur Collection”; at Museu de Ceràmica, Palau Invitational: Contemporary Concepts in Clay and Glass”; including ceramic works by Christyl Boger and SunKoo Reial de Pedralbes, Av Diagonal 686. at MarinMOCA, 500 Palm Dr. Yuh; at Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American ceramics in multimedia California, San Diego March 29 to January 10, Art Museum, Pennsylvania Ave. at 17 St., NW. exhibitions 2010 “Masters of Mid-Century California Modernism,” Maine, Lewiston through December 18 “Spineless Alaska, Anchorage December 4 to January 3, 2010 including ceramic works by Evelyn Ackerman and Jerome Wonders, Inspiring Invertebrates”; at Atrium Gallery, Ackerman; at Mingei International Museum, Balboa “Earth, Fire and Fibre XXVII”; at Anchorage Museum University of Southern Maine, 51 Westminster St. at Rasmuson Center, 625 C St. Park, 1439 El Prado. New York, Corning through January 3, 2010 “Las Artes de Mexico”; at Rockwell Museum of Western Ar, 111 Cedar St. Ohio, Kettering through December 11 “HWD 2009”; at Rosewood Gallery, Rosewood Arts Centre, 2655 Olson Dr. Pennsylvania, Reading through January 3, 2010 “GoggleWorks 5th Annual Artist Exhibition”; at GoggleWorks, 201 Washington St. Pennsylvania, Reading December 1 to December 28 “Teach Art - Make Art: An Art Educators Exhibition”; at GoggleWorks, 201 Washington St. Pennsylvania, Wayne December 4 to January 23, 2010 “Craft Forms 2009”; at Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave. Washington, Bellevue May 19 to January 3, 2010 “The Self Transparent,” including ceramic works by Judy Hill; at Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. Wisconsin, Racine August 9 to January 17, 2010 “New and Novel 2009: Recent Gifts to RAM’s Collec- tion”; at Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St. Australia, North Fremantle through to December 12 “Northern Lights - Southern Exposure,” including ceramic works by Sandra Black, Trudy Ellen Golley, Paul W. Leathers and Grace Nickel; at Perth Galleries, 92 Stirling Hwy. England, Bovey Tracey through January 3, 2010 “Wrapped Up”; at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill. England, Halifax through December 7 “Solid Foundation, Show 1,” including ceramic works by Rebecca Appleby, Zachary Eastwood Bloom, Emily Stubbs, Claire Wood, Amy Hughes, Jo Lee and Wilma Stone; at Solid Foundation, Floor 3, The Artworks, Shaw Lodge Mills. England, Leeds July 11 to January 19, 2010 “All I Want For Christmas II”; at The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, City Art Gallery, The Headrow. England, Leeds July 11 to January 19, 2010 “Northern Lights II”; at The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, City Art Gallery, The Headrow. England, London through February 5, 2010 “Trans- formations”; at Flow Gallery, 1-5 Needham Rd. England, London December 2 to January 2 “Silhou- ettes and Filigree,” including ceramic works by Charlotte Hodes; at Marlborough Fine Ar, 6 Albemarle St. The Netherlands, Amsterdam June 20 to January 31, 2010 “At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century”; at Hermitage Amsterdam, Amstel 51. The Netherlands, Deventer through December 24 “New Work,” including ceramic works by Fanny Acquard-Gensollen; at Loes & Reinier International Ceramics, Korte Assenstraat 15. fairs, festivals and sales California, Pomona December 12 “Winter Art and Pottery Market”; at American Museum of Ceramic Ar, 340 S. Garey Ave. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 70 Full-time tenure-track faculty positions for Fall 2010 Application deadline January 11, 2010

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 71 It’s that time again, our...... calendar fairs, festivals, and sales Annual Winter California, Pomona through January 9, 2010 “Holiday Sale”; at Armstrong’s, 150 E. 3rd St. Connecticut, Brookfield through December 31 SALE “34th Annual Holiday Sale”; at Brookfield Craft Center, 286 Whisconier Rd., Rt. 25. Connecticut, Middletown through December 12 Save up to 70% “Gifted Hands: Wesleyan Potters 54th Annual Exhibit and Sale”; at Wesleyan Potters, 350 S. Main St. and more on over Connecticut, South Windsor December 5 to 800 books, December 13 “34th Annual Holiday Open Studio”; at Greenleaf Pottery, 240 Chapel Rd. videos, and tools Florida, Pensacola February 11 to February 13, 2010 If we aren’t already your source for books, “Gulf Coast Clay Conference and Woodstoke Festival”; films, and limited production pottery at Gulf Coast Kiln Walk, Inc., 7507 Buckeye Dr. tools, then we should be! We’ve been doing Georgia, Decatur through December 24 “Holiday this for over 30 years and we know our Studio Exhibit”; at MudFire Clayworks & Gallery, 175 stuff. More titles than anyone anywhere. Laredo Dr. Period. Need advice? A recommendation? Illinois, Chicago through December 31 “Gift Box: What’s the best book for your needs? The 34th Holiday Show”; at Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 Come on in. We’re ready to help. N. Ravenswood Ave. Don’t waste time. Go to our Illinois, Evanston December 4 to December 6 website or write, call, fax, or e “Annual Holiday Ceramic Sale”; at McGaw YMCA, 1000 S. Grove St. mail for our FREE catalog! Kentucky, Louisville October 17 to December 31 “2009 Holidazzle Clay”; at Kentucky Museum of Art The Potters and Craf, 715 W. Main St. Maryland, Baltimore through December 30 Shop “Winterfest 2009”; at Baltimore Clayworks, 5707 31 Thorpe Road Smith Ave. Needham, MA 02494 Maryland, Baltimore through December 30 781/449 7687 fax:781 449 9098 “Annual Member Artist Holiday Sale”; at Baltimore [email protected] and on the web: Clayworks, 5707 Smith Ave. www.thepottersshop.blogspot.com Massachusetts, Pittsfield through December 30 “Small Works: Affordable Art ”; at Ferrin Gallery, 433 N. St. Massachusetts, Worcester December 4 to De- cember 6 “Holiday Open Studios and Sale”; at The Fire Works Studio, 38 Harlow St. Minnesota, Minneapolis through January 3, 2010 “19th Annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave. E. Minnesota, Minneapolis December 4 to December 23, 2010 “Holiday Preview Party and Sale”; at Fired Up Studios, 1701 E. Hennepin Ave., #255. Montana, Helena through December 23 “Archie Bray Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. Montana, Red Lodge December 4 to December 31 “All I Want for Christmas”; at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. New Jersey, Demarest December 4 to December 6 “35th Anniversary Pottery Show and Sale”; at The Art School at Old Church and Mikhail Zakin Gallery, 561 Piermont Rd. New York, New York December 10 to December 13 “One of a Kind Show and Sale NY”; at One of a Kind, Pier 94 12th Ave. at 55th St. New York, Port Chester December 3 to December 20 “Clay Holiday: Annual Studio Tour and Sale”; at Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St. Ohio, Columbus through December 23 “Gifts of the Craftsmen Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. Ohio, Columbus December 4 to December 6 “Win- terfair”; at Ohio State Fairgrounds, 717 E. 17th Ave. Ohio, Columbus January 30 to January 31, 2010 “Art Studio Clearance Sale”; at Ohio State Fairgrounds, Lausche Bldg., 717 E. 17th Ave. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia through January 3, 2010 “Gifted: The Clay Studio’s Annual Holiday Exhibi- tion”; at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Ceramics Monthly December 2009 72 CALL FOR ENTRIES 18th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition April 16 - June 20, 2010 For more information contact Karen Zimmerly at the Art Museum

Sponsored by San Angelo Museum Endowment for Ceramic Events John and Darlene Williams Cash prizes and illustrated catalog available, entries postmarked by Feb 2, 2010 SAN ANGELO MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS One Love Street, San Angelo, Texas 76903 p 325.653.3333 f 325.658.6800 www.samfa.org [email protected]

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 73 calendar fairs, festivals, and sales

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia December 4 to January 3, 2010 “Gifted: The Clay Studio’s Annual Holiday Exhibition, Part II”; at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Virginia, Chantilly December 11 to December 13 “Sugarloaf Craft Festival”; at Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Pl. Ctr. Virginia, Chantilly January 29 to January 31, 2010 “Sugarloaf Craft Festival”; at Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Pl. Ctr. Canada, Toronto December 4 to December 6 “Woodlawn Pottery Studio Annual Show and Sale”; a, 80 Woodlawn Ave. E. Wales, Cardiff Bay through January 3, 2010 “Seren Arian”; at Craft in the Bay, Makers Guild in Wales, The Flourish, Lloyd George Ave. workshops

Alabama, Fairhope December 1 to December 3 “New Studio Skills, Three Days, Three New Top- ics,” with Maria Spies. Fee: $275. Contact Eastern Shore Art Center, 401 Oak St., Fairhope, AL 36532; [email protected]; www.esartcenter.com; 251- 928-2228. Florida, Melbourne February 6 to February 7, 2010 “Porcelain and Inspiring Surfaces,” with Lorna Meaden. Fee: $275. Contact, Brevard Art Museum School, 1520 Highland Ave., Melbourne, Florida 32935; [email protected]; www.brevardartmuseum.org; 321-254-7782 or 321- 242-0737. Georgia, Atlanta January 16 to January 17, 2010 “Pete Pinnell.” Fee: $110. Contact Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Rd., Atlanta, Georgia, 30306; [email protected]; www.callanwolde.org; 404-874-9351. Maryland, Frederick January 9 to January 10, 2010 “Electric Kiln Workshop,” with Joyce Michaud. Fee: $175. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; 301-696-3526; www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson. Maryland, Frederick January 14 to January 17, 2010 “Masters’ Throwing,” with Joyce Michaud. Fee: $300. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.ceramicartsdaily.org www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson; 301-696-3526. Maryland, Frederick January 23 to January 24, 2010 “Eastern & Western Techniques in Trimming,” with Joyce Michaud and Kristin Muller. Fee: $175. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art/hodson; 301-696-3526. Nevada, Incline Village June 7 to June 11, 2010 “Basic Ceramic Raw Materials and Glaze Chemis- try,” with John Britt. Fee: $550. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Boulevard., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/; 775-881-7588. North Carolina, Bakersville June 13 to June 19, 2010 “5th Annual Pine Root Pottery Wood- firing Workshop.” Fee: $600. Contact Erin Peters, Pine Root Pottery, 1108 Pine Root Branch Rd., Bakersville, NC 28705; [email protected]; www.pinerootpottery.com; 828-688-1332. North Carolina, Brasstown December 6 to Decem- ber 12 “Whimsical, Handbuilt Clay Birdhouses,” with Mark Wingertsahn. Fee: $512. Contact Sue Fruchey, John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902; [email protected]; www.folkschool.org; 800-365-5724.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 74 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 75 calendar workshops

North Carolina, Highlands December 1 to De- cember 18 “Open Studio for Ceramics,” with Patrick Taylor. Fee: $375, members, $350. Contact Linda Steigleder, The Bascom, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. Ohio, Wooster April 14 to April 17, 2010 “Functional Ceramics Workshop,” with Fong Choo, Silvie Granatelli, and Bill VanGilder. Fee: $180. Contact Phyllis Blair Clark, Functional Ce- ramics Workshop, 2555 Graustark Path, Wooster, OH 44691-1606; [email protected]; www.functionalworkshop.com; 330-345-7576. Texas, Stafford March 8 to March 12, 2010 “Colored Clay: Form and Surface Workshop,” with Vince Pitelka. Fee: $350. Contact, Potters’ Place, Inc, 741 A Dulle Ave., Stafford, TX 77477; [email protected]; www.pottersplacepottery.com; 281-261-7687. Canada, Burnaby March 14, 2010 “Big Project? No Problem,” with Peter Powning. Fee: $140. Contact, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; shadboltcentre.com; 604-291-6864. Canada, Burnaby March 16 to March 21, 2010 “Woodfiring,” with Robert Barron and Jack Troy. Fee: $414.11. Contact, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby, BC V5G 2J3 Canada; [email protected]; shadboltcentre.com; 604- 291-6864. Greece October 1 to October 31, 2010 “Greek Island Ceramics Excursion.” Contact Denys James, Discovery Art Travel, 182 Welbury Dr., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2L8 Canada; [email protected]; www.denysjames.com; 250-537-4906. Indonesia, Lombok March 7 to March 23, 2010 “Lombok, Indonesia Excursion.” Fee: $2675. Contact Denys James, Discovery Art Travel, 182 Welbury Dr., Salt Spring Island, British Columbia V8K 2L8 Canada; [email protected]; www.denysjames.com; 250-537-4906. Indonesia, Ubud November 22 to December 5 “Finding Center,” with Hillary Kane and Marcello Massoni. Fee: $1250. Contact, Gaya Ceramic Arts Center, Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali 80571 Indonesia; [email protected]; www.gayafusion.com; 62 361 979252 253. Mexico, Oaxaca December 16 to December 29 “Christmas in Oaxaca with the Night of the Radishes.” Fee: $3690. Contact Tom and Sherry Wilson, Craft World Tours, 6776 Warboys Rd., Byron, NY 14422; 585-548-2667. West Africa, Nungua July 11 to July 24, 2010 “Pottery House Painting in Ghana.” Fee: $1999. Contact Cross Cultural Collaborative, 45 Auburn St., Brookline, MA 02446; [email protected]; www.culturalcollaborative.org; 617-277-0482.

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 76 visit us online at www.ceramicartsdaily.org

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 77 classified advertising

Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, Opportunities, Personals, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements will be inserted into the first available print issue, and posted on our website (www.ceramicsmonthly.org) for 30 days at no additional charge! See www.ceramicsmonthly.org/classifieds.asp for details.

buy/sell Workshop: Richard Burkett at the Vero Beach 1/2 hour North of Binghamton, NY and 3.5 from NYC: Museum of Art. Pottery Tune Up, Teapots, Pitchers, 1491 sq.ft. home, 1000 sq.ft. studio, 168 sq.ft. concrete Lids, and Handles. Jazz them up, 3-day workshop outdoor pad (wood kiln negotiable), 32+ acres with breath- slab roller, Skutt kiln Pottery Business for Sale: on January 8-10, 2010. Call (772) 231-0707, ext. 116. taking stream. $189,000.00. [email protected]. & elements, exhaust fans, molds (plates, dishes, www.verobeachmuseum.org. bowls), glazes, extruder, hand tools, booth tents & Danville, PA. 12 acres, half wooded, 1800’s farmhouse. displays, gallery network. $6000 value; best offer for Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For details, see View! Architecturally, artistically remodeled. Open floor package. See www.lisablakepottery.com. Contact www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. plan. 4 bedrooms. Adjacent pottery studio. 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Area home of Frank Lloyd Wright, House on the Rock, American Players Theatre. 10th Annual National Juried Cup Show, Dead- Available January 2010. For more info (608) 588-2195; Studio Assistant: Monthly stipend; housing/utili- line: February 2, 2010. Juror: Dean Adams. www.wilsoncreekpottery.com. ties provided; fresh organic produce and dairy from Open to U.S. residents. Fee: $15. Prospectus: our NC mountain farm. Exceptional opportunity for [email protected]; http://galleries.kent.edu; or send services an aspiring studio potter. Information/application at SASE to Downtown Gallery, 141 E. Main St., Kent, OH www.yellowbranch.com. Karen Mickler, Yellow Branch Ceramics Consulting Services offers technical infor- 44240, (330) 676-1549. Pottery; (828) 479-6710. mation and practical advice on clay/glaze/kiln faults and corrections, slip casting, clay body/glaze formulas, Assistant Professor Ceramics: Full-Time, Tenure Track. Get Centered. Steven Hill Pottery at Center Street salt glazing, product design. Call or write for details. The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), School for Clay. centerstreetclay.com. American Crafts (SAC) is seeking individuals committed Jeff Zamek, 6 Glendale Woods Dr., Southampton, MA Individual throwing instruction in your studio by world to contributing to RIT’s core values (http://www.rit.edu/ 01073; (413) 527-7337; email [email protected]; or www. academicaffairs/Manual/sectionA/corevalues.html), renown potter Stephen Jepson. Will go anywhere on fixpots.com. honor code (http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/Manual/ Globe.Throwing made FUN, FAST, and EASY. Satisfaction Guaranteed. (407) 349-5587 or [email protected]. 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Ability to teach utilitarian and net; or call (800) 404-5521 to get started. sculptural Ceramics with a broadminded acceptance of PotteryVideos.com – DVD’s with Robin Hopper, Gor- a wide spectrum of interests and approaches in the field. don Hutchens and Graham Sheehan. Video Workshops Accept credit cards in your ceramics retail/wholesale/ RIT is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. for Potters at all levels of experience. Choose from 21 home-based/Internet and craft-show business. No ap- Individuals able to contribute in meaningful ways to the titles. (800) 668-8040; [email protected]. plication fee. No monthly minimum. No lease requirement. university’s continuing commitment to cultural diversity, Retriever/First of Omaha Merchant Processing. Please pluralism, and individual differences are encouraged Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, 4-disc DVD set. To call (888) 549-6424. to apply. Send application letter, resume, three recom- order, see www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) travel mendation letters, artist’s statement, one-page statement 689-9430. of teaching philosophy, 20 digital images of personal Morocco 2010 Ceramics Excursion, October 27-No- work (digital files should be 72ppi, jpg format, 1.2MB real estate vember 14. Berber traditional pottery, adobe architecture, maximum), and 20 digital images of student work to: tile art in Southern Morocco. Offered again in 2010 due to Don Arday, Chair, School for American Crafts, Ceramics Potter’s Dream: Eaton, NH! Passive solar post-and-beam popular demand. www.discoveryarttravel.com. Search PC# 34267 CM, Rochester Institute of Technol- contemporary home and studio on 18 wooded acres. ogy, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, 73 Lomb Separate gallery-guesthouse, very sunny studio, 20 years Craft & Folk Art Tours. 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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 78 Comment (continued from page 80) Sure, I tell myself to fend off envy when others American and Moroccan potters. Moroccan are perhaps putting fresh paint on the walls of potters look at their work as ephemeral—a their artisana or exporting carpets to far-off tagine’s lifespan is six months of constant use. lands, and I am stumbling along learning about We want our pots to last longer—and they do; where dirt comes from. But each person and our clay is better and our firing temperatures his or her situation are unique, this is mine, and higher, to say nothing of our cleaner fuel. I’m in the right place. I have no clue what will The American potters’ challenges reside in happen in the next year, and probably wouldn’t things like creating a collecting class of users even come close with a guess. There are always who wants to buy and use pots, and imbuing things brewing out there that I can’t see.” what we do with more value so that we can earn more money. Returning Home We Americans are not village potters, but We each are wondering what our pres- to share a table making pots with Moroccan ence in Amizmiz meant to the Moroccans potters was to remind me of an opinion by and to us. Kendall found an interesting a professor of folklore at Indiana University, parallel between what she calls “the pottery Henri Glassie, who wrote, “Dedicating them-

dilemma” with the Moroccan potters’ eco- The author, pictured here with a plaque she made selves to the creative task, cooperating and nomic situation and the American potters’ to commemorate the cultural exchange and a local concentrating in the midst of common work, economic situation. “Both of us are selling woman who inscribed it for her. potters invest clay with value, bringing the work at such a low price that we can’t fulfill old and the new, the personal and social, the the basic lifestyle expectations of our two ing a lower-middle class lifestyle. She doesn’t useful and beautiful, the material and spiritual very different cultures.” (The Moroccans think that level of success will be enough for into presence and connection.” make about US$30 a week selling 150 pots the current generation of young American We are all these potters. to local middlemen.) potters, who, for the most part, are the In Kendall’s comparison, the American children of affluence. We aren’t exactly com- the author Linda Hillman is a studio potter and potter works equally hard in hopes of sustain- paring oranges and oranges when we look at freelance writer living in Oak Park, Illinois.

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Ceramics Monthly December 2009 79 Comment the akal exchange: from our hands to yours by Linda Hillman

Four of us in a Mercedes “grand taxi” round a curve and pull off the tarmac into an open dirt area after an hour’s drive from Marrakech. Pots are drying in the sun everywhere; there is a flurry of activity from a throng of children as Domin- ique, a Peace Corps volunteer in a Tashelheit Berber neighborhood of Amizmiz, greets us. We marvel at the colorful tent that has been erected in our honor on the square. We are a Pied Piper parade being led into Dominique’s house, also on the square. After many introductions and a brief sharing of our work, our long-awaited potters’ exchange would begin.

Dominique Ellis, a former BFA ceramics stu- A cycle of work for an American potter The Exchange dent at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln who makes her living from her pots might be Ellis named our expedition the Akal Ex- (UNL) had been accepted into the Peace three to four months from making to firing, change (akal meaning dirt before it is made Corps after graduation and her assignment whereas an Amizmiz potter’s cycle is a mere into clay). Three days of demonstrations were was small business development to work with single week. Wednesday through Sunday to spotlight our techniques as well as those a community of potters in Amizmiz, Morocco. is for throwing, trimming, and drying the of the potters she had been working with She had written Gail Kendall, professor of tajines and bottles, which are the mainstay of for over a year—seven in her immediate sur- ceramics at UNL, saying that the group of production, with each potter making between roundings and 55 in Amizmiz itself. She said potters couldn’t believe that there was such a 100 and 300 items per week. All the trimmed her job was to “help these potters improve thing as an American potter. Kendall wrote pots dry in the sun until Monday afternoon, their work so they can make more money.” back asking if they would like to meet some. when the kiln is stacked. Improvement also means developing better She then invited me to accompany her to Most potters enlist their sons or other local clay and firing techniques. The Akal Exchange Morocco as a writer and documenter of a boys to help with gathering the wood chips, not only brought potters and the community special exchange of potters. She also invited chopping wood, and loading the kiln. Plastic, together to share techniques, it drew help for Liz Quackenbush, a ceramics professor at garbage, and olive pits are also used for fuel, Amizmiz potters by attracting representatives Penn State University, and Autumn Cipala, a a vast improvement over using old tires, an from the Ministry, as well as an expert from third-year graduate student in ceramics at the environmentally hazardous technique that is Guemessa, a nearby mine, which produces University of Nebraska. no longer implemented in this village, but is nickel and cobalt oxides. He collected samples still used in others. of Amizmiz clay in hopes of figuring out how A Week in the Life of an Amizmiz Potter The firing usually takes 1½–2 hours, to improve it and make it more plastic. In Morocco, clay tagines are made in all reaching temperatures of 500–900°F (260– Nathaniel Krause, the Peace Corps volun- sizes—glazed and unglazed, rimmed in a 480°C). Between 4:30 and 6:30am on Tues- teer who arrived after Ellis, reports that “On pewter-looking metal, and sometimes carved, day, the kiln is unloaded and the middleman’s a recent visit to one of the potters, I noticed and painted with glaze Tagines (left) are the primary production item a large pile of cardboard in traditional Moroccan for potters in Amizmiz, Morrocco. They have boxes and scrap paper patterns. Potters may use a useful life of about six months, but potters can only produce them during the dry season. sitting next to the kiln. I black glaze or stain for A viable livelihood is very elusive, but Peace inquired about this and line drawings on colorful Corps volunteers are working to change that. learned that the potters glazes, then the whole pot obtain, for free, these is covered with a high- scraps from local busi- gloss clear glaze. nesses in order to burn in For the most part, the their kilns, and that they village potters in Amizmiz have ceased using badly produce the everyday un- polluting materials like glazed tagines for market, rubber tires.” earning anywhere from At the same time, he 2–3 dirham (DH)—or says, “The potters are com- US$.42—up to 8–10 DH petitive and private, prefer- (US$1.40) for larger, more ring to work separately, refined tagines. Most are having little patience for sold to middlemen, but each other and especially during the summer, some for those who want to alter potters have a stand of their their stable system. . . . own. The challenge comes during the rainy truck picks up the pots. Tuesday is the local [but] my service does not stand on its own; it season (late December through mid March) souk (market) so the potters do not work, but is a step in a cycle of volunteers, and succeeding when the potters are unable to make work, so take the day to purchase food for the week. in tangible things is not the point of being here. they get caught in a cycle of living on credit. Then the cycle begins again. (continued on page 79)

Ceramics Monthly December 2009 80