focus Monthly working potters

Diana Fayt focus working potters June/July/August 2009 $7.50 (Can$9) www.ceramicsmonthly.org

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 1 The Monthly Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial [email protected] Robin Hopper telephone: (614) 895-4213 fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall assistant editor Holly Goring Trilogy assistant editor Jessica Knapp editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer The Robin Hopper Trilogy covers every important aspect of creating technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty ceramic art. The Ceramic Spectrum guides you through a non-mathe- Advertising/Classifieds matical easy-to-understand journey for getting the colors and glazes you [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5834 want. In Functional Pottery, you’ll be able to develop your own designs fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] and methods for the pots you use. And in Making Marks you’ll discover telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel the many possibilities of enriching your surfaces. advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Subscriptions/Circulation Color customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Design/Production production editor Cynthia Griffith The Ceramic Spectrum design Paula John Editorial and advertising offices A Simplified Approach to Glaze 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 & Color Development Editorial Advisory Board Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada 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 form 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 Functional Pottery postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do Form and Aesthetic not necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. in Pots of Purpose 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 surface notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 662, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-9662. contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are available online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org. Making Marks indexing: Visit the Ceramics Monthly website at www.ceramicsmonthly.org to search an index of article titles and Discovering the Ceramic Surface 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 Only $44.95 each or you can SAVE 25% 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 when you order all three for just $99! of American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Robin Hopper’s books are now available from Box 662, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-9662. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2009, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary www.CeramicArtsDaily.org/books of American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 2 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 3 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 4 June/july/august 2009 / Volume 57 Number 6

Monthly focus working potters

30 Work and Play: The Potter’s Life

30 Naomi Cleary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 32 Paul Eshelman, Elizabeth, Illinois 34 Jennifer Allen, Morgantown, West Virginia 36 Simon Levin, Gresham, Wisconsin 38 Kathryn Finnerty, Pleasant Hill, Oregon 40 Maren Kloppmann, Minneapolis, Minnesota 42 Mark Hewitt, Pittsboro, North Carolina 44 Diana Fayt, San Francisco, California features

46 Nan Smith: Evoking Nostalgia by Glen R. Brown An artists goes beyond simple sentimentality and charges works with more complex issues of memory, family, cultural customs and sociological commentary, resulting in a balanced combination of the personal and the universal. 50 Kari Radasch and the Sweetness of Discovery by Katey Schultz Changing a popular body of work that hasn’t “run dry” in the marketplace might sound like a bad idea, but making work that doesn’t resonate with you as a maker is worse. recipes Redware, slip and glaze for cone 03 monthly methods Appliqué, Fondant and Stickers—Oh, My! by Kari Radasch

55 Susan Peterson, 1925–2009 by Margaret Carney A respected instructor, author and ceramics luminary passes.

56 Ron Rivera, 1948–2008 by Peter Chartrand Remembering a potter and social activist who has made immeasurable contributions to potters and populations around the world. 34

cover: Canteen vases, cylinder vases and pin vases, to 13½ in. (34 cm) in height, slip-cast stone- ware with underglazes, stains and glaze, fired to cone 5, by Diana Fayt, San Francisco, Califor- nia; page 44. Photo: Jeffery Cross. 36 42 30

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 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 vacuum dip method

16 upfront reviews, news and exhibitions 58 call for entries 58 International Exhibitions 59 United States Exhibitions 59 Regional Exhibitions 60 Fairs and Festivals 62 book review Choosing Craft: The Artist’s Viewpoint edited by Vicki Halper and Diane Douglas review by Matthew Kangas 64 calendar 64 Conferences 64 Solo Exhibitions 66 Group Ceramics Exhibitions 68 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions 68 Fairs, Festivals and Sales 70 Workshops 78 classified advertising 79 index to advertisers 80 comment Got a Match? by Kevin and Linda Crowe

online www.ceramicartsdaily.org information and inspiration from inside the artist’s studio Effortless by Erin Furimsky Features 21from the exhibition, “On Tips, techniques, profles and more—delivered to your inbox. the Verge,” at the Ulrich Mu- seum of Art, Wichita, Kansas. 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.

16 22

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 6 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 7 from the editor by Sherman Hall

So, you want to be a potter, eh? No problem, current standard happens to be) and aug- just get some clay and start pinching out the ment as necessary. This could be why many undergraduate pots. Well, not exactly. Like anything worth younger potters have a good foothold in the doing . . . well, you know how it goes. You digital realm, while some established potters showcase can go to school if you want to, but there is still maintain a core of “traditional” fairs on In September 2009, Ceramics Monthly will nothing that says you have to. Most profes- their schedules. feature the works of undergraduate clay art- sional potters will tell you that theirs is a This à la carte approach to selling pots ists. Those enrolled in undergraduate ceramics volume business, and what you absolutely may not fit the “best practices” of many classes at accredited institutions are eligible. To need to do is make a lot of pots. Then after business advisors; however, the fact is that, if be considered, submit up to five professional- that, you need to make a lot of good pots. you don’t like to do something, you probably quality digital images (300 ppi resolution on My point here is that, school or no school, won’t do it. Don’t start a Facebook Fanpage CD); plus a color print of each image at 100% you will still need to study. During that pro- for your pottery if you can’t stand checking scale, with complete descriptions of works; cess, you will make many bad pots, which is email every day. Whatever benefit could be contact information including e-mail; artist’s a good thing as long as you notice that they gained will be severely offset by the fact that statement and résumé; instructors’ contact are bad and address the reasons why. you will probably not update your page very information; and the name of the institution Let’s assume you have been through often, letting it die a slow death, which is you attend. Mail to Undergraduate Showcase, that process, which likely took several years the impression you will be sending to your Ceramics Monthly, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., of dilligent practice in order to arrive at potential customers. Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082. Do not submit materials in binders or folders. E-mailed meaningful, personal pots; then there is the All of the working potters we are featur- submissions and submissions of more than five selling. You’re ready to make all that hard ing in this issue (p. 30) sell in ways that images will not be considered. Materials will work pay off. Finding the right balance of make sense to them personally. After all, be returned only if a padded envelope with wholesale, retail, gallery representation, pots are personal. appropriate postage is included. studio sales, fairs and internet presence is a tricky endeavor. Most folks employ several Arrival deadline: June 30. of the above, but gravitate toward whatever Due to the volume of submissions, we are unable to ac- marketing and selling methods they are knowledge receipt of materials. Notification will be sent by the end of July. No phone calls, please. already comfortable with (or whatever the e-mail letters to [email protected]

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 8 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 9 letters e-mail letters to [email protected]

Globally Green seems very small, but many raindrops CM, I hope you continue to show in- I just returned from speaking at the 5th make an ocean.” novative clay work instead of a lot of the World Ceramic Biennale International John Britt, Bakersville, North Carolina same things we see in history books and Ceramic Symposium, titled “Ceramics and museum collections. Ecology,” in Incheon, Korea. This trip was Cups, Vases and Installations Lucy Hull, Boston, Massachusetts prompted by Ceramics Monthly’s issue fo- In response to “Where Are the Pots?” cused on sustainability [December 2007], [Letters, May 2009 CM]: Ceramics is an Cone 6 Oxidation which spurred me to write several articles all encompassing field that includes func- I have been a subscriber to CM since about saving energy. The organizers of tional and nonfunctional pieces. I am very 1973. A health problem forced an eight- the biennale read my article “Mid-Range happy that this magazine isn’t showing the year interruption in my potting. As an Reduction; It’s Not Just Cooler, It’s Cool,” same style of work every month on every amateur, I loved the functional ware and published in the October 2008 issue, and page; that would be monotonous and the many cone 6 recipes. Since I can only asked me to present an expanded version. would not help the ceramics field to reach fire in oxidation, and most of your recipes I want to commend Ceramics Monthly beyond “the cup” or “the vase.” are aimed at reduction firing, I’m very for showing leadership on this issue. I also I love CM for going beyond and showing disappointed in my new subscription. I’m want to commend Suhong Jang, Director of the new works, the installation pieces, the in- 83 years old and have recently set up a new the World Ceramic Biennale, for his cour- novations that help artists grow and develop. studio. Whatever you can do for us ama- age in choosing this topic. It is difficult for CM was almost a bible during college, envel- teurs will be appreciated. ceramicists and industry to come to grips oping the history and culture of clay. George Singer, Port Charlotte, Florida with our energy usage and need for raw I make my share of cups and bowls, but materials. There is a lot of guilt and denial I truly love installations. They inspire and George, I’ve emailed you a copy of 10 Tried with this issue, but it is one we need to ad- dare viewers to interact and interpret in and True Cone 6 Glaze Recipes, which is dress. We must do more than just throw up ways the artist may not have accounted for. a soon-to-be-released compilation of CM our hands and pretend the problem doesn’t For instance, I used sand as a floor piece glaze recipes available free to subscribers to exist. Each of us has to take action. for my pots and the day my senior exhibit www.CeramicArtsDaily.org. It’s also free to I think that Suhong Jang said it best as closed there were children’s hand prints in subscribe, so have a look and keep your eyes he closed the conference, “One rain drop the sand, evidence that it touched someone. peeled for this and other free gifts.—Ed.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 10 Earline Green’s clay spirit quilts on display in the Dunbar Lan- caster-Kiest Branch Library in Dallas, Texas.

A Texas potter makes 1,300 pound quilts with her Paragon Dragon As a child, Earline Green made hand-stitched quilts with her grandmother Mama Freddie. Earline spent more time quilting with the older ladies than she did playing with children her own age. Her early experiences with the lively quilters taught her a life-long love of artwork. Earline’s other grandmother, Mama Ginger, taught her advanced quilting patterns. Later this in- fluenced the design of Earline’s stoneware quilt tile mosaics displayed in the entrance of the Paul Laurence Dunbar Lancaster-Kiest Library in Dal- las, Texas. For that project, Earline fired 284 white stoneware tiles—all in her faithful Paragon Dragon. “The Dragon's design and controls are perfect for firing large flat pieces,” said Earline. “The digital programming controls provide a consistent firing environment that eliminated cracks and warpage in Earline Green with her Paragon Dragon front-loading kiln. This kiln is be- this project. coming a favorite with potters. It is easy to load, heavily insulated, and de- signed to reach cone 10 with power to spare. “During tile production, I fired my Dragon two or three times a week for four to six weeks at a time. I expected and received excellent results with each firing.” Contact us today for more information on the 2011 South Town East Blvd. Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 exciting Dragon kiln. Ask about the new easy-open 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 switch box hinged at the bottom. Call us for the Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 name of your local Paragon distributor. www.paragonweb.com [email protected]

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 11 answers From the CM Technical Staff e-mail technical questions to [email protected]

Q I am experimenting with firing metal items in working with clay to one characteristic of the therefore it will be relatively easy to pull the with my clay work and want to know if inserting material: shrinkage. Clay shrinks in drying and nail out of the hole. concrete nails (which I understand can handle clay shrinks in firing. This is the logical result of Another result of this process will be that a high firing) would give off any gases or in any other way damage elements in an electric the converting of water and other volatiles in the you will find small bits of iron oxide on your kiln. I did a test and it appeared to work just clay to gasses that escape. If those materials escape, kiln shelf and possibly in your glazes. Iron fine (the work survived and the kiln fired after then there is logically less material in your piece, oxide—particularly black iron oxide—is a very that), but I’m wondering if there are any unseen and it is therefore smaller. powerful flux and colorant. Iron oxide in some effects.—P. M. If you put a material (like a nail) in the clay high-temperature glazes becomes such a powerful The most accurate answer is that any metal that does not shrink, then there will be areas in flux that it can eat into a clay surface or cause item in your firing will of course give off some the cross section of the finished piece that resist significant flowing of otherwise stable glazes. The byproducts due to the high temperatures in your the logical change in size of the once-plastic clay. color changes brought about by small specks of kiln and the reaction of atmospheric gasses at As the clay shrinks around the nail, there will be iron oxide can also prove to be inappropriate or these temperatures. Most hardened nails and steel some cracking since the clay loses plasticity and unwanted in some work. contain small amounts of carbon, which acts to size at the same time. Something must give and Your kiln shelves should be cleaned carefully make the steel harder and more brittle. The outer it will certainly be the clay, because it has far less after each firing where you use nails as a decora- portions of this steel will oxidize, making iron tensile (stretching) strength than the compression tive element in your work. Speaking of elements; oxide and very small amounts of carbon dioxide resistance of the steel alloy nail. The cracking will you will want to be certain that the steel nails and due to the reaction of the heat with the metal be minute, but it will certainly be present. the small flakes of iron oxide do not touch your alloys and oxygen in the kiln. As you fire the clay piece, the nail gains elements. They will conduct electricity and can Will this reaction release gasses that may oxygen and increases in size while the clay is cause additional problems. harm your kiln elements? It is very unlikely that still shrinking. At this point, there will be ad- Gasses? No big deal. But there are other issues common nails will produce any gasses that will ditional cracking of the clay. After firing the you should be aware of, like keeping the nails away affect your kiln in any way. You will, however, hole in the clay will be slightly smaller than from electricity. Good luck. Experiment cautiously encounter other situations of which you should the original nail, the nail will be significantly and remember to use plenty of kiln wash. be aware. I always tell my beginning students oxidized on the outside, the oxide coating W. Lowell Baker, Professor of Ceramics that you can trace most problems you encounter will be more brittle than the original nail and The University of Alabama

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 12 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 13 suggestions e-mail suggestions to [email protected]

Consistent Handles I am a self-taught potter and I have learned tip of the month to create consistent handles with an extruder. The Vacuum Dip Method I use a shop vacuum to aid in glazing my the piece right side up with the vacuum still smaller pots (1–3 lbs.) and to eliminate the attached and turned on. Shut the vacuum need to wax and wipe the bottoms. off and slide the piece onto a dry surface. I glaze the inside of the pot first and This same procedure also works very well allow it to dry, then turn the vacuum on for smaller bowls. and attach the hose to the bottom of the For heavier pots (4–5 lbs.), leave the piece. I dip the piece up to its bottom and vacuum on while the piece is still inverted pull out. Dipping it straight down to trap and wait for any glaze on the bottom of the air inside will minimize glaze overlap and piece to dry. Now you will be able to hold pulling out at a slight angle and then rotat- the piece and assist it as you flip the hose ing the pot will prevent lumps and excess upright. Without the extra support, the glaze drips from forming on the lip. Flip heavier pieces will fall when at an angle. I extrude a 7-inch length of clay and drape it over the wooden handle of a garden tool. I allow it to become slightly leather hard, yet flexible enough to manipulate. I trim it to the desired final length and attach it to the side of the cup. The little bit of extra flexibility allows me to Congratulations to Todd Fer- push and form a delicate and thin handle with guson of Fenton, Michigan. little worry of it breaking. This method works Your subscription has been very well when I need multiple and repeatable extended by one year! forms.—Mark Strayer, Lamar, Missouri

h a n d m a d e t i l e & mosaics Potters Council Regional Conference Minneapolis, MN September 18-20, 2009 Featured Artists: carol Rose dean, Barbara Keith, Karin Kraemer, sheila menzies, carrie anne Parks, Joe taylor, and louis and allen Voigt. Conquering Everyday Challenges Space is limited

866.721.3322 www.ceramicartsdaily.org/education Host: Handmade Tile Association and Edina Art Center www.handmadetileassociation.org

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 14 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 15 Boolean Valley ‘Boolean Valley,’ an installation by ceramic artist Adam Silverman and architect Nader Tehrani is on view at the Pacific Design Center, Museum of Contemporary Art (www.moca.org), in upfront Los Angeles, California. exhibitions and reviews The exhibition, organized by the Montalvo Art Center’s AGENCY: The Work of Artists initia- tive, is the first in the museum’s new series of exhibitions,Craft and Computation, which explore the convergence of digital technology and handcraft techniques in contemporary design prac- tice. Boolean Val- exhibitions: ley is a sculptural 16 Boolean Valley landscape of nearly Pacific Design Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California 400 cut clay objects 17 The Margins glazed in cobalt Icehouse, Phoenix, Arizona and black with sili- 18 John Glick con carbide added. Clay Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan It is the result of an 18 Buckets and Baskets Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana extensive collabora- 18 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants tion between potter Illges Gallery, Columbus, Georgia Adam Silverman 19 Tradition and Concept Bridged and architect Na- Hyde Art Gallery, El Cajon, California der Tehrani, who 19 Simply Formal Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology met as undergrad- Tempe, Arizona uate architecture 20 Small Favors IV students at Rhode The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 20 Pots Plus Prints Island School of The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota Design (RISD). 20 Wietske van Leeuwen At each venue, Gallery Carla Koch, Amsterdam, The Netherlands the artists have 21 On The Verge: Contemporary Ceramics Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, Kansas used Boolean logic to develop a specific configuration or pattern for the ceramic objects that 21 National Cup Show responds to the museum’s architecture in a new and provocative way. Named after mathema- Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, Nebraska tician George Boole, Boolean logic calibrates the geometry of intersecting objects, with the 22 Jennifer Lee: Recent Work Venn diagram being one of its most common applications. Architects and designers often use Frank Lloyd Gallery, Santa Monica, California Boolean logic as an operation in digital modeling to add or subtract from volumes, thereby 22 Stephen Mickey and the Soul Buds Mount Hood Community College Visual Arts Gallery, creating new forms. Gresham, Oregon “The installation consists of two basic shapes,” Ariel Swartley, resident writer for the Mon- 22 All Together Now: Sets, Groups, Themes, Aggregates talvo Art Center’s AGENCY initiative, explains in the exhibition guide. “One thrusts upward, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, Michigan the other spreads outward—the artists call them domes and hoops. Other names could be ap- 24 Bay Area Pottery Posse plied: missiles and craters, males and females, ones and zeros. Like all valleys, this one is formed Mudfire Clayworks, Decatur, Georgia by a specific arrangement of opposing forces. Slicing the pots at several carefully determined 24 Contemporary Monsters Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota points added another variable: height. Yet despite their derivation from a single prototype— call it a geometric ancestor—the objects before us are a mass of quirky individuation. Swollen, reviews: pitted, bubbled and swirled, the surfaces vary in luster and hue; they show the marks of their 26 John Maltby: New Works manufacture and traces of the weather on the day they were glazed.” by Judy Adams Rufford Craft Centre, Ollerton, England MOCA’s presentation includes plans and perspectives showing the evolution of the 28 2009 NCECA Clay National Biennial Exhibition work at each site and an exclusive new animation created by Office dA, Nader Tehrani’s by Germaine Shames architecture studio. Arizona State University’s Art Museum, Ceramics Research Center, Tempe, Arizona Above and below: Adam Silverman and Nader Tehrani’s Boolean Valley, as installed at the San José Museum of Art, November 8, 2008–January 11, 2009. Photo: Richard J. Karson. Copyright Montalvo Arts Center, a project of AGENCY: The Work of Artists, curated by Julie Lazar for the 2009 arts initiative at Montalvo Art Center, Saratoga, California.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 16 The Margins A group show including work from 39 national and international artists was on view earlier this spring at the Icehouse (www.theicehouseaz.com) in Phoenix, Arizona, in conjunction with the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference. “Today, artists are using clay in every way possible; dominant and supporting, fired and unfired, for utility and experience, high tech, low tech, with other materi- als, in performances, objects, installations, etc.,” state co-curators Brian Gillis and Nathan Betschart. “Artists are still using ceramic materials for their archival and sanitary qualities, as cultural and historical lenses, to access the fragility of Meissen porcelain and the strength of a Rapp Brother’s brick. Ceramic art is simultane- ously asserting why it has a vibrant tradition and dynamic living pulse, while the nature of its very versatility declares the necessity for it to no longer be referred to as ceramic art, but rather just art. Artists who use ceramic materials are less and less background specific and disciplinarily self-conscious, and more interested in using material for a specific reason. As art in general has made a shift away from maker-spe- cific materiality to- ward work-specific materiality, clay is Brian Czibesz’ Wisdom and Impact, 28 in. (71 cm) in height, CNC cut now just another translucent porcelain, clay and glaze, steel, aluminum, acrylic, rubber, material akin to cold-cathode light, transparency, 2008–9. paint or bronze, polyurethane or plywood, a digital image, light, sound, scent, or the human body; just another material used by artists to make art. “Just as ceramic art has been ‘marginalized’, relegated to displays behind museum ticket counters, or capitalized in writing such as this, so have non-traditional ap- proaches been ‘marginalized’ by ceramists. At what point are certain debates and definitions not only tired and worn, but possibly even a liability? At what point do they get dropped in favor of simply recognizing an expanded field? A field where there are no margins, there is no disciplinary allegiance, work is not categorized by a material or process, and tradition is not the principal benchmark. At what point is everything considered on the field? Just one field. When do we stop using the term “non-traditional” or getting together to discuss borders, boundaries, limits or margins? When do we use approaches that yield discourse about art for the sake of the individual piece regardless of the background of a maker or an audience? At what point do we dissolve the margins? “We organized this exhibition to be somewhat of a survey that operates to substantiate an expanded field. It uses an ap- proach to art practice that promotes unbiased consideration of the work. The artists presented in The Margins reduce ele- ments to their necessity. Materials are chosen to best realize an intention. Though clay is a component that runs through the work, it does so from outside an improvident focus on physical or conceptual mass. These are artists who are unfettered by discipline specificity, are interested in broader discourse. They are artists who dissolve the margins.”

Above right: Elissa Armstrong’s White Fantastic, 10 in. (25 cm) in height, earthenware, glaze and polymer clay, 2005. Right: Brian Gillis’ The Storyteller, 140 in. (355 cm) in length, birch plywood, copper, misc. hardware, porcelain and steel, 2007. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 17 exhibitions

John Glick Works by studio potter John Glick were recently on view at Clay Gallery (www.claygallery.org) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “John Glick’s elegant forms are influenced by ancient Chinese, Korean and Japanese ceramics, vigorous and inventive as they are reinterpreted and brought to the present day,” explains Marcia Polenberg, publicity director and co-owner of the gallery. “Many of his ceramic pieces are wheel-thrown, though he works in a variety of ways. In the construction of the intriguing elongated and footed covered containers, Glick combines extruded shapes with wheel-thrown parts, combined into a ceremonial presentation, a Shang dynasty Ting vessel stretched to accommodate perhaps a small eel or daikon radish. John Glick invites our imaginations to flourish alongside his fertile one.” “My glaze room accommodates some sixty glazes, and my process of glazing is a kind of ballet,” states Glick. “I move in and out of the aisles of glaze buckets, then to the wax resist work station, back to the glazes and finally to the decorative over-glaze wash area arrayed with legions of brushes. This spirited, spontaneous dance requires a concentra- tion which energizes me—a­ kind of focused, moving meditation.” John Glick’s plate, 24 in. (61 cm) in diameter, wheel-thrown clay with multiple slips and glaze painting, fired to cone 10 reduction, 2008.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Buckets and Baskets A group exhibition of works by Val Cushing, Chris Gustin, Wayne A group exhibition of ceramic bucket and basket forms by Higby, John Jessiman, Ji-Wan Joo, Karen Karnes, Jackson Li, 13 artists was recently on display at Red Lodge Clay Center Brad Schwieger, Don Reitz, Allan Rosenbaum, Chris Staley, Lydia (www.redlodgeclaycenter.com) in Red Lodge, Montana. Thompson and Peter Voulkos was “I seek to enhance the experience of interacting with functional recently on view at the Illges Gal- objects,” states Martha H. Grover. “I work toward creating a sense lery at Columbus State University of elegance for the user while in contact with each porcelain piece. (http://art.colstate.edu/exhibitions.asp) Reminiscent of orchids, flowing dresses and the body, the work has in Columbus, Georgia. a sense of familiarity and preciousness. The exhibition, curated by Mat- “Direct curves are taken from the female figure, as well as the thew Isaacson, includes a group of fluidity of a dancer moving weightlessly across the floor. The space past and contemporary artists who between elements is electrified with anticipation and tension. I think have been influential in the field of the fluid visual movement around a piece, as a choreographer of ceramics, along with former stu- would move dancers across a stage. Transmitting desire­—there is a dents, apprentices and assistants. sense of revealing and concealing, a layering of details that serves to “When I work, I think a lot,” catch our attention immediately and then the details draw us in. explains Don Reitz. “Lately, due in “In our lives, we often move past the objects surrounding us at part to the passing of my dear friends a very quick pace. My work generates a moment to pause. My goal and heroes, I have been thinking is to create an undeniable presence, one that acts as an invitation to about time. It is the greatest gift of all, explore the work thoroughly, taking time to know all of its many yet we take it for granted. . . . Will I facets. Only through sustained interaction can we truly know and waste it by worrying about the rules, appreciate someone or something.” yesterday’s idea, or about laborious, extraneous techniques before I need Martha H. Grover’s condiment server with spoons, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, Don Reitz’ Kachina Series No. 3, thrown and altered porcelain, electric fired to cone 10. 47 in. (119 cm) in height, wood- them? I choose not to. fired, heavily grogged, low-iron “Over the years, time has allowed me stoneware, colored engobe accents, 2008. to manipulate my forms and surfaces with some degree of innate intelligence and personal satisfaction. Time, an essential ingredient in firing, hardens and colors the clay, but also gives me time to think and look inward. “Time has enabled me to bring to my work a personal uniqueness, a clarification of purpose. These works serve as a bridge that allows me to move freely from one reality to another. In the interface, I am free of convention, opinion and burdensome history. My work becomes a personal iconography enabling me to visualize and organize my information. My marks are there in the clay. My signature.”

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 18 Tradition and Concept Bridged An exhibition of new work by Joanne Hayakawa and Kouta Shimazaki was recently on view at the Hyde Art Gallery (www.grossmont.edu/artgallery) at Grossmont College in El Cajon, California. “To term this exhibition a ceramics exhibition is to pare this collection of artwork down to its most minimal definition,” states the gallery’s curator, Ben Aubert. “Even to use the title ‘Tradition and Concept Bridged’ constitutes a very broad brush painting a very complex selection of work. The bodies of work by these two artists transcend the archaic thinking and production of art (especially in the ceramics world) that divided tradition from concept. The art in this exhibition inherently creates a medita-

Joanne Hayakawa’s Crow Crow, 15 in. (38 cm) in length, terra-cotta and porcelain slip, 2008.

tive response. Whether we view one of Hayakawa’s ghostly birds wrapped in some elegant state of bondage or we study the grace and beauty of one of Shimazaki’s vessels, there is a sense that the work is truly complete and something well worth an extended look. Both of these artists have created forms that inspire and go beyond just being objects.” “The subject of my work focuses on certain momentary connections between the individual and the built and natural environment,” explains Hayakawa. “However, the content of the work investigates the connec- tions in the space between seemingly polar opposites. In the tension of this middle ground of unlikely counterparts, there are moments of great beauty and purity where connections between the physical and the ideological fit together. As I move forward, I often realize that these dualities are not in opposition but in concert with each other. “Some such diametrically opposed pairs are: vulnerability with strength; the extraordinary with the mundane; erudite intellectualism with innocent ignorance; formulaic science with beautiful art . . . . I seek a core connection between these unlikely couples and that tension which evokes wonder.

Kouta Shimazaki’s stoneware vessel, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, stoneware with white slip and copper saturated glaze, incised and altered surface, fired to cone 10.

Simply Formal A group exhibition curated by Susan Filley was recently on view at the Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology (http://asuma.asu.edu) in Tempe, Arizona. “The artists in the exhibition have been thoughtfully selected for the legacy of their work over many years,” states Catherine Nichols, the museum’s curatorial specialist. “Their enduring attention to the effect of form in balance with other attributes speaks to their extraordinary understanding of the sense of presence that beautiful form embodies. “This exhibition . . . brings together artists who seek and embrace beauty in the power and strength of form. They share a consummate challenge to let the simplicity of form . . . carry the work to completion. While form is never isolated from the surface, scale or

content, it can be the driving force. When the stature of the work is fundamentally based Susan Filley’s Spiral Wave Vase, 16 in. (40 cm) in length, on formal considerations, then it can be simply enough.” thrown and altered porcelain, layered glazes.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 19 exhibitions

Pots Plus Prints Small Favors IV A group exhibition of functional ceramic A group exhibition of small works by over work by Jason Bohnert, Heather Mae 190 ceramic artists was recently on view at Ericson and Peter Jadoonath and printed The Clay Studio (www.theclaystudio.org) monotypes by Jon Neuse is on view in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. through June 14 at The Grand Hand The works in the exhibition all fit Gallery (www.thegrandhand.com) in St. within or incorporate a 4-inch Plexiglas Paul, Minnesota. cube or shadow box. The exhibition is held in cooperation “The opulent style of my work ini- with the Minnesota Potters of the Upper tially stemmed from my interest in 18th St. Croix River Pottery Studio Tour. century European porcelains,” states During extended stays at China’s Jing- Susan Beiner. “I began translating the dezhen Ceramic College, Jason Bohnert painted surface of these vessels into layers focused on teapot making and traditional of encrusted form and color. porcelain techniques. He is especially “Various industrial objects and new interested in the vessel forms and rituals discoveries in my environment inspire of Chinese tea culture. “The exploration me, as I question how our creations and of form and surface within the tradition technology mold our perceptions. I am of functional pottery continue to inspire influenced by the surrounding colors my ceramic art,” Bohnert explains. “My and textures and how combinations fall Jason Bohnert’s gourd pitcher, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, experiences in nature and my travels have into the patterns that occur in nature. white stoneware with copper saturated glaze, wood and soda fired to cone 11, 2008. given me endless inspiration.” I search to find a relationship between these disparate parts, as the gap between man-made and natural decreases. Wietske van Leeuwen “My most recent work displays a shift New works in clay by Wietske van Leeuwen to a more sculptural attitude, concerned were recently on view at Gallery Carla with making what is organic into synthetic Koch (www.carlakoch.nl) in Amsterdam, (fitting into the contemporary world and The Netherlands. more suited to today’s manufacturing and “Van Leeuwen creates strikingly baroque industrial design). Covering an expanse of objects, made up of many small replicas of shells space, my use of excess makes reference and fruit, reminiscent of the curio cabinets that to urban sprawl as the space around us were in fashion in the 17th century,” states becomes increasingly smaller.” gallery owner Carla Koch. “It was in vogue Susan Beiner’s Greenhouse Effect, 2009. among the wealthy merchants of that era to collect new types of fruit and shells that were brought back by the VOC (Dutch East India Company) ships, in such cabinets. “Van Leeuwen uses shells and fruit to make plaster press moulds, which are then used for producing large quantities of repeated shapes. From these, she creates her objects, always us- ing the pot or dish shape as a basis. “Her objects are flawless both on the in- side and outside, a ceramic tour de force. She uses dishes and vessels with lids as her base shapes. In addition, she creates combinations of ceramic garnitures, which were also com- Wietske van Leeuwen’s pepper pot with lid, 141/2 in. mon during the 17th century. (37 cm) in height, clay and terra sigillata, fired to “As with her earlier objects, the prints in cone 1, 2009. the new series of covered jars and dishes are not merely individual components; rather, they appear to be following a playful pattern, which precisely through repetition of the individual shapes acquires its immense effect. “The pepper is regularly found in her new works. This shape was first used in her design for a bridge in the Weteringse Veld district in The Hague (to be completed at the end of 2009). Through this shape a more austere graphic pattern emerges in her work.” Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 20 On The Verge: Contemporary Ceramics A group exhibition of works by Nicole Cherubini, Patsy Cox, David East, Heather Mae Erickson, Erin Furimsky and Del Harrow is on view through August 9 at Wichita State University’s (WSU) Ulrich Museum of Art (www.ulrich.wichita.edu/ceramics) in Wichita, Kansas. “Emphasizing perspectives that challenge, the exhibition presents contemporary ceramic practices as exploring a broadened potential for expression in this ancient medium,” states Ted Adler, guest curator, assistant professor and area head of ceramic media at WSU. “Collectively, these artists embrace the utilitarian and the decorative, the material and the conceptual, the ephemeral and the durable. They explore both high culture and low while capitalizing on clay’s material qualities—in the process setting up complex relationships between denotative and connotative meanings in their work.” “‘On the Verge’ is hard to beat as a guide to contemporary ceramics. Although not a comprehensive survey . . . the exhibition demonstrates the dramatic changes now taking place in the medium,” states Robert Silberman, contemporary crafts critic, professor of art at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and essayist for the exhibition catalog. “In showcasing a distinctly contemporary range of approaches to ceramics, On the Verge presents what might be called (to borrow a term the art historian Rosalind Krauss used about sculpture) ceramics in the expanded field: unconventional, experimental, ambitious and occasionally outrageous. “Patsy Cox’s art is both playful and thought provoking. The colors are Pop, so that the works almost resemble polyurethane toys; their surfaces appear far removed from the usual glazes. Yet the colors are part of a serious scheme, as a metaphor for racial and cultural differences presented to suggest assimilation patterns in urban communities. Although she does small-scale works, her characteristic efforts are large-scale installations constructed with unmistakable obsessiveness—a­­ quality that has come to seem a dominant trait in contemporary art. As in the work of so many other installation artists, from Ann Hamilton to Tara Donovan, numerous individual units are combined to form one enormous whole. With Cox, this ‘con- glomerate’ (her word) suggests William Blake’s statement in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: ‘The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.’ Blake, who also wrote that ‘Exuberance is beauty,’ would no doubt admire Cox’s art, which moves toward a kind of ceramic science fiction that is part cell structure, part sea creature, part urban utopia, part outer-space fantasia—and all fantastic.”

Patsy Cox’s Urban Rebutia, 35 ft. (10.6 m) in length, installed dimensions, 7000 porcelain pieces, vitreous engobe and glaze, as installed at the Brand Library Gallery, 2007. Photo: Lesley Krane.

National Cup Show An exhibition of 97 cup forms by 55 artists was recently on view at Lux Center for the Arts (www.luxcenter.org) in Lincoln, Nebraska. “This show was both difficult and fun to jury because I had so many cups to choose from, and the range of work was so broad, sates Pete Pinnell, who juried the exhibition. “Repeatedly during the process I found myself wishing I had more images of a particular piece, or even better, the ability to reach into the image and touch that cup. “There were so many different approaches to the notion of ‘cup’ that I found it difficult to ‘jury’ in the sense of choosing the best work—sometimes it really is impossible to choose between apples and oranges. Instead, I found myself acting more in the role of cura- tor, choosing which of the entries would make the best show. I have undoubtedly left out some very valid work, and I may have included work that is not as good as the image led me to believe. Regardless of that, I think the objects I’ve chosen are intriguing, interesting, entertaining or just plain beautiful.”

Alex Kutchins’ mint cup and saucer, 8 ½ in. (22 cm) in length, earthenware, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 21 exhibitions

Jennifer Lee: Recent Work An exhibition of recent work by Scottish born ceramist Jennifer Lee Stephen Mickey and the Soul Buds was recently on view at Frank Lloyd Gallery (www.franklloyd.com) An exhibition of works by 20 potters who built and fire the “Soul- in Santa Monica, California. gama” kiln was recently on view at the Mount Hood Community Writing about Lee’s work in a recent publication, Alun Graves of College Visual Arts Gallery (www.mhcc.edu/pages/1031.asp) in the Victoria and Albert Museum noted: “Lee’s pots have frequently Gresham, Oregon. and not unreasonably been compared to landscape, their tilted hori- “I make pots to be zontal striations appearing like geological strata. Yet unlike some of used in the everyday the freer branches of organic sculpture, these are clearly not objects ritual observance we formed by natural processes, brought into being through the chance call life”, states Stephen accumulation and manipulation of earth and rock. For the viewer Mickey. “My interest who knew nothing of their age and origins, their status and human is in the relationship artifacts would be immediately apparent.” of the user to the pots. I work with form and Jennifer Lee’s Banded Olive, Metallic, Haloed (left), 77/8 in. (20 cm) in height, 3 the contact of the users stoneware, 2009; Pale, Olive and Speckled Bands (right), 4 /8 in. (11 cm) in diameter, stoneware 2008. Photo: Anthony Cunha. hand on the piece. I am hoping that, with a few decades of pot making on board, my work has a way of speaking to those who choose to listen.” “I strive to make Top: Stephen Mickey’s carbon-trapped triangled tea bowl, 7 in. (18 cm) in length, porcelain, pots that elicit a vis- natural ash glaze exterior, copper red interior ceral, even emotional, glaze, wood fired to cone 10. response, pots that Above: Sarah Chenoweth’s Three Treasures, to 7 in. (18 cm) in height, thrown and hand-built must be held and ex- porcelain, black slip and flashing slip, soda plored,” states Sarah fired to cone 10–11, 2008. Chenoweth. “They are initially comforting and precious, but with time and use you may discover subtle quirks that expose a charming character. Wood- firing and soda-firing encourage this kind of character.”

All Together Now: Sets, Groups, Themes, Aggregates An exhibition of works by Daniel Bare, Heather Mae Erickson, Alleghany Meadows, Mia Mulvey, Susan Schultz and Mark Shapiro are on view through June 28 at Pewabic Pottery (www.pewabic.com) in Detroit, Michigan. “All of these artists produce works that employ groups of related objects that, in a variety of ways, make up a whole,” states curator Tara Robinson. “In some instances, the related objects are attached to one another so that the arrangement is immutable. In other instances, the objects are discrete but created to be considered as a group; e.g., the parts make the whole.” In describing her Olfaction Series, Mia Mulvey explains, “These works are based on the exploration of scent, or better, the scientific process by which we smell. In 2005, the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Richard Axel and Linda Buck for their discovery of how the olfactory system works. Their research proved that shape was the key element in determining scent and that it is the shapes of molecules that create patterns in the olfactory center of our brains. These patterns allow us to differentiate and experience the thousands of different scents in our world. The scents I chose fall under four themes (Beauty, Sweetness, Intoxication and Control), borrowed from Michael Pollan’s book, The Botany of Desire. These basic, human desires link us to the natural world in that it is through desire that we have propagated, harvested, modified, and sought out such substances. Although no actual scent is present, our bodies know these biological processes of smell and shape, even if we are relying on our memories of them.” Mia Mulvey’s Hemp (Caryophyllene Oxide), part of the Olfaction Series (Control), 14 in. (36 cm) in height, cone 9 porcelain with luster, 2008. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 22 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 23 exhibitions

Bay Area Pottery Posse The work of the Bay Area Pottery Posse, a group of seven women potters from the San Francisco Bay area, is on view through July 3 at Mudfire Clayworks (www.mudfire.com) in Decatur, Georgia. Curated by Diana Fayt, the exhibition presents new works by Christa Assad, Diana Fayt, Josie Jurczenia, Mary Mar Keenan, Rae Dunn, Sara Kagan, Sara Paloma and Whitney Smith that express daring design in terms of form, color and narrative themes, states the gallery’s Co-Director, Erik Haagensen. This group of artists frequently work, show and meet together as they seek to evolve their vision. In doing so, they present a notable face that strongly influences contemporary Bay Area studio pottery.” “My design sense is primarily informed by my obsession with flowers and other forms found in nature,” states Whitney Smith. “I have painted and drawn since I was a small child, and many of my designs are influ- enced by other painters and 2-D artists. I am also strongly influenced by Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movements of the 19th early 20th century. I like the look and feel of old things and antiques, and my glaze choices have a certain look that reminds people of a different era.” “My work is primarily in clay, though anything involving designing, engineering and constructing holds my interest,” Christa Assad explains. “Design is the key element that guides my thinking and making. First, I want the piece to be visually captivating—to lure the viewer in for further investigation—and second, I want it to function effortlessly and in a way that serves to enhance the daily experience. Possibly, the work can even awaken the viewer/user to emotions and memories that add additional layers of meaning. “This is how pottery is unique: it operates both at a distance, striking a bold profile or emitting a lustrous glow of color, and intimately, right up against the lips. It’s a privilege to gain this kind of access to others’ private space—the domestic, personal landscape. Here, rituals of use develop, ar- rangements of objects move and change­—and in this way the life and place of a pot becomes a collaborative artwork.”

Top Right: Christa Assad’s Ocean and River Cups, 5½ in. (14 cm) in diameter, wheel- thrown and altered clay, crystalline glaze, fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2008. Right: Whitney Smith’s Lotus Bowls, to 9 in. (23 cm) in diameter, slip-cast stoneware after wheel-thrown and altered originals, fired to cone 6 oxidation, 2009.

Contemporary Monsters An exhibition of works by six artists who work within the realms of the surreal, yet with unique sensibilities, was recently on view at Northern Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Participants include the curator, Edith Garcia, along with Wesley Anderegg, Tom Bartel, Cynthia Consentino, John de Fazio, Arthur González, and Michael Lucero. “All of these artists translate everyday monsters into sublime sculptural works, offering original voices in an expressive and overwhelmingly physical manner,” according to Exhibitions Director and Curator Jamie Lang. “de Fazio creates assembled works from molded ready-mades, items mostly considered kitsch, transforming them into ironic and humorous sculptures. His work draws from childhood memories while blending themes of Pop culture with classic mythologies.” “This selection of ceramic objects were inspired by the psychedelic poster art and ceramic paraphernalia of the Haight/Ashbury period that inspired me to move to San Francisco in the early eighties,” explains de Fazio. “My first job was working as an air-brush painter on an assembly line, mass producing kitsch effigies of Hollywood stars. One of the products was a James Dean mug, cheaply glazed in mostly white with a few spritzes of blond hair and blue eyes. Two decades later, I saw one for sale at a flea market and used it as a class demonstration for quick and easy plaster mold making. My first demented version depicts a yellow James Dean zombie with car crash scars, dug up from the pop icon graveyard. Next, it was morphed into The Artist Formerly Known

John de Fazio’s Prince Zombie Mug (left) and James Dean Zombie Mug As Prince, a souvenir zombie mug of Minneapolis, lovingly painted, (right), 6 in. (15 cm) in height, earthenware, 2009. but with a hole in his head.”

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 24 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 25 reviews

Left: John Maltby’s King with Bird, 7 in. (18 cm) in height. Right: John Maltby’s King and Queen, 9 in. (23 cm) in height. Both made of crank clay, slip, oxides and commercial stains, fired to cone 5, 2009.

John Maltby: New Works by Judy Adams It may be surprising, but when asked to define characteristics that typify After two years, however, Maltby found himself restless working within their national identity, most British people find themselves at a loss. the constraints of repetitive skills. He decided to set up his own pottery Fortunately, in his latest exhibition, John Maltby has gone a long way to pursue a more individual approach with surface patterns and drawings to helping resolve this identity crisis. In the gallery at the Rufford Craft that sprang from personal experience of the English landscape. While Centre (www.ruffordcraftcentre.org.uk)—a former 12th century abbey the 1996 change from functional to sculptural forms was more radical, it in Ollerton, England—surrounded by 140 pieces of Maltby’s work, any continued his earlier creative thinking—subtle­ evolution from one piece English person will experience a strong sense of empathy. to another, the need for his “very Englishness” to infuse the ceramics, and But conventional national symbolism it isn’t. Maltby’s work presents the development of a clay fluency. mysterious swathed figures, frail boats, mischievous and menacing Maltby’s quoted influences range from the simple yet striking im- birds, emotive family groups, winged beings, crowned heads, many agery of Cornish artist and mariner Alfred Wallis, to the complexities confronting us with an air of gentle bewilderment as if uprooted from and symbolism of Klee and Picasso. For me, Maltby’s work is rooted their natural place. They stand as if witnessing life-changing events equally in more ancient art—that of the medieval Bayeux Tapestry’s they’re not exactly sure about. bewildered, struggling English forces, the dusty tomb statuary of knights To a large extent, they are indeed the result of life changes. In 1996, and nobility in our country churches, the pagan spirituality of stand- having achieved a worldwide reputation, Maltby was struck by an illness ing stone circles, of marauding Viking ships, and of Bronze Age boats that meant he could not continue throwing or making in his usual way. dredged from ancient bogs. Rather than seeing this as a setback, Maltby took it as a stepping stone. The exhibition—including wall pieces and free-standing work— He had originally trained as a sculptor, and while convalescing from underlines Maltby’s unique position in British ceramics. Andy Christian, his illness he began to fashion small objects in clay. This change in the writing for the exhibition curators/organizers Earthmarque, writes: way he created ceramics allowed him the opportunity to develop a new “Emerging from these works is no sense of raw emotion but rather the kind of work outside the disciplines of wheel and vessel. The work that slow burning of poetic things, of a considered vision and perhaps of a followed was small-scale­ and sculptural, and the change of direction sense of his age and life path . . . which proclaims simply: this is my world was, and still is, well-received. and the way I see it.” Maltby says he had always wanted to be some kind of artist, but credits Bernard Leach as the catalyst. “I met with Bernard Leach quite the author Judy Adams is a freelance writer and also a maker in clay and met- by accident. He was a magnetic man and I immediately asked if I could als. She lives and works in England and her writing has appeared in Ceramics work with him at St. Ives. But Leach himself was quite old, no longer Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Ceramic Review and Crafts magazines at St. Ives, so he suggested that I train with his son David.” as well as the book Extruder, Mold and Tile: Forming Techniques. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 26 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 27 reviews

Clockwise from top left: Stephanie Lanter’s Triple Nipple, 16 in. (40cm) in length. Marina Kuchinski’s Wait, 24 in. (61 cm) in height. Ingrid Bathe’s serving bowl, 10 in. (25 cm) in height. Anne Drew Potter’s The Quiet Baby, 32 in. (81 cm) in height. Lauren Mayer’s The Secret to Hiding, 40 in. (102 cm) in height. Tip Toland’s Milk for the Butter Thief, 52 in. (132 cm) in length.

2009 NCECA Clay National Biennial Exhibition by Germaine Shames Carl Jung once compared great art to a dream: “For all its apparent obvi- hands fig-leafing its indeterminate genitalia. These figures embody life ousness it does not explain itself and is never unequivocal.” and death simultaneously, suggesting through their very vulnerability a Judging by this paradox, the 2009 National Council on Educa- durable and timeless essence. tion for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) “Clay National Biennial” attains Marina Kuchinski’s Wait pairs a vitrified terra-cotta dog—tail tucked, patches of greatness. back arched—with a postage-stamp-sized digital image of human eyes. Building upon its reputation as one of the world’s preeminent ce- The gazes of the canine and its master lock, but, chillingly, the dog has no ramic art events, the exhibition showcases fifty-five works by fifty-one eyeballs, only sockets. The work speaks to the unequal power relationship artists, a rich and idiosyncratic mix of icons and artifacts, abstractions that, from biblical times, has characterized humankind’s stance toward and fetishes. its four-legged relations. Jurors Christy Johnson, Jeanne Quinn and Chris Staley, using quality In contrast, Margaret Keelan’s Girl with Crow (winner of an NCECA as their over-arching criterion, considered more than 1500 works submit- Purchase Award) depicts profound and enduring communion. A doll- ted by 835 artists. Their selections underscore clay’s facility in bridging faced girl with the air of someone frozen in time holds a small unthreat- tradition and innovation. ening crow on the delicate perch of her flexed wrist. Drawn from the “A deep-seated interest in cultural relevance makes it evident that tradition of 18th and 19th century American folk art, this figurative these works are products of our time,” states Linda Ganstrom, NCECA’s sculpture with its distressed faux-wood surface and quiet eloquence Exhibitions Director and the guiding hand behind the Biennial. “Each embodies a harmony ever more elusive. piece possesses a sensuous invitation to the viewer to interact with the work, Lauren Mayer’s The Secret to Hiding uses shelved piles of neatly folded exposing ceramics’ roots in beauty and the intimate human connection white undergarments and linens—slip-soaked fabric fired to a convincing possible through an experience with a physical object.” facsimile—to cache a handful of envelopes. The work’s intentional under- By connecting with the tactile impulse of such wide-ranging creations, statement makes the viewer’s discovery of the secret correspondence all the the viewer cannot but appreciate clay’s singular capacity to take on guises more unsettling. Like so much else shut away in the metaphorical “closet” and, through these guises, to tap into archetypal themes. of domestic life, what the letters say we will never know. Two of the show’s most moving figurative sculptures, Tip Toland’sMilk Ingrid Bathe’s porcelain and cotton fiberServing Bowl (winner of the for the Butter Thief and Anne Drew Potter’s The Quiet Baby present mirror Best Paper Clay Entry Award, new this year) elevates the domestic to the images of immortality: the former an aged nude, wrinkled, liver-spotted, realm of sacred art. The bowl, thin-walled and delicately pinched with curled into a fetal position, its withered hands palm-to-palm as if in prayer; a broad overlapped coil, chronicles its own genesis in myriad fingertip the latter a newborn—bony, precociously self-protective—kneeling with indentations evocative of rippled crystalline water.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 28 Clockwise from top left: Margaret Keelan’s Girl with Crow, 33 in. (84 cm) in height. Nikki Renee Anderson’s Cherry Bodies, 48 in. (122 cm) in length (detail). Cynthia Giachetti’s Alight, 30 in. (76 cm) in height. Jason Briggs’ Puff 11 in. (28 cm) in length. Brian Benfer’s Untitled (IC-70), 20 in. (51 cm) in width. Ane Fabricius Christiansen’s Transition, 30 in. (76 cm) in length.

Cherry Bodies by Nikki Renee Anderson, daughter of a bakery owner, sculptural reincarnation, thickly encrusted with ash, its fissures glistening playfully tempts with five marshmallow-white confections smothered in with gold leaf, has come through its trial by fire with a pleasing “asym- red syrup. Whether ice cream parlor fantasy or erotic dream, there is a metrical balance” reminiscent of the works of Paul Soldner. taste to this sculpture, a stickiness. It speaks to the unattainable, a sweet- Alight by Cynthia Giachetti resurrects a 19th century French chan- ness never to be savored. delier damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The fixture, badly rusted, imbued More subtle is the ungratified craving implied by Stephanie Lanter’s with tragedy, might never have shone again if not for Giachetti’s dedica- adult pacifier, Triple Nipple. A slip-cast, glazed oral implement attached tion to “re-enchanting” found objects. Rewired, restored and redecorated, by a fine crocheted umbilical cord of nylon filament to a bonnet-like ap- the chandelier now hosts an Edenic garden of dewy porcelain flowers pendage, this visual rhyme combines elegance with a humor that might and cherubic bluebirds. Illumined, it hangs at half-mast, at once (in as easily be pathos. A third nipple suggests compulsion, a self-destructive the artist’s words) “memento mori and oracle of hope.” To this critic hunger for something beyond what is normal or healthy. Lanter’s masterful Alight is the 2009 Biennial’s quiet miracle, that rare fusion of beauty, understatement lends a muted wonder to what could be an “heirloom” spirit and function. of dysfunction. Clay in its infinite guises retains a primal appeal—that much is un- Jason Briggs’ Puff, an agglomeration of mounds and orifices covered equivocal. Ceramic art, no longer solely about makers and making, has with human hair suggestively pubic, stuns with its unflinching, unadorned realized in this show the potential not only to incorporate new media but mingling of genitalia. Ingeniously rendered, this diminutive porcelain to unmake, transform and give new life to a material world at risk. sculpture enclosed within a glass box alternately attracts and repels. More a challenge than an invitation, it lays bare the vanishing mystery that once The 2009 NCECA Biennial Exhibition, held in conjunction with separated the erotic from the pornographic. the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Ane Fabricius Christiansen’s video Transition, aptly named, follows organization’s annual conference, was on view through the end of May the slow and graceful dissolution of an unfired clay pot immersed in wa- at Arizona State University’s Art Museum, Ceramics Research Center ter. Sinuously pirouetting in the manner of a water ballet, the pot sends (www.asuartmuseum.edu), in Tempe, Arizona. bubbles and particles dancing in its wake. The pot’s gradual unmaking by the elements invites reflection on the natural laws that both enable and circumscribe all creation. the author Itinerant writer Germaine Shames scours the globe in search A far less gentle transition is suggested by Brian Benfer’s Untitled (IC- of beautiful objects. Her byline appears in such periodicals as National 70), an industrial ceramic sink blasted to pieces in a wood kiln. The sink’s Geographic Traveler, More, Hemispheres, Success and many others.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 29 yworkandplay workandplaywork The Potter’s Life

the Internet and privately through my studio. I am just starting to figure out my market and still learning what works and what doesn’t. Keeping good records of all work I send out lets me know which Naomi Cleary places sell a lot of cups and which places sell mostly larger items. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania After sending to galleries, I am left with dishes that would nor- mally wait for a spring-cleaning studio sale. Selling online through Etsy.com, I found a whole new market for my work. The Etsy buyer is often a younger customer just starting to collect handmade objects. I have had varying experiences at craft fairs. Some have been great, with crowds that understand craft and the handmade object. One in particular still haunts me. I was placed next to a woman selling hand painted signs that read “Welcome to Margaritaville” and “Jersey girls don’t pump gas.” I did not return for the second day of selling. The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show was an all around amazing experience. Get- ting to set up my own world within the conven- The Time It Takes tion center and to display making/firing: 75% my work the way I see it promoting/selling: 20% fitting into a home versus office/bookkeeping: 5% a traditional gallery set- Really, the numbers ting was great. I do think should add up to 155% I am coming in at the tail with another sidebar: end of the convention Hours in a Day show era. With the Inter- net as a primary source of sleeping: 6 hours communication, you can making work: 15 hours solicit clients without as- other: 3 hours tronomical booth fees. Embracing the Inter- net as a major marketing tool is the only way my After completing graduate school two years ago, I returned to Phila- studio practice can ever sustain me financially. I spend at least delphia to set up a studio. Good timing and a bit of luck provided twenty percent of my studio day on the computer, I have a blog, cheap live/work space already wired for kilns. I sent emails to every a Twitter account, website and an Etsy shop. I let people into my gallery I could find, with images, résumé, etc., letting them know world by posting updates as well as images of works in progress, I was interested in showing my work. I was surprised to find this kilns ready to be unloaded, the nice clean studio and conversely an extremely effective way of soliciting business. the overworked messy studio. Last year, I shipped work to galleries for shows and for their Sacrifices made in order to have a full-time studio practice are shops, sold at indie craft fairs, a big convetion center show, through almost entirely financial. I do not have health insurance and struggle

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 30 focus working potters yworkandplay workandplaywork

Left: Tumblers, 5¾ in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain with underglaze decoration and glaze, fired to cone 6, 2008. Right: Large salad bowl, 9 in. (23 cm) in diameter, porcelain with incised glaze-filled lines, underglaze decoration and glaze, fired to cone 6, 2008.

to pay my student loans. I have a truck that is making a terrible noise that I am choosing to ignore for at least another three months and most of my socks have holes in the toes. That said, I spend all day making work in a light-washed studio Where to See More www.naomicleary.com filled with plants, my collection of knick-knacks and my dog. I cannot imagine www.naomiclearyceramics.etsy.com living any other way. www.naomicleary.blogspot.com Even though I champion the Internet as the new way, I do think we are living www.twitter.com/naomicleary in an increasingly disconnected society. I walk down the street and struggle to The Clay Studio make eye contact with a passerby and a return of my good morning greeting is www.theclaystudio.org painfully rare. I feel disconnected from crowded city streets where each person’s Santa Fe Clay www.santafeclay.org own reality hinges on their cell phone. Greenwich House Pottery By making dishes, I hope to connect people, to connect my reality to yours. I www.greenwichousepottery.org am working to slow the pace of the modern day. I make tumblers that fit in your Red Star Studios car cup holder so you can make coffee and take it with you. I believe even this www.redstarstudios.org small action can change the energy of your whole day. Freehand Gallery The objects I make gain value through use. I challenge the notion of dispos- www.freehand.com able as better and am working toward a new time where plastic is out and people Sherrie Gallerie www.sherriegallerie.com bake bread, make coffee and use dishes as part of a healthy ritual of comfort and enjoyment.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 31 P a u l Eshelman Elizabeth, Illinois

continue to increase, now accounting for about 10% of my income. Online customers usually have had initial contact with me at an art show. They have met me, and they have seen and touched the work firsthand. This gives them the confidence to purchase pottery in what could be a fairly abstract relationship with both me and my pottery. I try to communicate well with customers, answer- ing their e-mailed questions and shipping their pieces as promptly as possible to build a good relationship. I’m working to increase internet sales so that, even with the lagging sales at art shows, I can continue to sell the major- ity of my work retail and stay at home more. My work time is split roughly into two-thirds mak- ing, glazing and firing pottery, and one-third traveling to and doing art shows, packing wholesale and retail orders, photographing the work, and doing repair work and other odd jobs that occur in my eighty-year-old brick studio building. I am blessed that my wife, Laurel, handles all the bookkeeping, art show applications, correspondence and all manner of computer work with grace and intel- lect. It is pretty much a full-time job. She accompanies me to most art shows now, which eases Twenty years ago, I moved with my the burden of being away from home. wife and three young children to rural From their teen years through college, our northwestern Illinois to try my hand The Time It Takes three children helped at the pottery doing making a living as a studio potter. I was making/firing: 70% finish work on the ware and all sorts of leaving midway through a graduate-study promoting/selling: 30% odd jobs. They saved money for college program in industrial design at The Ohio office/bookkeeping: 0%, but this and acquired a first-hand taste of what is because my spouse handles this State University, where I felt severely financially supports them and what Dad aspect of the business. mismatched. Although it was one of the does for a living. It truly is an integrated toughest decisions our family made— family enterprise. facing loads of unknowns—in retrospect, In retrospect, I can see that one of it was a good one. Despite a rocky start, the wisest decisions I made was to locate sales of my pottery have allowed us to make our house and studio the pottery in a small town where I could keep costs low. From a payments, feed and clothe the family, and help send all three kids practical standpoint, not having a burdensome rent or mortgage through college. payment every month has eased the financial picture from the Before the move to full-time pottery, I lined up a slate of retail beginning. Although I could wish for more interest in my pottery art shows. It was a fairly quick entrance into selling my work. I from much of the community, I have been embraced by church, now do about fifteen shows a year. Doing the shows involves a lot school and other small businesses among whom I am viewed with- of time out of the studio, but I don’t mind the travel and enjoy the out suspicion. Most of the farm families in the area have several personal interaction with those who buy and use my pots. Although sidelines in order to pull together a livelihood. The modest income sales at art shows still account for about 60% of my income, these of a potter isn’t seen as unusual. sales have sharply declined in the last couple years. Wholesale orders I have tried to be frugal, upgrading equipment only when it is augment the show sales. Additionally, I get online sales from my absolutely required. Presently my only major equipment are two ten- website. My oldest son designed and manages my website; I have cubic-foot electric kilns and a portable casting machine. Although I no computer savvy. I began selling online in 2003 and web sales did take out a mortgage to purchase a storefront that serves as studio

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 32 focus working potters

and gallery, that has been our only loan. My advice to anyone starting out is to be careful of debt. Growing up in a household of academics, I natu- rally assumed my interest in clay would take that route. I pursued an M.F.A. at Rhode Island School of Design, then spent six years teaching part-time and looking for full-time teaching positions. I also spent this time learning about mold making and slip casting. Initially, the move to slip casting was made for aesthetic reasons, but the practical aspects soon became apparent. I was more productive and I made better pots. Without success snagging a full-time teaching job, and after the short foray into industrial design, I launched into studio pottery. Although not my original choice, my personality is best suited to it. I enjoy the largely solitary work and careful crafts- manship. I relish the luxury of taking the care needed to do the work well and making all the aesthetic and pragmatic decisions. There isn’t a demand to do slipshod work simply for the sake of someone else’s vision of efficiency. It is startling how many pots it takes to make a liv- ing. Coming out of school, it is hard not to be impos- sibly idealistic. Running a pottery is a business, like it or not. I have to make and sell a significant number of pots in order to pay the bills. I have begun hiring a college student as an intern each summer. They help with the extra work load, have access to the studio to pursue their own work, and get an honest picture of Top: Covered cups, 5 in. (13 cm) in height, slip-cast stoneware, fired to cone 4 in oxidation. what the life of a working craftsman looks like. So far, Above: Boat platter, 14 in. (36 cm) in width, slip-cast stoneware, fired to cone 4 in oxidation. it has worked out well for all of us. Cultural critic Ken Meyers defines culture as, “what we make of the world.” Culture encompasses all manner of human artifacts and activities, including pottery, which bal- ances the divergent pulls of tradition and innovation, as well as functional and aesthetic Where to See More enjoyment. Most of the cultural references I draw upon fall outside the world of pottery. Eshelman Pottery I look to architecture, design, functional objects and tools as my guides. By keeping my eyes www.eshelmanpottery.com open during daily life, details such as a plumbing fixture or duct work junction initiate the Craft Alliance creative thought process. I also draw much from print images. The abstraction from actual www.craftalliance.org object to two-dimensional image through photography clarifies its form and surface. Pewabic Pottery These visual resources become seeds for new work. www.pewabic.com Teaism In the best of all possible worlds, I would wish for the financial demands on a potter www.teaism.com to be not as significant. They make the decision to be a potter daunting in the begin- Works Gallery ning and challenging throughout. But I am thankful to be involved in making culture. www.snyderman-works.com Well-crafted, handmade objects dignify human activities. The simple fueling of one’s body is given poignancy and weight when the vessels used are not heartless disposables but well-crafted pots that serve with elegance.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 33 Jennifer Allen Morgantown, West Virginia

years. As soon as I received my graduate degree in 2006, I went to the Archie Bray Foundation as a resident artist and Taunt Fellow. The fellowship helped alleviate most of my material and firing costs, but I still needed to get a part-time job so I could afford to pay rent, pump gas and buy food. During my first year at the Bray, I spent a lot of time marketing. I developed a website (with the help of a web designer) and put together promotional packets to send off to galleries. Lots of money was allocated to business cards, postcards, paper clips, résumé paper and printer ink. Still, I made sure to keep close track of all of my purchases in order to claim them as business expenses. That first year outside of academia was the toughest. I’d been tossed into the real world and somehow had to find my footing. By my second year at the Bray, sales picked up, and I formed relationships with many galleries. However, I still needed to work part-time in order to make ends meet. Last year, I moved to Mor- gantown, West Virginia, bought a small house with my husband and am in the process of establishing myself as a studio potter in the community. Now I sell work in galleries and out of my studio. In this age of globalization, it’s also important to promote and sell work online. This becomes a tricky task. The Internet plays a major role in growing one’s market by making the work accessible to a limitless audience. However, the tactile exchange between object and user is impossible to simulate online. I make physical objects, not images of objects. In the future, I will add both regional craft fairs and internet sales to my retail galleries and studio events. This way, I will have an image presence online and an object presence in my community. As studio artists, our jobs become much more complicated than just making pots in the studio. We become managers, bookkeepers, advertisers, shippers, technicians, bricklayers, electricians, plumb- ers, educators, etc. This type of lifestyle has the potential to wear on people; therefore, it is our responsibility When I was asked to contribute to this to remind ourselves to take a break every article, I was both excited and intimidated. now and then. Like most potters, I work As a young potter just emerging in our field, The Time It Takes in my studio seven days a week. In order to I wondered what I could offer the readers. making/firing: 75–80% recharge, I need to spend time outside of my Then I realized that I could speak about my promoting/selling: 10% studio. This may mean visiting museums in experiences during the transition between office/bookkeeping: 10% the region, attending conferences, lectures being a graduate student and building a and workshops, or chatting with fellow pot- career as a studio potter. ters. It is also important for me to experience I first knew I wanted to make pots for the local landscape, as it has tremendous a living while working for a studio potter in Anchorage, Alaska influence on my work. The best way for me to do this is to go on (1998–2002). That was when the clay bug sunk its teeth in deep. long walks with my husband and two dogs. Making a living off my work finally became a reality, but it’s a fairly When I worked in a pottery in Alaska, I started by wedging new one. I’ve been making pots as a profession for less than three clay, mopping the floor and hauling water. This combination of

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 34 focus working potters

Left: Sauceboat, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain, 2009. Right: Stacking cream and sugar set, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, porcelain, 2009. Where to See More www.jenallenceramics.com tasks really took a toll on my body and I exhausted both wrists pretty quickly. Now, Archie Bray Foundation I buy my porcelain from a local clay manufacturer. My time is precious, and if I can www.archiebray.org spend added time painting stripes on a pitcher rather than mixing and wedging clay, Northern Clay Center pre-mixed clay is worth every penny. www.northernclaycenter.org Health and health insurance are major concerns for potters. Health insurance is Red Lodge Clay Center extremely expensive, but due to the physical demands on our bodies and the environ- www.redlodgeclaycenter.com mental risks involved with our profession, it is a necessity. I am fortunate to have a Artstream Nomadic Gallery husband who has health insurance. In fact, we got married one year before our wed- www.art-stream.com ding so I could be added to his policy. Last year, I developed extreme pain in my lower The Clay Studio back from overextending unfit muscles. Since then, I have become very conscious of www.theclaystudio.org improving my overall health. I work out in a gym five days a week doing a combina- Lillstreet Art Center tion of cardiovascular training, strengthening, stretching and core exercises. I also www.lillstreet.com meet with a nutritionist once every three months in order to address dietary needs. I Greenwich House Pottery look at my gym’s monthly membership as an investment in preventative health care. www.greenwichhouse.org After all, I am investing in my biggest asset, myself. Artworks Gallery For those who are considering studio pottery as a profession: Read as much as you www.artworksmontana.com can, but don’t forget to read for pure enjoyment as well as for research. Go to museums, Holter Museum gallery openings, conferences, workshops, lectures, craft fairs, farmers’ markets and www.holtermuseum.org meet people who share similar interests. Live with the pots you make and live with the Charlie Cummings Gallery pots of others. Befriend a web-designer and digital photographer or choose to tackle www.claylink.com the tasks yourself. Remember to leave your comfort zone and experience things on Red Star Studios your own (it’s much easier to approach others and network this way). Find a balance www.redstarstudios.org between work and play. Establish yourself locally, but think and promote globally. AKAR www.akardesign.com Don’t stand on the outside and stick one toe in, but rather jump on in, and let your whole self be a part of this madness!

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 35 Simon Levin Gresham, Wisconsin

of all my promotion is the artwork. The work comes first. I am always striving to make the pottery better, more clear, more articulate. Second in importance are good images. We covet that which we see. These two priorities form the foun- dation on which all other promotion springs. Good writing helps, but it can only speak to qualities in the work. My market is varied. I often sell to local people who get excited about the process, people who are delighted to be connected to their everyday ware. I was selling work at the Art School at Old Church sale in Demarest, New Jersey, this past December and one of the volunteers asked me “Do you know who likes your pots? Potters.” I think there is some truth to this, as I make pots that speak about clay and its behaviors, and most potters love clay. I grow my market by saying “yes” to opportunities and requests, by offering my skills and being on the spot with good images. Several years ago I set myself the task of publish- ing an article a year, as an inexpensive way to advertise my ideas and work. Until now, I have focused on the ceramic journals, but I have come to believe our community would be better served by reaching the larger public. The quiet life of the country potter is a myth. Words have the power to introduce people to The romanticism of a simple life, spinning the passion and range of exploration that exists forms and firing with wood, has faded to be The Time It Takes in contemporary clay as much as images. replaced by a richer reality. I live in a log home making: 50% The importance of introducing new people firing: 10% in rural Wisconsin. We have ten acres of land, to clay was reinforced when I read Malcolm promoting/selling: 25% three wood kilns and a joyous life filled with Gladwell’s The Tipping Point. He talks about teaching/apprentices: 15% beauty, but that life is anything but quiet and the strength of weak ties, making the point that serene. This may be a result of my personality those to whom you are loosely acquainted op- as much as contemporary society, internet erate in social circles where you know no one, connectivity and the cost of living. whereas your friends and colleagues know most My personality is such that I don’t outsource well. I like to be of the same people you do. So, for promotion to reach new people, involved in all aspects of my work, including making work on the it is more powerful to target acquaintances rather than friends. wheel, designing clay bodies and glazes, building my own kilns, Recently I have discovered the effectiveness of group promoting. taking slides and designing my web site. Doing it myself has also Rather than only using the web to further myself, I have found aligned well with my marketing approach: low overhead and high that the effort is much more powerful if others are being lifted up rate of return. This approach does demand lots of time. as well. If the motivation to promote is tied to multiple people’s I have been making pots as my primary source of income for interest, ideas can spread like wildfire. Social networking sites, such eleven years. Some of my income comes from teaching workshops, as Facebook, pass the word so well inside and outside the ceramic building kilns and creating websites. About half of my pottery world that it is an ideal tool to use the strength of weak ties. income comes from galleries. The other half comes from local and The surfaces that I love are based in long wood-firings; firings internet sales. Given the consignment percentage, this means I am where the flame has time to wash over and recede from the work hun- selling about twice as many pots through galleries around the country dreds of times. This labor-intensive process means about five weeks compared to those I sell locally and through my online store. a year are spent firing; very little else occurs during this time. Promotion of my work includes maintaining my website, mailing I think about how to maintain myself and maintain my creativ- out announcements, writing articles and entering shows. At the core ity as separate issues, although the division is not always clean. I am

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 36 focus working potters

very protective of what I let influence my making. Seventeen years ago, as I entered Left: Whiskey pitcher, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, the field, my wife, Susan, and I visited a lot of potters and observed their business and anagama-fired stoneware. artistic models trying to develop an approach that would guide us. It was at this time, Right: Ringed pasta bowl, 8 in. (20 cm) in diameter, anagama-fired porcelain with wadding decoration. with an eye toward sustainability, that I made a strong distinction between making and selling. To keep my interest and protect my passions, I make what interests me, then sell it, rather than making what I think will sell. In some ways this is a selfish approach, but it ensures the quality, integrity and my investment in the work. Where to See More The demands on a wood-firer’s body are different from those who use other fuels. www.woodfire.com The physicality of six-day firings and the processing of wood that accompanies such AKAR marathons take a toll. During one firing, when I had pneumonia, I felt trapped in www.akardesign.com something that would consume me. Bent over coughing and stoking was miserable. Center Street Clay My solution has been to take on apprentices and spread out the prep work. Cur- www.centerstreetclay.com rently, through organization and with apprentices, I feel the process will be physically Greenwich House Pottery sustainable for years. www.greenwichhousepottery.org The apprenticeship program I have set up is great! It has all the elements of Flux Gallery, Rhinebeck, NY teaching that I enjoy—rapport, intrinsically motivated students and a symbiotic Lillstreet Clay Center www.lillstreet.com relationship. The apprentices bring energy and ideas into my studio that feed me Red Lodge Clay Center creatively while also allowing me more time to create pots. For the apprentices, I www.redlodgeclatcenter.com offer facilities, guidance and opportunities. Red Star Studios My life enriches my pottery as pottery enhances my life. I am a full-time papa to www.redstarstudios.org my two young children who constantly charm and challenge me. I am husband to Santa Fe Clay a creative woman who pushes me to be my best, and has proofread every word you www.santafeclay.com have read, several times—even this one. I am a state certified firefighter with our The Signature Shop and Gallery www.thesignatureshop.com local department. I enjoy the different pace and clarity of purpose that goes with Wood Walk Gallery fire fighting and rescue. I also organize adult soccer and coach my children’s teams. www.woodwalkgallery.com All these things and more keep me from being single minded about clay, offering fodder for creative expression.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 37 Kathry n Finnerty Pleasant Hill, Oregon

keeping, marketing and photography, maintaining equipment and acquiring computer and digital media skills. Since I had not been self-employed before, I took a basic course at our local college on running a small business. I also joined a local organization of potters and started asking them questions about which shows were good, what sales venues were avail- able, whether to sell wholesale or retail or both and how they developed their markets. The responses were varied and personal, and many potters performed the majority of these tasks themselves to varying degrees of success. Most felt they could not afford to hire professionals to photograph and market their work, but many were willing to seek help with book- keeping, accounting and tax stuff. Weighing the pros and cons of doing something yourself or hiring is often dictated by how much it costs to hire someone versus how you value your own time. One of the best decisions I made early on was to hire someone to help me set up our office, bookkeeping and com- I discovered clay quite by accident 25 years puter system. It took two afternoons and, ago. While enrolled in a jewelry and gold- when they were done, I was organized smith arts program, I took a clay elective and The Time It Takes and ready to go. Today, I do simple data fell in love with the material, switched my making/firing: 65% entry in QuickBooks and my accountant major and never looked back. For the first promoting/selling: 20% does my taxes. eight or so years following graduate school, I office/bookkeeping: 15% Marketing is a tough one for me, and taught, doing mostly 1–2 year appointments, I admit that trial and error have played a sabbatical replacements and visiting artist big part in much of what I have done in gigs. It wasn’t until I left my last teaching job the past. Early on, I tried the traditional at the University of Manitoba in 2000 and moved to Oregon to route of placing ads in papers and magazines with pretty poor build a pottery with my husband Tom Rohr that I committed my results. Developing a mailing list and doing mass mailings of post- energies entirely to trying to live off my pots. We enthusiastically cards brought better results. Joining up with others to do group leaped into the life of working potters, where we found the learn- promotions and purchasing a mailing list also helped. In the past ing curve steep and the road often bumpy. We converted a garage few years, the majority of my sales have come from galleries, direct and a barn into working studios. We built tables, shelves and kilns. sales events like the St. Croix Pottery Tour and our annual studio Setting up a studio and making thoughtful, well-crafted work is a sale. The marketplace seems more unpredictable these days, and I full-time occupation, but it is only one facet of running a business. am trying to be flexible and consider things outside of my comfort In addition, there are the issues of developing a market and sales. zone. In the past year, I have taken courses in Adobe Photoshop For me, the biggest challenge was coming to terms with all and am developing an internet business in an effort to broaden my the other stuff that goes into running a small business like book- skill base and knowledge. I admit that I came late to the digital/

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 38 focus working potters

online game, and have only recently started to fully explore its potential. I recently consulted someone who promotes internet businesses and is well versed in internet commerce. It was an eye opener, and I have concluded that my time is probably better spent making pots and hiring others who are skilled at things like web design and marketing for the Internet. Community plays an important part in the life of a working potter. If I were inclined to give advice to someone starting out on the path of a studio potter, I would encourage them to be active in building community with like-minded makers. This can provide valuable support and information as well as expand one’s opportunities. Be open, share your knowledge, experience and recipes. Be flexible, willing to learn, adapt and grow, and always make work you are proud of. It helps if you have unmitigated passion for the material, tenacity and a willingness to embrace a rigorous practice. The work can be hard and solitary, and the hours are long. Costs are going up, markets are changing, the big paydays of the ’90s when you could come home from a single art fair with $10,000 to $20,000

Where to See More www.kathrynfinnerty.com www.pleasanthillpottery.com AKAR www.akardesign.com Top: Flower vessel, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, slab-constructed terracotta, low fired, 2007. Santa Fe Clay Above: Large footed bowl, 12 in. (30 cm) in diameter, slab-constructed terracotta, low fired, 2008. www.santafeclay.com Pewabic Pottery www.pewabicpottery.com Red Star Studios have declined and never recovered. Play to your strengths, know when to do something www.redstarstudios.org yourself and when it is appropriate to hire out the job. One has to pay attention to so Red Lodge Clay Center much more than just the act of creating objects of beauty and use. www.redlodgeclaycenter.com Living where you work and working where you live is a challenge, and it is often The Clay Studio difficult to maintain a balance. For me, it has been important to get out of the pottery www.theclaystudio.org for exercise, both physical and intellectual. Sometimes a quick trip into town to a yoga Lillstreet Clay Center class is enough, other times it is a trip to find inspiration in a museum or on a walk at www.lillstreet.com the coast. But most days, going for a walk with my three dogs is enough to provide me with the perspective and appreciation for this life I have chosen as a studio potter.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 39 M aren Kloppmann Minneapolis, Minnesota

tours, which have also significantly contributed to my presence in our local arts community. The necessity to be present on the Internet also has been a factor in redefining the relationships between galleries and artists. I have found it most beneficial if a gallery gives the artist an adequate web page and the artist in turn creates a link from his or her own website. This aspect of mutual promotion has been significant for me. I am a strong believer in the artist-gallery rela- tionship. We give each other validation and a reason to exist in the market place. In addition, I have created a gallery space in my studio and concentrate on my own website to expand a customer base through my own marketing and promotion. I also am part of the Linke- dIn online network and have a page on the regional artists’ directory www.mnartists.org. My web-design team has created a Facebook Fanpage, though we are not sure yet if that will generate any more traffic to my site. Regular e-mail newsletters about exhibitions and events inform my customers about my artistic develop- ment and which galleries represent my work. Of course, when doing your own marketing and promotion, you can control the look and feel My last teaching job ended in 2002 and I much more. Fitting the presentation of my consider myself to have been a full-time studio website to the aesthetics of my ceramics was ceramic artist since then. A big percentage of my The Time It Takes very fulfilling. However, that does take extra making/firing: 60% customers are people who have been engaged time from an already busy schedule. Having promoting/selling: 20% with and follow the art and craft of ceramics. to sell work direct to customers from my office/bookkeeping: 20% They take time to seek out clay centers and studio gallery can be physically and mentally galleries. I have been working with non-profit draining during long open-studio events, but craft centers and galleries, fine art galleries and it does create a unique connection between the art consultants, and a custom design store. The artist and the customers. A handmade object percentage of my sales made through my own studio gallery has tells the story of the maker and of making the object. Ultimately, grown substantially over the past three years. Some of these are casual it really works for me to have two major studio events per year. customers, not necessarily as well versed in the language of ceramics, Besides the sales, it is a wonderful time to visit with many friends but attracted to the work on a purely aesthetic basis. and acquaintances I could not otherwise keep up with. When I was in school, there seemed to be an accepted hierarchy One of the aspects of “artisthood” of which I am most appre- of galleries that you planned on approaching when you felt your ciative is that the boundaries of play and art merge. If I were to work deserved their recognition. That system appears to have separate solid playtime, it is spending time with my husband Mark. largely broken down. There are so many galleries carrying so many He is poised with wonderful humor and an endless positive attitude more artists that it is problematic for them to build the career of about life. On weekends we take walks or bike rides around local individual artists. My approach has been to work with a smaller rivers and lakes, go to art shows or have dinner with friends; and we number of galleries to which I can give more attention. have long conversations about why I love Richard Serra’s work and My studio is in a building that is part of a designated Metropoli- he does not. Ceramics is always somehow present, because we are tan Arts Area. The city of Minneapolis, and multiple organizations/ both mentally engaged with it. Mark is my business partner, sup- media partners support the development of regular open studio porting me by being a steadfast critic and advisor, and he becomes

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 40 focus working potters

my social glue when my Teutonic [German] heritage gets the better of me. My introduction to clay began with a three-year traditional apprenticeship in Germany right out of high school. The idea of achieving the status of full-time studio potter seemed a noble goal, but was not quite on my radar upon graduation. Mov- ing to Minnesota and visiting many of the outstanding studio potters and role models here affirmed my goal to create a studio career for myself. The biggest challenge, of course, is to set up a viable studio facility and to establish outlets to sell the work, not to mention the necessity to develop a signature body of work after many years in school. Perhaps I never expected to live in an area that has such a wealth and depth of ceramic tradition and a plethora of working potters. It always seemed as if it would be a rare and largely unrecognized existence. In Minnesota, it’s given respect and is woven into the fabric of the arts community in a unique way. The switch from soda firing to the elec- tric kiln was initially a very difficult, and even scary, decision. I started soda firing in graduate school in the early ’90s and contin- Top: Oval bowl, 23 in. (58 cm) in length, porcelain with glaze and terra sigillata, fired in oxidation, 2008. Above: Wall plates, 24 in. (61 cm) in length, porcelain with glaze and terra sigillata, fired in oxidation, 2009. ued it through 2002. There was a time when I could never have imagined separating my work from soda firing. A visit home to Germany and also to Hol- have universal coverage. Yoga is the perfect activity that restores my land re-ignited my affinity for a Northern European aesthetic and physical balance. I find it extremely important to have a routine like I was looking to express a more austere and minimalist feeling that to counteract the physical demands of studio work. in my work. The control electric kilns offer allows me to express If I had my way, I would promote the idea of developing this style more precisely. Electric firing also gives me flexibility in an accredited ceramic program that would merge a traditional terms of location. I have always enjoyed apprenticeship (the European model) living and working in an urban environ- with a three-year college education. ment, with architecture as important I think academic programs, while artistic stimulus. Computerized electric Where to See More wonderful in many aspects, could www.marenkloppmann.com kilns make it possible for me to have an contribute a lot more to prepare young Harvey Meadows Gallery urban studio. www.harveymeadowsgallery.com artists for a career path other than I have health insurance through Circa Gallery teaching. A second fantasy would be my husband’s employment, but I was www.circagallery.com to create a national potter’s union that without it for several years. It can be a Cervini Haas Gallery would help set guidelines for issues like daunting situation to be self- employed www.cervinihaasgallery.com pricing, gallery contracts, collectors’ without health insurance and I think it discounts and offer health insurance should not be a privilege but a right to to its members.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 41 M ark Hewitt Pittsboro, North Carolina

preview” e-mail with images of the new pots a few days before a kiln opening. So far our retail business has been good enough to not pursue an online gallery, although we sell occasional pots through e-mail inquiries. The only downside to our kiln opening sales is the pressure to get everything organized in the short period between unloading the kiln and having customers arrive.

Photos: Jason Dow d le; blueskyfilm.com Photos: All 1500 pots need cleaning, washing, pricing and orga- nizing. Sure, we could back up the unloading, but you know how it is; we’re always pushing it to the limit. Together with my apprentices, Joseph Sand and Alex Matisse, I work from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and I usually work several hours on the weekends as well. I do e-mail correspondence and writing projects from 7 to 8:30 a.m., fight fires at lunch, and usually find myself doing more e-mails in the evening. It’s like one of those marathon dance competitions; if you stop, you’re out. Carol, mercifully, does the bookkeeping, as well as more e-mailing, answering the phone, working with galleries, organizing occasional workshops and speaking engagements, etc. It It seems like yesterday that Carol and I arrived adds up to another full-time job. in Pittsboro, but it’s been 26 years. Add a 6 In order to recharge, Carol and I sometimes year apprenticeship onto that and this won- The Time It Takes head to the General Store Café in downtown derful aesthetic obsession has served me well making/firing: 85% Pittsboro to Shag (the state dance of North for what feels like a lifetime. promoting/selling: 10% Carolina—a version of jitterbugging done to Our kiln opening sales have been phenom- office/bookkeeping: 5% beach music). I’m also an avid golfer, playing enal; I recommend them to everyone. Keep the or less, because my spouse to a 6 handicap, and go out for nine holes on names of everyone you sell pots to, and invite handles the administration. Thursday afternoons with my golfing buddies, them to sales at your pottery a few times a year. a roofing contractor, a cabinet maker and a North Carolinians love pottery; most of our project manager for a firm of architects. It’s customers are regular folk who live within a great to get away from the pottery and family, couple of hours from here. Some travel from further away and have to be with friends who could care less about pottery. We talk about significant collections of art and craft. I’ve also had my share of everything else; it keeps things in perspective, recharges me and helps museums buy work, and I am blessed by all their attention. me live “the ordinary life of the times,” as Eric Gill recommended to Selling directly to retail customers makes the most sense eco- all artists. I also have a 2500-square-foot vegetable garden, and tend nomically, if you are in a location that allows for it. Clearly, the the flower beds around the house, workshop and barn. Internet has changed older geographic considerations regarding Looking back, it now seems I had no choice but to become a where to set up shop, but if you are starting out, look for locations potter. My background, and the zeitgeist of the early 1970s, com- within an hour or so of urban areas. Being “far from the madding bined with meeting Michael Cardew while at university, propelled crowd” certainly has its advantages, but traveling to shows is often me into this life. Thirty years later, I’m still the same person, with the price you pay for remote locations. the same idealistic dreams, though tempered by conventional Word of mouth continues to be the most valuable endorsement. economic reality (my two daughters are in college). However, the We collect names through our web site, and from new retail cus- divine madness of it all remains entirely entrancing. tomers, so that our mailing list now has over 6000 names. We send I remember talking to Vernon Owens, from Jugtown Pottery, out an e-mail six weeks before a sale, alerting customers to the sale many years ago, at a low point psychologically, wondering what it date, mail a postcard three weeks before, and then another “sneak was going to be like to be an older potter, he replied, “It doesn’t

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 42 focus working potters

Left: Two-gallon jar, 16 in. (41 cm) in height, wood-fired and salt-glazed stoneware with glass runs. Right: Big pots from spring 2009 firing, to 60 in. (1.5 m) in height. The largest of these weighs 250 lbs. get any easier.” Harder, maybe, but I’m still enamored with pots insurance with a high deductible, but try never to use it, paying and the potter’s life. through the nose for small stuff. The cost of health care sucks. While pictures in books and magazines are important, I prefer I think functional potters have been let down at the national to look at actual pots. I go to see private collections of old North level. Despite the fine quality of pots being made today, we have Carolina and Southern pots whenever I hear of intriguing finds, few advocates (AKAR being a notable exception). In my wildest and make a point of going to the basement of the Freer every couple dreams, I see prominent national figures starting galleries selling of years with each new team of apprentices to handle all the really functional pots in every major city, with excellent marketing and good stuff. We go to exhibitions whenever possible, and I’m more promotion. This would raise all of our profiles and motivate us to inspired by pots that are completely different from mine than might make even better pots. be discernible at first glance. I continue to find studying all aspects My advice to anyone getting into pottery is to enjoy your pot- of ceramics to be a powerful guiding light, but, best of all, are quiet ting, and get good at what you do, for quality is the goal. All we times, when all the chatter ceases, and ideas start to flow. really have is the aesthetic moment, the rest is a game to finesse Functional pots are pure form, color, decoration and usefulness with as much cunning, discipline and charm as you possess. Keep combined. They are complex expressions of individual creativity your dreams alive! and are beacons of light in the dark. To me, good functional pots are the pinnacle of artistic expression. Using them, and adorning your home with them, is way cool. One of the most difficult things I do is choose between eager Where to See More young souls who want an apprenticeship—it’s vexing. Disappoint- www.hewittpottery.com ing the unlucky ones is depressing. The Signature Shop and Gallery I could do a whole lot more to stay fit, finding excuses not to www.thesignatureshop.com exercise, mostly that there’s no time. However, I eat right, do occa- Ferrin Gallery www.ferringallery.com sional yoga, work in the garden and walk when golfing. But, at 53, stiffness is slowly creeping in. We have expensive catastrophic health

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 43 Dia na Fayt San Francisco, California

in the studio. I wanted to find a way to com- bine the things I loved, printmaking, drawing, painting and clay; A sort of artistic frugality, as I knew it would be difficult to pursue all of these things while I was holding down a job on the side. Drawing on bowls, platters and plates was what turned me into a potter. In fact, I find it odd when people refer to me as a potter because I really don’t think of myself as one, though in the past few years I’ve stopped trying to correct or redefine that. And to tell the truth, now when someone calls me a potter, I kinda—no, not kinda—I really like it! I sell my work through a multitude of venues. I have an online shop where I sell directly to customers. This has broadened my spectrum of buyers to a world market. It also helps to supple- ment my income, since I can sell my work for retail prices. I love having direct contact with my customers as well. The relationship aspect of selling my work without a middle person is really wonderful, and I enjoy knowing where my work is going. I participate in a couple of local craft shows each year, and I host My career as a potter started fifteen annual studio and holiday sales. I years ago, soon after I graduated sell my work in galleries and par- from the California College of the The Time It Takes ticipate in as many shows as I can Arts (CCA), though I only began making/firing: 50% handle. I find showing my work to make a living from my ceramic promoting/selling/office/bookkeeping: 50% really helps it to stay fresh. In the work in 2005. Before that, I always I’d like this to be more like 85% of my time in past, a large part of my sales were the studio and 15% on the other things, but had a secondary job(s) waiting tables from wholesaling my work, though doing it all solo doesn’t allow for this. and teaching ceramics and art. After that model is really tough to pull twenty years of that schedule, I got off with one-of-a-kind handmade tired of being spread thin and decid- work. I find the time it takes to ed to make a go of it with my work make the work, handle all the de- full time. Now, when I look back at those years, I wonder how I did it tails that must go into creating a wholesale line—like keeping up all. Flying solo has been incredibly satisfying and has also had it’s lean, with communication and paperwork—is far too much work and mean moments, but somehow I always manage to make it work. really does not pay off. Making a living from my work was something that found me In 2006, I decided to start writing a blog, One Black Bird slowly. For many years I was really hesitant to give up the security (www.oneblackbird.blogspot.com). At the time, there were only a of another income. Becoming burnt out from wearing too many few blogs covering the topic of ceramics, and I thought it would be hats at one time and the feeling of never being able to focus com- fun to give people a glimpse into what was happening in my studio pletely were key motivators for me to pursue my work full time as well as provide a dynamic aspect to my website. Doing this was, and make a living from it. by far, the most advantageous way to promote my work. Because Honestly, I never set out to be a potter. When I graduated from of the blog, I was able to share what I do with a much broader CCA I had spent a couple of years searching and experimenting audience than if I was only showing my work in galleries and at

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 44 focus working potters

Left: Canteen vases, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, slip-cast stoneware with underglazes, stains and glaze, fired to cone 5. Right: The Rose & The Black Bird platter, 18 in. (46 cm) in diameter, stoneware with underglaze, stain and glaze, fired to cone 3. craft shows. It also expanded my community of fellow potters and to take up swimming. I have forgone health insurance for the first ceramic enthusiasts, as well as people in the design world. Selling time in my life (another reason why I kept a secondary job for so on Etsy and promoting my work via design blogs has resulted in a long). Getting myself health insurance is the next item to tick off great amount of exposure that I may not have received otherwise, my to-do list. including giving my work international attention. I certainly don’t mind working hard, and really I am not the The Internet is a really wonderful tool for potters and artists to kind of person who expects to have things just given to me. I do utilize to promote themselves and their work. However, this does believe that, sometimes, a little hunger can be quite motivating, not come without working at it. Managing an online shop, writing but a lifetime of struggle to do something that provides beauty in blog entries and keeping up with correspondence can take up a this world is a downright shame. If I could have it my way, I would lot of time. I think, in today’s world, it is foolish for artists not to love if there were some way that professional potters, craftspeople take advantage of the Internet. I know many potters who are not and artists could do their work, house and feed themselves with- tech savvy and find it difficult to transition into the digital world, out having to forgo things like health insurance. Let’s just say, if but an online presence would go a long way toward growing an someone walked up to me and said; “Hey, you can have a place audience for their work. to live and enough money for food and health care as long as you When I play, I prefer it not to be doing clay related activities. keep on making your pots,” I wouldn’t turn them down. Already, so much of my time is spent focused on my work in some If I were to advise someone about pursuing a career in ceram- way or another. So, when I have free time, I like to spend it travel- ics, the first bit would be to remain flexible yet focused. Though ing, being outdoors, gardening, cooking (I love making my own my work stays consistent, I find that I am constantly re-inventing jams!) and spending time with friends. myself in order to make a living with it. I do my best to keep an I do my best to stay out of debt, so often financial concerns open mind about this. There really are a multitude of possibilities dictate my decisions. My motto is, “If I can’t pay for it, I don’t out there for one to have a career as a ceramist. Being too precious do it.” Not being able to enter a show, afford a booth fee or to or limited in ones thinking can kill that dream. Oh, and bend at be able to buy a plane ticket to Tokyo for a show I am in are all the knees—it is really important to bend at the knees! difficult decisions I have had to make, but being this way has kept me debt free. As most potters already know, working in the studio can be very hard on the body. I do a number of strengthening exercises daily Where to See More to keep my back in order and to prevent injuries while working. I www.dianafayt.com also try to rotate activities in the studio so that I don’t do any one www.oneblackbird.blogspot.com thing for too long a period of time. I also love to run but a recent knee injury has interrupted my running regime, so I am planning

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 45 Courtship, 28 in. (71 cm) in height, press-molded, slip-cast and hand-built earthenware with glaze and decals, 2008. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 46 Nan Smith: Evoking Nostalgia by Glen R. Brown

Like glistening icebergs that disclose only a fraction of their actual For the content of her sculptures, Smith draws deliberately expanse and leave the mind to extrapolate the vast remainder from upon the past, incorporating references both to social conventions the tip alone, the sculptures of Nan Smith hint at narratives but that once widely informed human relationships in Western cul- withhold the specifics of content as resolutely as they regulate color. ture and to historical objects in her chosen medium, particularly Their pallid forms, most prominently the curtailed and limbless tor- ceramic portrait busts and molded figurines. From these wells she sos that rise in organic, though bloodless, verticality against the stark draws the substance for an art that casts its wistful eyes backwards, horizontal geometry of circular, square or trapezoidal bases, recall sometimes toward the actual events of her own childhood and marble nymphs and goddesses of antiquity that have persevered to sometimes toward an ambiguously distant and perhaps even largely the present only in melancholy states of fragmentation. The incom- imagined past. An example of a sculpture in the latter vein is the plete figures in Smith’s work might, under other circumstances, have recent Courtship, the very title of which conjures the buttoned- registered as evidence of becoming, but in the context of her symbol- down propriety of romance unfolding in a Jane Austen novel. With saturated tableaux they more readily conjure a sense of loss and make hands deployed as if to still an overly exuberant heartbeat, the absence an almost palpable feature. Does this absence dispose the protagonist of Courtship—her hair and facial features reflecting viewer to read the implied narratives as plaintive reflections on the contemporary conventions of beauty but her demure expression past, or does it merely reinforce what is already present within the and marble-like purity evoking the aesthetic of a bygone age—gazes representational elements themselves? Either way, Smith’s sculptures with preoccupation at a still life situated on the plane before her. evoke a blend of pathos and nostalgia that is as uncompromising as The ceramic objects composing this still life—four cockle-footed her work’s almost relentless monochromaticity. chalices bearing images of jacks in all the suites of a deck of cards, Smith is fully aware that nostalgia has long been passé in high a perfume bottle, two knitted doilies and an open, pale blue box culture and that sentimentality is far more likely than not to be containing a single piece of hand-dipped chocolate—make obvious invoked as an object of satire in contemporary art. Nevertheless, reference to the courtship theme. she has gone deliberately against the grain by adopting a nostalgic The first level of metaphor in Courtship is relatively easy to perspective and an unabashed sentimentality as the distinguishing discern. The jack cups are the suitors (each a card from the hand traits of an extended body of work. In the process she has, perhaps dealt by fate and each a potential selection in what is perceived as more effectively than any other contemporary American sculptor partly a game of chance); the svelte perfume bottle is the object in clay, made possible a serious look at how these qualities might of courtship (a stand-in for the protagonist who observes the still be developed rhetorically through contemporary works of art. life from above); and the candy box serves as a conventional sign Her sculptures are carefully constructed programs that derive the that courtship has in fact ensued. Behind the towering female majority of their content from a calculated selection and disposi- figure sits a fifth cup, bearing a playing-card king and implying a tion of figurative imagery. To this she adds a formalist vocabulary father’s influence over the impending choice, and, finally, a stack that perpetuates a tradition of symbolism established in the late of love letters indicates that persuasive words have played no small 19th century and systematically calibrated through the develop- part in the unfolding drama. All of this, of course, seems conjured ment of modernist abstraction in the 20th. Through the tropes from another era: an age in which closely guarded virginity, formal of synecdoche, metonymy and metaphor, Smith both employs betrothal, the requisite of parental consent, and the solemnity of and analyzes fundamental strategies that, regardless of what our lifelong commitment were standard expectations. Today, these are personal attitudes toward such qualities might be, lead us to rec- more the stuff of nostalgia than reality, and one might be tempted ognize nostalgia and sentimentality as objects of expression formed to dismiss Smith’s sculpture as only a sentimental interlude from through the mechanisms of a visual language. the more serious business of art. To do so, however, would be to

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 47 Balance, 75 in. (1.9 m) in height, press-molded, slip-cast and hand-built earthenware with glaze and China-paint decals, 2009. miss the curious similarities between the still life in Smith’s Court- ship and the key imagery of Marcel Duchamp’s Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even—namely, the suitors (the famous “Nine Malic Moulds”) and the disrobing bride. As in Duchamp’s masterpiece, the metaphors lying latent within the objects composing the still life in Courtship suggest that beneath the veneer of gallantry, respect and chaste propriety seethes a more lascivious, even desperate, aspect of Eros. Through their conspicuous emptiness, the jack cups stress a fundamental lack that implicitly makes of their attraction to the perfume bottle/ fetish a consequence of primal libidinal drives. In this light, the open box, untied ribbon and exposed bonbon are anything but innocent tokens of a pure devotion. What makes this second level of metaphor so compelling is that there is nothing specific in Smith’s treatment of the still life elements to suggest that the libidinal insinuations are calculated. Instead, they seem to grow perversely and inevitably from the nostalgic and sentimental facets of the sculpture themselves; hence the pathos that pervades this work and ultimately prevents it from succumbing to the lighter sentimentality of kitsch. Nostalgia in Smith’s works is not simply about loss brought about by the passage of time and the subsequent desire to return in thought to more blissful days. It is about the

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 48 loss of innocence that reveals those blissful days as having been Ultimately, one cannot tell how strongly Smith’s sculptures concocted of mere fantasy: produced by a failure to register the are bound to the events of her own past and to what degree they darker meanings lurking beneath the surfaces of events. engage in a more generalized evocation of nostalgia. The viewer, In another recent sculpture titled Balance, Smith addresses at any rate, will inevitably personalize any emotional responses perhaps the most poignant aspect of nostalgia, namely that over prompted by the work far more readily than he or she will apply time one finds it ever more difficult to recall a former ingenuous- them as clues to Smith’s experiences and personality. There may be ness of mind, belief in ultimate goodness and conviction that right will prevail. Consequently, cynicism can come to taint not only the present but also the very memory of a time before the fall. Loss of that memory, the only aspect of purity that can survive the rude awakenings that are knowledge and experience, is perhaps even more tragic than the loss of innocence itself. To suggest this, Smith represents an armless woman, whose multiple working hands appear in photo decals on the surfaces of several plates simultaneously, performing an act of circus-like showmanship, balancing spinning plates on poles, stacking them neatly and never breaking a single one. Beside her, a bucket of juggling balls and an alarm clock testify to her ability to perform ever more breathtaking feats in even less time. The only casualty of her accomplish- ments is a lone sundae cup, behind her and out of her field of vision, that has toppled and cast its contents on the tabletop. Only here the frozen tableaux melts and in the spreading pool of liquid ice cream that hangs, like a Salvador Dalí soft watch, over the table’s edge, the image of a young girl in a fairy costume testifies to the dissipating memory of a very different perspec- tive on the world. While Smith employs metaphors copiously in her work, her rhetorical repertoire is hardly deficient in other tropes, especially synecdoche and metonymy. The former is most obvious in the pairs of disembodied feet that inhabit Pathway, 15¾ in. (40 cm) in height, earthenware with glaze and photo decal, 2005; by Nan Smith, Gainesville, Florida. sculptures such as Sisters, Spring Morn, Respite and Serendipity. Here, the part-for-the-whole strategy serves not merely the goal of economy (imagine the dif- value in this alone, especially if art truly serves a cathartic function ference between the size of these works and the dimensions they for the viewer, but certainly, if nothing else, Smith’s sculptures would assume if entire figures were represented) but also—and, provide an excellent opportunity to reflect upon the methods by of course, more to the point—the objective of making economy which art can rhetorically evoke the now rarely addressed experi- into an expressive factor: namely, a sign of absence and a catalyst ences of sentimentality and nostalgia without slipping hopelessly to nostalgia. Metonymy functions similarly in Smith’s often ghostly into the abyss of kitsch. compositions. In Pathway, for example, synecdoche invokes a child through the small pair of feet, but metonymy conjures only a ghost Nan Smith is a professor of art at the University of Florida in through the empty boots/socks of an absent being. Likewise, the Gainesville. For further information and to see more images of her shoes in the photograph, by only metonymically representing a work, go to www.nansmith.com. father and daughter, convey a powerful impression of absence and—from anyone whose memories encompass acts of parental the author A frequent contributor to CM, Glen R. Brown is a professor guidance and support—elicit feelings of nostalgia. of art history at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 49 Kari Radasch and the Sweetness of Discovery by Katey Schultz

Detail of garden appliqué platter, terra cotta with slip, glaze and iron transfer decals, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 50 Think Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Think feasts and frosting and fondant, cookie cutters and compost, art cars and gingerbread. Add a pinch of taffy or meringue. Mix well with graduate school and wholesale shows. Beat in a considerable amount of determination and efficiency. Bake at a constant, high temperature for approximately ten years. Kari Radasch’s first line of work as a success- ful potter looked good enough to eat. Densely glazed condiment dishes, platters, cups and saucers pooled with bright glazes, an array of drips stopping just short of the kiln shelf or table. White slips over terra cotta clay had their historical roots, yet the surface decoration on Radasch’s work appeared utterly contemporary. Ribboned trims and fancy feet accentuated the already decorative glazes, demanding much more than a passing glance. The recipe seemed logical enough: candied colors infer joyful- ness and specialized functional forms invoke Large serving platter, 20 in. (51 cm) in length, terra cotta with white slip and glaze, 2003. celebratory events. By and large, Radasch’s line seemed com- plete. Yet in gaining swift success, she lost something else: the joy of discovery. Her work still contained elements that made it her own, but she worried that it wasn’t an accurate repre- sentation of her vision. Trying to keep up with her wholesale orders, her understanding of that vision started to dwindle as well. “I started to feel like I was recycling the same solutions over and over again . . . . I could almost make my work with my eyes closed,” says Radasch. Radasch’s bright surfaces and intense work ethic that had both appeared instantly brave, were in fact just the first few steps along her life path as an artist. The real bravery, it turns out, had everything to do with walking away from what she was known for and mixing things up until the joy of discovery once again came to life. While co-teaching a clay concentration at Penland School of Crafts in 2006, she was relatively free from financial pressures and wholesale orders for two months. During this time, Radasch was able to experiment with new techniques and slow down enough to listen for those elements of the personal that had been trying to speak to her all along. Rather than Appliqué cup and saucer, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, terra cotta with slip, smothering those elements with glossy, drip- glaze and iron transfer decals, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 51 ping glazes, she learned to find depth through layers of subtlety, necessitated by Radasch’s initial success ended in entrapment, and and highlight color by making the clay surface slightly raised rather she soon realized there had to be a middle ground. Custom orders than making the glaze color blindingly bright. Being brave didn’t had their place, but first and foremost she had a duty to herself as have to mean being loud. an artist. She returned to a quote from Squeak Carnwath that she Radasch’s new work still appears edible, but it’s less like a binge came across in grad school: “Art is evidence. Evidence of breath- and more like a well-balanced meal. Smooth, buttery surfaces ing in and breathing out; proof of human majesty.” Completing appear easy and inviting from a distance, then layered and multi- the thought, Radasch says, “It is in the sharing of this evidence faceted up close. The satin surfaces are predominately gentle to that the gift lies.” the touch with slightly raised appliqués adding an element of the Breathing in and breathing out: an activity as natural as blinking three-dimensional onto even the flattest plates or dishes. The work our eyes. A simple act, yet one that is overlooked countless times each is sophisticated while maintaining that joyful, bright energy that day. From this middle ground, Radasch’s aesthetic has matured. As harkens back to her earlier work. she slowed her pace, she saw more possibilities. Her work became This notion of quiet bravery also translates to Radasch’s layered both visually and physically and she found her trademark by ideological changes as a potter. Filling large wholesale orders or combining appliqués and decals for texture and precision. customizing to a client’s exact preference is no small feat. Willing- “I was making drawings with a fine point Sharpie and occa- ness certainly has its place in the market of bravery. But the pace sionally some watercolor. I found myself wishing that there was

Appliqué sugar jar, 6½ in. (17 cm) in height, terra cotta with slip, glaze and iron transfer decals, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 52 recipes RADASCH REDWARE (cone 03) Talc ...... 10 % Cedar Heights Goldart...... 20 Cedar Heights Redart...... 50 Fireclay...... 15 Silica (Flint)...... 5 100 % Add 1 tbsp . barium carbonate to a 100-pound batch to prevent scumming . Add grog to taste .

PETE PINNELL’S WHITE SLIP (cone 03) Talc ...... 40 % Nepheline Syenite ...... 10 Ball Clay (OM 4)...... 40 Silica (Flint)...... 10 100 % For thick brushing slip, add 7% zircopax . If mixing thin, for use as a dunking slip, increase zircopax to 15% in order to maintain opacity . Wait 24 hours before fine-tuning the glaze batch, because the sodium in the nepheline syenite creates a slight deflocculation .

MERE KARI CLEAR (cone 03) Nepheline Syenite ...... 11 .0 % Frit 3124 (Ferro)...... 59 .0 Frit 626 (Pemco)...... 14 .0 EPK Kaolin...... 6 .0 Silica (Flint)...... 10 .0 100 .0 % Add: Veegum T ...... 1 .6 % CMC Gum...... 0 .6 % Stains...... 7–15 % Meredith Brickell and I revised this recipe, which was originally known as SWO, from the Val Cushing Handbook .

a ceramic pen on the market that had this line quality so that I could transfer these drawings onto my pots,” says Radasch. Soon enough, she realized a technique already existed: laser transfer decals. “I like how the two-dimensional nature of the drawing [printed on decal paper] reinforces the two-dimensional nature of the appliqué,” she explains. “This keeps the surface flat

Top: Butter dish, 7 in. (18 cm) in length, terra cotta with slip, glaze and iron transfer decals, 2008.

Right: Garden appliqué platter, 16 in. (41 cm) in diameter, terra cotta with slip, glaze and iron transfer decals, 2008.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 53 Appliqué, Fondant and Stickers—oh my! but at the same time adds depth with a new layer of information.” by Kari Radasch In fact, the thin brown lines of the decal When I began working with appliqué as a decorative technique, I was drawings often look as though they are sink- focused on hand cutting one-of-a-kind decorative tile for the floor of a small ing into or emerging from below the surface entryway on the side of our house. It very quickly took on a life of its own. of the glazed piece. Instead of bulking up After amassing boards and boards of ¼-inch-thick tile, I was able to see these her work, Radasch found a way to deepen it objects clearly and understand on a much grander scale how they could be with precision—bulking it up aesthetically incorporated into my changing but not physically. Furthermore, slip and work. I loved the sharp edges, score marks skirt the edges of the appliqués, the planar nature and linear referencing the handmade, personal aspect quality, and that they were at M onthly ethod of her work—a small nod in the direction once both two-dimensional and three-dimensional. It seemed of her ideological shifts as a potter. like an interesting contradiction Now, Radasch may begin working to affix these flat “stickers” to through a series of four to six different a round pot. dishes made on bisque molds or throwing Transferring this technique vertical forms such as espresso cups and to dishes was straightforward, mugs. Some of her larger pieces are coil- minus a few minor technical built. Later, she might decorate other pieces issues. The first was to change with appliqué, playfully deciphering how to the thickness of the appliqué break up the space of each piece. slabs; I needed to go from tile to In her work, fascinations and obsessions fondant. Next I had to address abound: circles as poppy flowers or lollipops, the torn edges of the thin appliqué where slip or glaze lines as flower stems or grass blades, “hid- would not break nicely over den” dots as raindrops or subtle patterns. them. My solution was to shelve “If I am looking for a new decorative mo- my handmade clay and use a tif, I will pull out different books, images, commercially produced body drawings and fabrics. Usually something to roll my appliqué slabs. This grabs me and I can incorporate it into the clay has been de-aired, which vocabulary I have built,” says Radasch. yields less tearing and has “The unfolding of my previous work significantly more plasticity, had become rote. Towards the end, there allowing me to roll beautiful was little searching,” she says. “Now, deco- slabs and cut perfect stickers. I use whatever non-grogged earthenware I rating reminds me of my two-dimensional can find. I have not had any problems with fixing two different clay bodies design class in undergrad. I am dealing with together—though I always test before making work with a new clay. The actual decorating process reminds me of drawing. I have my dish and a bunch of different shapes on a blank page my pre-leather-hard appliqué slab ready. I cut a series of shapes and motifs and trying to find the most active and engag- and start by placing them on the dish. I work them like a two-dimensional ing way to resolve the space.” design problem, moving the appliqué here and there. When I feel comfortable Every piece presents the possibility for with a solution, I start scoring, slipping and sticking. Finally, I let the work dry discovery; space can always be broken up in (a bit slowly at first). If I am going to have any problems with the appliqué different ways, and appliqués rolled and cut popping off, it will be during this early stage of the drying. Once the pots as the mood strikes. Radasch’s process has are bone dry, I dunk and pour the dishes in a bath of white slip that has the consistency of 2% milk. some constants, but plenty of unknowns. After the pots are bisqued, I brush the entire pot in a clear glaze and Within this balance, she has formed her new sponge off the raised appliqué. The application of color is made using the aesthetic and honed it, perfectly to taste. same clear base glaze with the addition of commercial stains. I float a variety of thick, frosting-like glazes on the raised surfaces and then glaze fire to the author Katey Schultz writes from her cone 03. The final layer is a hand-drawn decal, which is made using the home in Bakersville, North Carolina. Her laser transfer method. I scan my line drawings into the computer and then current projects include a series of essays print them onto cover-coated water-slide decal paper. These decals are fired about art and a collaborative essay-photo to cone 08. Here are two sources for the decal paper: www.belldecal.com; www.papilio.com. book on the historic swinging footbridges of For a full step-by-step explanation of how Kari constructs her appliqué Western North Carolina. To learn more, visit pieces, see www.ceramicartsdaily.org. http://katey.schultz.googlepages.com.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 54 Susan Peterson 1925–2009 by Margaret Carney

There is a common denominator shared by Susan Peterson and forward-moving—planning, scheming, pushing. One morning everyone reading this tribute—a love of clay. Judging by her life there was sangria and doughnuts for breakfast and perhaps later filled with making pots, teaching, researching and writing about that day, margaritas on the rooftop while relaxing in lawn chairs, ceramics, this may seem self-evident, but it also has literally been enjoying a setting sun with snowflakes falling in the desert. She recorded in her own words. Susan shared this in an oral history knew how to relax just as intensely as she knew how to work. interview conducted on February 27, 1994 in her magnificent Susan was a legendary storyteller. She knew so many fascinat- home in Carefree, Arizona. She said that while she was studying ing people during her busy lifetime, and each anecdote was told painting at Mills College in 1946 she took a required ceramics from her unique perspective on the world. One did not forget class from F. Carlton Ball and “really fell in love with clay.” That her stories—they were too vivid. She was a great facilitator, too, is when she decided that’s what she ultimately wanted to do. introducing all her favorites to her other favorites so everyone After graduating, while Susan was teaching in Hawai‘i (1946–47 could reap the rewards of sharing ideas and future planning. She academic year), Carlton Ball invited Clarence Merritt to teach at probably enjoyed the immense amount of influence and control Mills College during the summer of 1947. Susan returned for this she had over so many lives and so many aspects of what we all refer special course. Merritt was a ceramic engineer – a glaze specialist to as “the ceramic world.” She won all the honors and awards. She (wizard would be more accurate) on the faculty at the New York taught from sea to shining sea. She traveled the world. She wrote State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. That summer, Su- some of the most engaging and influential books about ceramics san noted proudly, “I got the only A in the class.” This led to her and ceramists from the Far East to the Southwestern United States continuing her studies in Alfred in 1949–50. She claimed that she and everywhere in between. She worked hard. She wanted others didn’t have an easy time there, but she learned a lot and her studies to work hard. But she lived by example. She would never expect provided the academic training that she needed to go forward in others to work harder than she worked. She occasionally confided her career aspirations. that she wished she had slowed down to appreciate more fully the If one knew Susan only as a ceramic artist, writer and professor, special people who shared her life and dreams. one might have missed some of her greatest contributions. It was Everyone has memories of Susan at conferences, signing her her contagious enthusiasm for all things ceramic, her quest for popular books with an entourage following her, eager for a moment knowledge, her absolutely driven personality, that made her the of conversation with her—a pearl of wisdom. And what did she successful woman she became. In the 1990s, her home in Arizona like to talk about besides clay? It was her love and concern for her was filled with her passions—an incredible collection of ceram- family and her friends and the future of this and that and how it ics. There were just walls and walls of pots and ceramic sculpture. could be improved or fixed. Her brain simply did not rest. One had to see it to believe it. Even the funerary urn for her own Just like pots that have a beloved pet’s ashes in the glaze recipe, ashes was created for her by Jun Kaneko. Other sections of her Susan really lives on in all of us—her family, her friends, her desert property were filled with studio space and kilns and room students, her colleagues, the ceramists that purchased her books, for assistants and guests. People streamed in and out. Her amaz- asked her advice, colleagues who loaned her images for her many ing research library was filled with ceramics books and journals to publications, or shared a lavish meal with her. One might remem- linger over for hours. Her rolodex was a veritable “Who’s Who” ber her sharing her opinions on every topic without hesitation. She in ceramics, containing vital contact information for international was not shy. Whether you agreed with everything she did and said ceramists, museums, book editors, former students and friends. and wrote is not important. The ceramics world has lost one of its Her conversations were always highly charged, challenging, and finest ambassadors and spokespersons with her passing.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 55 Ron Rivera 1948–2008

by Peter Chartrand

A two gallon pressed clay bucket may not be the most aesthetically Ron made a dream real for Potters for Peace, creating a network satisfying piece of ceramics out there but it was what Ron Rivera of trust and dignity combined with nuts-and-bolts practicality. gave his life to. This is the simple, highly effective ceramic water His sudden passing was a challenge that has been met by new filter Guatemalan engineer Fernando Mazariegos developed in staff in Nicaragua, assistance in technical, design and marketing 1981 using a mix of clay and sawdust treated with colloidal silver areas continued with minor interruption thanks to Ron’s years of and originally designed to be formed on the wheel. Ron was in- work and mentoring. troduced to the filter while working in Ecuador in the early 80’s In 1998 Hurricane Mitch brought disaster to Central America and he recognized its potential. but improved funding for Potters for Peace and Ron quickly started A life in clay can take many forms; most of us find a personal a long dreamed of ceramic filter production facility near Managua. route to follow and attempt to travel far, perhaps without leaving He immersed himself in the project and in ensuing years developed our studios. Ron Rivera travelled far in the literal sense; jet lag a mechanized process to produce consistently high quality filters in was as familiar to him as the fatigue of overnight firings is to the quantity. He went beyond the making process and working with devoted anagama potter. others in Potters for Peace a package was created to set up a filter Ron apprenticed with Mexican folk potters but only on rare production virtually anywhere in the world in one month. The occasions had what one could call a studio. His life work was projects become sustainable local businesses, using materials and with potters in the developing world, in their workshops, sharing people available on site; Potters for Peace does not operate filter and working with them. The goal – not so different than ours, a facilities but only provides training. piece of work we’re proud of and hopefully someone else will like Aside from the hands-on aspect of filter making, Ron’s enthusi- enough to buy. What is different in the places Ron worked is that asm and promotional abilities attracted researchers and the ceramic a few more pots sold might enable a daughter to attend school that filter technology has been proven in numerous studies to be one of wouldn’t otherwise or a simple terra-cotta bucket might end her the least expensive and most effective point-of-use filtering options and her siblings’ chronic diarrhea. available for the rural developing world. In the developing world ceramics is not necessarily a desirable That was the work one saw being carried out; Ron pounding away profession, artisan potters may be looked down upon as “Clay on his laptop hour after hour or rushing around with three large eaters”, it’s dirty hand work on one of the lowest rungs of the disorganized suitcases. But perhaps Ron Rivera’s greatest strength was economic ladder. Nevertheless, Ron had a way of making potters this: He used his exuberant, pastrami loving, Puerto Rican personal- feel proud of their calling. ity to inspire others. When news of his passing reached the many Ron died on the job in September 2008, contracting cerebral people worldwide who knew him, the response was almost without malaria in Nigeria on a Potters for Peace ceramic water filter train- exception a person- ing consultancy. al variation on the A native of Puerto Rico, Ron received a degree in Sociology same story; it was and, after three tours in the Peace Corps, lived the rest of his life difficult to imagine in Latin America, working worldwide as a ceramics consultant. the world without In the 1980’s Ron began living in Nicaragua working with the Ron and, meeting Sandinista government on projects in ceramics and starting his him had changed own stoneware pottery using all Nicaraguan materials. their lives. Ron Among the many activists travelling to Nicaragua in the 80’s was believed that the a group of potters from the Washington D.C. area; they coalesced problems of north/ into Potters for Peace in 1986 and in 1989 hired Ron Rivera to south, rich/poor in- coordinate their program of assistance. Nicaragua is rich in clay equalities could be and potters and the U.S. trade embargo had created a need for solved; we all just locally hand made goods. had to get to work.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 56 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 57 call for entries Deadlines for Exhibitions, Fairs and Festivals Submit online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org international June 1, 2009 entry deadline June 19, 2009 entry deadline Pennsylvania, Philadelphia “Call for thematic Spain, El Vendrell “V Biennal de Ceràmica” June 1, 2009 entry deadline group exhibition proposals for 2009–2010 exhibition (October 15–18). Juried from digital. Patronat Mu- Ohio, Nelsonville “Fourth Annual Majestic Juried schedule.” Juried from digital. Contact Jeff Guido, The nicipal de Serveis Culturals, La Rambla, 24, El Competition” (June 26–July 26) open to residents of Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; Vendrell, 43700 Spain; [email protected]; Canada and the U.S.. Juried from digital. Fee: $30. [email protected]; www.theclaystudio.org; 215- www.elvendrell.net/default2.aspx; 0034 977 66 56 84. Juror: Catherine Evans. Majestic Galleries, 20 Public Sq., 925-3453. June 22, 2009 entry deadline Nelsonville, OH 45764; [email protected]; June 5, 2009 entry deadline Republic of Korea, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si www.majesticgalleries.com. Ohio, Cincinnati “3rd Annual Master Pieces” open “Cheongju International Craft Biennial 2009” (Sep- June 1, 2009 entry deadline to current or recent MFA and MA students. Juried tember 23–November 1). Contact Kang Sun Kyoung, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia “Earth Matters, NCECA from digital. Fee: $30. Contact Terra Firma, Manifest Cheongju International Craft Biennial, 329 Heungdeok- Invitational” (March 13–April 15, 2010). Contact Linda Creative Research Gallery and Drawing Center, PO Box Ro, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si, 361-828 Republic Ganstrom, NCECA, 77 Erie Village Square, Erie, CO 80516; 6218, Cincinnati, OH 45206; [email protected]; of Korea; [email protected]; www.okcj.org; 82 43 [email protected]; www.nceca.net; 866-266-2322. www.manifestgallery.org. 277 2501 3. June 22, 2009 entry deadline Spain, Barcelona “IX Biennal Internacional de Cerámica” (November 12–January 17, 2010). Juried from digital. Asociación Española de Ciudades de la Cerámica, Carrer Ramon Par, 1, Argentona (Bar- celona), 08310 Spain; [email protected]; www.ciudades-ceramica.es. June 30, 2009 entry deadline Georgia, Norcross “2009 Art Kudos International Online Juried Competition” (August 15–August 14, 2010). Fee: $30. Juror: Scott Canty. Contact Rob- ert Anderson, Artshow.com, 4388 Wickershire Way, Norcross, GA 30092; [email protected]; www.artkudos.com/callforentries.html. July 3, 2009 entry deadline Spain, El Vendrell “V Fira de Ceràmica 2009” (October 15–18). Juried from digital. Patronat Municipal de Serveis Culturals, La Rambla, 24, El Vendrell, 43700 Spain; [email protected]; www.elvendrell.net/default2.aspx; 0034 977 66 56 84. September 1, 2009 entry deadline Texas, Corpus Christi “Call for exhibition proposals for 2009–2010 exhibition schedule.” Contact Brooke Fitzpatrick, K Space Contemporary, PO Box 545, Cor- pus Christi, TX 78403; [email protected]; www.kspacecontemporary.org; 361-887-6834. September 4, 2009 entry deadline Bemidji, Minnesota “It’s Only Clay,” (November 6th–December 19). Fee: $30 for 3 entries. Juror: Richard Bresnahan. Contact the Bemidji Community Art Cen- ter and the Bemidji State University Visual Arts Dept, [email protected]; www.bcac.wordpress.com; (218)444-7570. September 17, 2009 entry deadline Pennsylvania, Wayne “Craft Forms 2009” (Decem- ber 4–January 23, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $30. Juror: Bruce W. Pepich. Contact Nancy Campbell, Direc- tor, Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave., Wayne, PA 19087; [email protected]; www.wayneart.org; www.craftforms.com; www.juriedartservices.com; 610-688-3553. September 26, 2009 entry deadline England, London “Proverbial Porcelain: Zelli Por- celain Award 2009” (October 19–31) open to artists working with porcelain and pieces under 40 cm. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $15. Contact Zelli Porce- lain, 55/57 Chiltern St., London, W1U 6ND England; [email protected]; www.zelli.co.uk; 020 7224 2114. November 1, 2009 entry deadline Massachusetts, North Adams “Call for exhibi- tion proposals for 2009–2010 exhibition schedule.” Contemporary Arts Center, 189 Beaver St., North Adams, MA 01247; [email protected]; www.thecac.org; 413-663-9555. November 30, 2009 entry deadline Dominican Republic, Santiago “Fourth International Ceramic Tile Triennial” (April 15–June 15, 2010) open to tiles 15x15x5 cm. Juried from digital. Contact Thimo Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 58 Pimentel, Igneri Foundation, 1733 NW 79th Ave., Doral, Beth Lo. Contact Jane Hanna, Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. FL 33126-1110; [email protected]; www.elit-tile.net; Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, 60640; [email protected]; 809-531-0164. www.lillstreet.com; 773-769-4226. July 15, 2009 entry deadline united states exhibitions California, Santa Ana “Historical Antecedents” (August 24–September 18). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: Pat Crabb. June 1, 2009 entry deadline Contact Kevin Myers, Muddy’s Studio, 2610 S. Halladay Kansas, Wichita “The Wichita National All Media St., Santa Ana, CA 92705; [email protected]; Craft Exhibition” (September 4–October 18). Juried www.muddysstudio.com; 714-641-4077. from digital or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. Ju- ror: Kathleen Royster Lamb. Contact Amy Reep, The July 29, 2009 entry deadline Wichita Center for the Arts, 9112 E. Central, Wichita, Colorado, Carbondale “Carbondale Clay National KS 67206; [email protected]; www.wcfta.com; 316- 2009” (September 2–October 29). Juried from digital. 634-2787, ext. 219. Fee: $40 for three entries. Juror: Doug Casebeer. Contact Lauren Kearns, Carbondale Clay Center, 135 Main St., June 2, 2009 entry deadline Carbondale, CO 81623; [email protected]; New York, Rochester “History in the Making IV: www.carbondaleclay.org; 970-963-2529. Ceramic Traditions/Contemporary Pots” (September 18–October 24) open to work incorporating historic August 1, 2009 entry deadline design elements, themes or trends. Juried from digital or Illinois, Warrenville “Clay3 National Juried Ceramics slides. Fee: $20 for one entry; $25 for two entries; $30 Exhibit” (October 23–November 21) ceramic art that for three entries. Contact Genesee Pottery, 713 Monroe fits within one cubic foot. Juried from digital. Fee: $25 Ave., Rochester, NY 14607; [email protected]; for two entries. Juror: Mary Kay Botkins. Contact Marie www.geneseearts.org; 585-271-5183. Gnesda, ClaySpace, 28W210 Warrenville Rd., Warren- ville, IL 60555; [email protected]; www.clayspace.net; June 5, 2009 entry deadline 630-393-2529. Illinois, Monmouth “64 Arts National Juried Exhibi- tion” (August 22–September 19). Juried from digital. August 15, 2009 entry deadline Fee: $25 for three entries. Juror: Preston Jackson. Con- California, Santa Ana “Functionally Informal” tact Linda Sickmon, Buchanan Center for the Arts, 64 (September 25–October 24). Juried from digital or Public Sq., Monmouth, IL 61462; [email protected]; slides. Fee: $30 for three entires. Juror: Randy Au. http://bcaarts.org; 309-734-3033. Contact Kevin Myers, Muddy’s Studio, 2610 S. Halladay St., Santa Ana, CA 92705; [email protected]; June 10, 2009 entry deadline www.muddysstudio.com; 714-641-4077. Pennsylvania, Lancaster “Strictly Functional Pottery September 5, 2009 entry deadline National” (September 26–October 25) open to work not exceeding 30 inches or 20 pounds. Juried from digi- Washington, Kirkland “Clay? III” (March 18–May tal or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: Pete Pin- 5, 2010). Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three nell. Contact Phil Haralam, Strictly Functional Pottery entries. Jurors: Doug Jeck, Akio Takamori and Jamie National, PO Box 204, East Petersburg, PA 17520-0204; Walker. Contact Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market St, www.strictlyfunctionalpotterynational.net; 717- Kirkland, WA 98033; www.kirklandartscenter.org; 560-8816. 425-822-7161. September 12, 2009 entry deadline June 15, 2009 entry deadline Texas, Houston “Dining In: An Artful Experience” California, Santa Ana “Muddy’s Wood Fire Clas- (August 1–31). Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three sic” (October 30–November 27). Juried from digital entires. Contact Susan Love Fitts, 18 Hands Gal- or slides. Fee: $30 for three entries. Jurors: T. Robert lery, 249 W. 19th St., Suite B, Houston, TX 77008; and John Pacini. Contact Kevin Myers, Muddy’s Stu- [email protected]; www.18handsgallery.com; dio, 2610 S. Halladay St., Santa Ana, CA 92705; 713-869-3099. [email protected]; www.muddysstudio.com; 714-641-4077. June 27, 2009 entry deadline September 15, 2009 entry deadline California, Santa Ana “The Art of Tea” (July Montana, Helena “Beyond the Brickyard: 2nd 18–August 18). Juried from digital or slides. Fee: Annual International Juried Exhibition” (January $30 for three entries. Juror: Robert Kibler. Contact 30–March 14, 2010). Juried from digital. Juror: Kevin Myers, Muddy’s Studio, 2610 S. Halladay Wayne Higby. Contact Rachel Hicks, Archie Bray St., Santa Ana, CA 92705; [email protected]; Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club www.muddysstudio.com; 714-641-4077. Ave., Helena, MT 59602; [email protected]; July 1, 2009 entry deadline www.archiebray.org; 406-443-3502. Nebraska, Lincoln “Art of Fine Craft 2009” September 15, 2009 entry deadline (October 1–November 8). Fee: $30 for three entries. Texas, Houston “Illuminations: The Art of Juror: Jason Briggs, Victoria Goro-Rapoport, Lulu Light” (November 1–30). Juried from digital. Smith, Jess Starkel and Sonya Clark. Contact Regina Fee: $25 for three entries. Contact Susan Love O’Rear, Nebraska Wesleyan University and Lux Center Fitts, 18 Hands Gallery, 249 W. 19th St., Suite B, for the Arts, 5000 Saint Paul Ave., Lincoln, NE 68502; Houston, TX 77008; [email protected]; [email protected]; www.luxcenter.org; 402- www.18handsgallery.com; 713-869-3099. 465-2529. July 10, 2009 entry deadline Indiana, Indianapolis “Fifth Third Bank U Indy Cam- regional exhibitions pus Sculpture Walk” open to outdoor sculpture. Juried from digital or slides. Contact Katherine Fries, University June 1, 2009 entry deadline of Indianapolis, 1400 E. Hanna Ave., Indianapolis, IN Georgia, Kennesaw “Spotlight 2009 Annual Juried 46227; [email protected]; http://art.uindy.edu; 317- Exhibition sponsored by the American Craft Council 788-3253. Southeast Region” (August 20–September 24) open to July 12, 2009 entry deadline residents of AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA and Illinois, Chicago “2nd Annual Lillstreet International” WV. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $25 for three en- (September 14–October 11) open to functional drinking tires. Juror: Andrew Wagner. Contact Samuel Robinson, vessels. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Rd., #3101, Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 59 call for entries

Kennesaw, GA 30144; [email protected]; www.acc-southeast.com; 770-423-6614. June 19, 2009 entry deadline New Mexico, Las Cruces “Call for solo and group exhibition proposals for the 2010 exhibition schedule” open to artists in AZ, NM and TX. Juried from digital. Fee: $30. Contact The Las Cruces Mu- seum of Art, PO Box 20000, Las Cruces, NM 88004; [email protected]; http://museums.las-cruces.org; 575-541-2221. June 20, 2009 entry deadline Colorado, La Veta “Clay Continuum IV: Exhibit and Sale” (August 11–September 12) open to residents of CO, NM and WY. Fee: $20. Juror: Jean Latka. Contact Nicole Copel, Spanish Peaks Arts Council, 132 Ryus Ave., La Veta, CO 81055; [email protected]; www.spanishpeakarts.org; 719-742-0213. June 26, 2009 entry deadline California, Turlock “Hands in Clay” (July 1–Au- gust 31) open to residents of Northern California. Juried from actual work. Fee: $18; members, $15 per entry. Juror: Tom Collins and Bruno Kark. Contact Don Hall, San Joaquin Potter’s Guild, 92 Benjamin Way, Turlock, CA 95380; [email protected]; www.sjpottersguild.org; 209-634-3653. July 1, 2009 entry deadline Illinois, Skokie “Lewis C. Weinberg Biennial Sculp- ture Competition” (October 4–September 1, 2011) open to monumental outdoor sculptures by sculptors living in Illinois or contiguous states. Juried from digital. Contact Barbara Goldsmith, Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park, PO Box 692, Skokie, IL 60076; [email protected]; www.sculpturepark.org/WeinbergCompetition.htm; 847-679-4265. July 15, 2009 entry deadline Colorado, Arvada “Continental Divide” (Septem- ber–November) open to residents of CO, MT, NM and WY. Juror: Bebe Alexander, Linda Ganstrom and Collin Parson. Contact Linda Ganstrom, NCECA, 77 Erie Vil- lage Square, Erie, CO 80516-6996; [email protected]; www.nceca.net; 866-266-2322. July 17, 2009 entry deadline Louisiana, New Orleans “13th Annual No Dead Artists Juried Exhibition” (September 2–26) open to artists who are residents of LA. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $25 for five entries. Contact Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, 400A Julia St., New Or- leans, LA 70130; www.jonathanferraragallery.com; 504-522-5471. September 19, 2009 entry deadline California, Grass Valley “26th Annual Juried North- ern Mines Art Exhibition” (November 2–29). Juried from digital. Contact Pioneer Arts Inc., PO Box 674, Grass Valley, CA 95945; www.pioneerart.com.

fairs, festivals and sales

June 1, 2009 entry deadline North Carolina, Dillsboro “Western North Carolina Pottery Festival” (November 7). Contact Brant Barnes, Travis Berning and Joe Frank McKee, PO Box 397, Dillsboro, NC 28725; [email protected]; www.wncpotteryfestival.com; 828-586-3601. September 25, 2009 entry deadline Arizona, Scottsdale “Scottsdale Art Show at West- World” (November 7–8). Contact Kara Stephens, AZ Big Media, 3101 N. Central Ave., Ste. 1070, Phoenix, AZ 85012; [email protected]; www.azbigmedia.com; 602-424-8837. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 60 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 61 new books

Choosing Craft: 1957 Miami National, “ceramics as an art form is introductory analyses The Artist’s Viewpoint at a low ebb,” is included along with many other on each of the 127 ex- Edited by Vicki Halper and Diane Douglas pithy and, in some cases, regrettably long-winded cerpts from previous- Review by Matthew Kangas and obtuse statements. (Don’t worry: there’s plenty ly published books or of protracted drivel about the art vs. craft controversy archival material. Is it This new anthology of craft artists’ writings has for those still hung up on that issue.) all too late? Milestone so much good material in it that it’s a shame they The editors have made an important contribution publications often omitted Peter Voulkos’ celebrated interchange with to the cultural history of American craft. They have occur at the end of a traditional potter: “Woman: Ceramics should culled the most important policy and position state- a movement (see Ir- have life and lift! Voulkos: To me, it’s about death ments by craftmakers since World War II, brought ving Sandler’s The and dump.” Actually, the book is far more serious them together in four broad, helpful categories— Triumph of American than Voulkos’ one-liner (and for the most part, less “Choosing Craft;” “Getting an Education;” “Making Painting, 1970) and humorous), but Voulkos’ juror statement for the a Living;” and “Confronting Craft”—and provided there are ample signs that American craft is now the victim (or beneficiary) of its own zealous integrationist efforts. Who would have thought that its current entré into the art world would revolve around knitting? Twenty years ago, it was glass; forty years ago, it was ceramic sculpture. At least Choosing Craft makes sure that the key artists of all stripes have their say, including die-hard traditionalists like potter Byron Temple and renegade imps like Keith Lewis and Richard Marquis. Thank- fully, the editors use dramatic cuts with ellipses to glean nuggets of wisdom from extended oral histories often filled with longeurs. Even then, one realizes that the most articulate theoretical statements by artists are attempts at self-justification. Understand- ably, tenured university art professors dominate the discourse, but mavericks like Marguerite Wildenhain are equally accorded a voice. Her open letter to Craft Horizons attacking Bernard Leach is worth the price of admission and should be required reading for every young Leachie today. One’s cup overfloweth with this book, a steady diet of faculty members like Henry Halem or Bruce Metcalf exhorting students and readers to do this or that. Metcalf best articulates the segregationist posi- tion for crafts: “Once we understand exactly how craft and art are not fully commensurate, then we can make persuasive claims for the place and purpose of craft as a distinct creative enterprise.” Polemicists like Metcalf, Wildenhain, Keith Lewis, and Susan Kingsley are perhaps given too much space. Refreshing insights from Sheila Hicks, Michael Lucero, Josiah McElheny and Judy Chicago—who all became part of the art world and, thus, have fewer axes to grind—balance them. Dale Chihuly, who has published three dozen interviews, is nowhere to be seen. What’s needed now is a comparably big omnibus anthology of real writers on American crafts, i.e., art critics, curators, and historians. The material is out there; some of it has already been gathered. It will complete the one-sided, content-controlling, and judgment-wary picture that Choosing Craft offers read- ers despite its substantial pleasures and revelations. 313 pages. 50 illustrations. Hardback, $35.00. ISBN 978-0-8078-3119-9. Published by University of North Carolina Press, 116 S. Boundary St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514, http://uncpress.unc.edu.

the author Matthew Kangas, a frequent contributor to CM, is the author of Craft and Concept: The Remateri- alization of the Art Object (Midmarch Arts, 2006). Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 62 Visit us at ceramic artsdaily.org

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Ceramic Publications Company, 600 N. Cleveland Avenue,Ceramics Suite Monthly 210, June/July/August Westerville, 2009 OH 43082 Phone: 866-721-3322 Fax: 614-794-5842 63 calendar Conferences, Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs submit listings at www.ceramicsmonthly.org

conferences Arizona, Scottsdale June 11–18 “Born of Fire: New York, Port Chester June 27–July 18 “Artifacts One Year Anniversary Exhibition” works by Margaret of Circumstance” works by Shanna Fliegel; at Clay Art Georgia, Kennesaw August 20–23 “American Tafoya; at King Galleries of Scottsdale, 7100 Main Center, 40 Beech St. Craft Council Southeast Regional Conference.” St., #1. New York, Port Chester July 25–August 15 “I Want Contact American Craft Council Southeast Region; California, Berkeley through July 21 “Mystery to Show You Something” works by Andrew Coombs; www.acc-southeast.com. Made Manifest” works by Susan Duhan Felix; at at Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St. Georgia, Sautee Nacoochee through August 31 the Bade Museum of Biblical Archaeology, 1798 North Carolina, Bakersville through June 27 “International Folk Pottery Exhibition.” Contact Folk Scenic Ave. “Same Window Different View” works by Rob Pulleyn; Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia, Georgia Hwy 255, California, Berkeley June 13–July 3 “Warren at Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 Crimson Laurel Way. Sautee Nacoochee Center, Sautee Nacoochee, GA 30571; MacKenzie” at TRAX Gallery, 1812 Fifth St. North Carolina, Bakersville September 5–Octo- www.folkpotterymuseum.com; 706-878-3300. California, Fresno through June 27 “Recent Work” ber 31 “Collecting, Creating, Connecting” works by Maine, Deer Isle July 12–16 “Making: Past, Present works by David Hicks; at Clay Mix, 1003 N. Abby St. Liz Zlot Summerfield; at Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 and Future,” presentations by Sonya Clark, Neil Gersh- California, Los Angeles through July 3 “Compli- Crimson Laurel Way. enfeld, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Lydia Matthews, Walter ance Solutions” works by Ben Jackel; at L.A. Louver, Ohio, Columbus through June 14 “New Work” McConnell, David Revere McFadden, Stephen Nach- 45 N. Venice Blvd., Venice, CA 90291. works by Curtis Benzle; at Sherrie Gallerie, 694 N. manovitch and Joe Wood. Fee: $320. Contact Candy California, Pomona through July 25 “The Artist High St. Haskell, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, PO Box is in the Details” works by David Furman; at American Ohio, Columbus June 21–July 31 “New Work” 518, Deer Isle, ME 04627; [email protected]; Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave. works by Michael Jones; at Sherrie Gallerie, 694 N. www.haystack-mtn.org; 207-348-2306. California, Pomona September 12–November 28 High St. Minnesota, Minneapolis October 15–17 “New Work” works by Harrison McIntosh; at American Ohio, Columbus August 30–September 27 “New “Creating a New Craft Culture.” Contact American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave. Work” works by Scott Dooley; at Sherrie Gallerie, Craft Council, 72 Spring St., New York, NY 10012; California, San Francisco June 11–September 694 N. High St. www.craftcouncil.org/conference09. 13 “Legacy of an American Potter” works by Warren Ohio, Rocky River September 12–October 5 “New MacKenzie; at Museum of Craft & Folk Art , 51 Yerba Pennsylvania, Philadelphia September 17–19 Work” works by Mark Yasenchack; at River Gallery, Buena Ln. “Handbuilt,” Guest Speaker: William Daley. Demonstra- 19046 Old Detroit Rd. tors: Hayne Bayless, Lisa Naples, Sandi Pierantozzi and Iowa, Iowa City through June19 “Recent Ceramics” Pennsylvania, Philadelphia June 5–28 “New Holly Walker. Contact Sandi Pierantozzi, 2034 Fairmount works by Ron Meyers; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. Work” works by Melissa Mytty; at The Clay Studio, Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130; [email protected]; Iowa, Iowa City June 26–July 17 “Recent Ceramics” 139 N. Second St. www.sandiandneil.com; 215-236-1617. works by Kevin Snipes; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia June 5–28 “New Virginia, Front Royal October 1–4 “8th Bien- Iowa, Iowa City June 26–July 17 “Featured Artist” Work” works by Rebecca Chappell; at The Clay Studio, nial Mid-Atlantic Clay Conference,” presentations by works by Tara Wilson; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. 139 N. Second St. Frank Giorgini, Suze Lindsay and Gay Smith. Contact Iowa, Iowa City September 25–October 15 Tennessee, Smithville August 7–September 15 The Clay Connection, PO Box 3214, Merrifield, VA “Featured Artist” works by John Glick; at AKAR, 257 “Meditations on Space” works by Sally Brogden; at 22116-3214; [email protected]; E. Iowa Ave. Appalachian Center for Craft, 1560 Craft Center Dr. www.theclayconnection.org; 540-636-6016. Kansas, Wichita June 26–August 2 “Dissolving Wisconsin, Racine through August 16 “Bigger, Denmark, Skælskør June 20–July 31 “Sculpture in Tendencies” works by Michael Angelotti; at The Wichita Better, More: The Art of Viola Frey”; Co-organized by Public Space: Symposium,” presentations by Christie Center for the Arts, 9112 E. Central. the Racine Art Museum and the Gardiner Museum of Brown, Akio Takamori and Wenzhi Zhang. Contact Ane Massachusetts, Concord July 10–31 “New Work” Toronto, 441 Main St. Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International works by Tim Rowan; at Lacoste Gallery, 25 Main St. Canada, Ontario, Ottawa June 11–July 1 “New Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, Michigan, Ann Arbor through June 27 “Super- Work” works by Paula Murray; at Lafrenière & Pai 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; fluous Beauty” works by Marcia Polenberg; at Clay Gallery, 13 Murray St. 45 5819 0016. Gallery, 335 Main St. Canada, Ontario, Ottawa September 24–October Denmark, Skælskør November 3–December 16; Jan- Montana, Red Lodge June 1–30 “Featured Artist” 14 “New Work” works by Sunmi Jung; at Lafrenière & uary 5–February 17, 2010 “Network 2009: Symposium.” works by McKenzie Smith; at Red Lodge Clay Center, Pai Gallery, 13 Murray St. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard 123 S. Broadway. Canada, Ontario, Toronto through August 23 International Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej Montana, Red Lodge July 1–31 “Featured Artist” “George Ohr Rising: The Emergence of an American 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; works by Ayumi Horie; at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 Master” at Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. S. Broadway. Canada, Ontario, Toronto September 10–January Germany, Bröllin September 3–5, 2010 “1st Montana, Red Lodge July 1–31 “Featured Artist” 10, 2010 “Bigger, Better, More: The Art of Viola Frey” European Woodfire Conference.” Contact Markus works by Gerit Grimm; at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 at Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. Böhm, First European Woodfire Conference, Alt Gaarz S. Broadway. England, Merseyside, Liverpool through June 6 6, Lärz, D-17248 Germany; [email protected]; Montana, Red Lodge September 1–30 “Featured “Idea to Object” works by Matthew Burt; at Bluecoat www.woodfire.net. Artist” works by Sam Chung; at Red Lodge Clay Center, Display Centre, 50-51 The Bluecoat, Bluecoat Cham- bers, College Ln. Republic of Korea, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si 123 S. Broadway. September 23–November 1 “Cheongju International Nebraska, Lincoln June 5–27 “Pillow Talk” works Germany, Berlin through June 1 “Art Pottery” Craft Biennale 2009.” Contact Kang Sun Kyoung, by Conner McKissack; at Lux Center for the Arts, works by Friedrich Festersen; at Galerie Theis-Keramik, Cheongju International Craft Biennial, 329 Heungdeok- 2601 N. 48th St. Schustehrusstr. 15. Ro, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si, 361-828 Republic New Jersey, Surf City August 15–September 9 Germany, Frechen through July 26 “Exhibition” of Korea; [email protected]; www.okcj.org; 82 43 “Recent Work” works by Neil Patterson; at m. t. burton works by Gibert Portanier; at Keramion Foundation, 277 2501 3. gallery, 1819 N. Long Beach Blvd. Bonnstraße 12. South Africa, Durban September 18–27 “Af- New Jersey, West Orange through July 31 Italy, Livorno through October 30 “New Work” rican Ceramics Conference.” Contact University of “Mother” works by Monica Litvany; at Leon & Toby works by Riccardo Biavati; at Hotel Cernia, Via San KwaZulu-Natal, King George V Ave., Durban, South Cooperman JCC, 760 Northfield Ave. Gaetano, 23. Africa; [email protected]; www.ukzn.ac.za; 27 New Mexico, Albuquerque September 4–30 “Dire- Netherlands, Amsterdam through June 20 “Por- 0 31 260 2212. Rama Wildlife on the Edge” works by Julianne Harvey; celain” works by Akaji Ken; at Galerie Carla Koch, at Mariposa Gallery, 3500 Central Ave., SE. Veemkade 500. New York, New York through June 6 “Picture- Netherlands, Delft through June 27 “New solo exhibitions hood” works by Keiko Narahashi; at Hudson Franklin, Work” works by Duncan Ross; at Gallery Terra Delft, 508 West 26th St. #318. Nieuwstraat 7. Arizona, Mesa through August 2 “Androgyny” New York, Port Chester through June 20 “Field Netherlands, Delft September 19–October 17 works by Sergei Isupov; at Mesa Contemporary Arts in Flux” works by Matthew Hyleck; at Clay Art Center, “New Work” works by Pauline Wiertz; at Gallery Terra at Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St. 40 Beech St. Delft, Nieuwstraat 7. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 64 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 65 calendar solo exhibitions

Netherlands, Leeuwarden through September 6 California, Los Angeles dates TBA “Bitter Root Georgia, Decatur June 6–June 28 “Bay Area Pot- “Levenswerk 07 - Fussfassen” works by Beate Reinheimer; Pottery Summer Artists Exhibition”; at Bitter Root tery Posse” works by Christa Assad, Rae Dunn, Josie at Ceramic Museum Princessehof, Grote Kerkstraat 11. Pottery, 7451 Beverly Blvd. Jurczenia, Sara Kagen, Mary Mar Keenan, Sara Paloma Switzerland, Geneva through January 11, 2010 California, Pomona through June 6 “Natural Con- and Whitney Smith; at MudFire Clayworks and Gallery, “Céramique” works by Philippe Barde; at Musée Ariana, nections” works by Eileen Braun, Susan Clusener, Damien 175 Laredo Dr. Ave. de la Paix 10. Jones and Shane Keena; at Armstrong’s, 150 E. 3rd St. Georgia, Watkinsville August 29–September 16 District of Columbia, Washington through Janu- “Perspectives 2009: Georgia Pottery Invitational” at group ceramics exhibitions ary 1, 2010 “Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia” Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, OCAF Art Center, at Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 34 School St. California, Berkeley through June 5 “New Work” 1050 Independence Ave. SW. Illinois, Chicago June 12–July 12 “4x4” at Lillstreet works by Kusakabe and Marc Lancet; at TRAX Gallery, District of Columbia, Washington June 22–Sep- Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. 1812 Fifth St. tember 21 “The Welsh Table: An Exhibition of Con- Illinois, Chicago September 14–October 11 “2nd California, Davis through June 1 “Firing a Legacy” temporary Studio Ceramics” at Ripley Center, 1100 Annual Lillstreet International” at Lillstreet Art Center, at Pence Gallery, 212 D St. Jefferson Dr. SW. 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. Illinois, Urbana June 3–July 3 “New Work” works by Yu-Ying Huang and Rimas VisGirda; at Cinema Gal- lery, 120 W. Main St. Iowa, Iowa City August 28–September 18 “Recent Ceramics” works by Jill Lawley and John Neely; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. Iowa, Iowa City September 25–October 15 “Recent Ceramics” works by Dan Anderson and Richard Notkin; at AKAR, 257 E. Iowa Ave. Kansas, Wichita through August 9 “On the Verge: Contemporary Ceramics” works by Nicole Cherubini, Patsy Cox, David East, Heather Mae Erickson, Erin Furimsky and Del Harrow; at Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount St. Kansas, Wichita through June 28 “Innovation and Change: Great Ceramics from the Ceramics Research Center” at Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd. Kentucky, Louisville through June 20 “Painted Clayworks: Ceramics and the Graphic Arts” at Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, 715 W. Main St. Massachusetts, Boston June 13–July 20 “Hamada: Three Generations of Japanese Potters” Shinsaku Hamada, Shoji Hamada and Tomoo Hamada; at Pucker Gallery, 171 Newbury St. Massachusetts, Brockton June 6–January 3, 2010 “The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories” at Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St. Massachusetts, Monson June 6–20 “T-Pots and Tings” works by Juliet Bacchas and Linda Spelko; at House of Art, 200 Main St. Massachusetts, Northampton August 7–Sep- tember 20 “Looking Forward Looking Back: Japanese/ American Ceramics” works by Naoko Gomi, Ayumi Horie, Hiroshi Nakayama, Akira Satake and Ikuzi Teraki; at The Artisan Gallery, 162 Main St. Massachusetts, South Dartmouth June 20–July 26 “The Watershed Gala Benefit Wood Fire Exhibi- tion” at Gustin Ceramics Studio and Gallery, 231 Horseneck Rd. Michigan, Detroit through June 28 “All Together Now: Sets, Themes and Aggregates” works by Daniel Bare, Heather Mae Erickson, Alleghany Meadows, Mia Mulvey, Susan Schultz and Mark Shapiro; at Pewabic Pottery, 10125 E. Jefferson. Minnesota, Minneapolis through July 5 “Six McKnight Artists” works by Greg Crowe, A. Leila Denecke, Marko Fields, Lee Love, Margaret O’Rorke and Alyssa Wood; at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave. E. Minnesota, Minneapolis July 17–August 30 “Artists of NCC” at Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave. E. Minnesota, St. Paul through June 14 “Pots Plus Prints” works by Jason Bohnert, Heather Mae Erickson, Peter Jadoonath and Jon Neuse; at The Grand Hand Gallery, 619 Grand Ave. Mississippi, Biloxi through August 21 “Atten- tion to Detail” works by Lorna Meaden and Lana Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 66 Wilson; at Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 1596 Glenn North Carolina, Charlotte through June 7 “From Pennsylvania, Lancaster September 26–October Swetman St. the Melting Pot into the Fire: Contemporary Ceramics 25 “17th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National” Missouri, St Louis June 19–July 31 “Four Fired” in Israel” at Mint Museum of Craft and Design, 220 Organized by SFPN, The Market House Craft Center; works by Cynthia Consentino, Misty Gamble, Beverly N. Tryon St. at Kevin Lehman’s Pottery, 560 S. Prince St. Mayeri and Tip Toland; at Duane Reed Gallery, 4729 North Carolina, Highlands June 13–July 11 “The Pennsylvania, Philadelphia through June 21 “Dirt McPherson Ave. Three Potters” works by Cynthia Bringle, Mark Hewitt on Delight: Impulses That Form Clay” works by Kathy Montana, Helena June 18–July 25 “2009 Archie and David Stuempfle; at The Bascom, a Center for the Butterly, Lucio Fontana, Viola Frey, Jeffry Mitchell, Bray Resident Artist Exhibition” at Archie Bray Founda- Visual Arts, 323 Franklin Rd. George Ohr, Beverly Semmes, Arlene Shechet, Peter tion for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. North Carolina, Seagrove through August 1 “Dan Voulkos, Beatrice Wood and Betty Woodman; at Insti- Montana, Helena June 11–August 1 “2009 Archie Finch and The Finch Studio Potters Exhibition”; at North tute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Bray Visiting Artists Exhibition” works by Sam Chung, Carolina Pottery Center, 233 East Ave. 118 South 36th St. Wayne Higby, Sarah Jaeger, David Peters, Don Reitz, Ohio, Rocky River July 25–September 10 “New Pennsylvania, Philadelphia June 5–28 “Associ- Tim Stepp, Beth Cavener Stichter, Tip Toland and Rosalie Works” works by Bill Brouillard, Lynne Lofton and Ron ate Artists Group Exhibition” at The Clay Studio, 139 Wynkoop; at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Meyers; at River Gallery, 19046 Old Detroit Rd. N. Second St. Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. Montana, Helena August 6–September 6 “Farewell Exhibition for Archie Bray Resident Artists” works by Renee Audette, Anne Drew Potter and Brian Rochefort; at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. Montana, Helena August 6–September 19 “Archie Bray Foundation’s 2009 Fellowship Artists Exhibition” works by Birdie Boone, Nathan Craven, Donna Flanery, David Peters and Kevin Snipes; at Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country Club Ave. Montana, Red Lodge June 1–30 “Butter” at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. Montana, Red Lodge July 3–31 “Resident’s Farewell” works by Earnest Forward, Martha Grover, Ryan Olsen, Paige Wright; at Red Lodge Clay Center, 123 S. Broadway. New Jersey, Surf City through June 24 “Jersey Shore Clay National 2009”; at m. t. burton gallery and 19th Street Ceramic Studio, 1819 N. Long Beach Blvd. New Jersey, Surf City June 27–July 15 “Mother and Daughter” works by Karen Swyler and Pat Swyler; at m. t. burton gallery, 1819 N. Long Beach Blvd. New Jersey, Surf City July 25–August 12 “Re- cent Work” works by Linda Shusterman and Alan Willoughby; at m. t. burton gallery, 1819 N. Long Beach Blvd. New Mexico, Santa Fe June 12–July 18 “Curiosi- ties” works by Lindsay Feuer, Kathleen Royster Lamb, Kate MacDowell and Andy Rogers; at Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. New Mexico, Santa Fe June 12–July 18 “The Way I see It” works by Gina Bobrowski and James Tisdale; at Santa Fe Clay, 1615 Paseo de Peralta. New York, New York through June 6 “No Two Alike” works by Andy Brayman and Ayumi Horie; at Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. New York, New York June 11–27 “Annual Members Exhibition”; at Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. New York, New York July 2–August 1 “Summer Masters Exhibition” at Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. New York, New York through August 9 “Royal Porcelain from the Twinight Collection 1800–1850” at Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave. New York, New York through August 23 “Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics” at Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Cir. New York, Windham through July 18 “Journeys in Clay: Contemporary Ceramics 2009” works by Katheryn Batltes, Susan Beecher, Marybeth Bishop, Steven Fabrico, Frank Georgini, Ruth Sachs, Shoshanna Snow and Joan Snyder; at Greene County Council on the Arts, Main St. North Carolina, Bakersville July 4–August 29 “An- thropogenic” works by Matt Jacobs and Eric Knoche; at Crimson Laurel Gallery, 23 Crimson Laurel Way. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 67 calendar group exhibitions

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia July 3–August 2 “Sixth Cocteau, Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Lucio Fontana, Wisconsin, Racine through August 2 “Go Figure!: Annual Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhi- Hans van Hoek, Jeff Koons, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso and The Human Form in RAM’s Collections” at Racine Art bition” at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Pierre-Auguste Renoir; at Sm’s – Stedelijk Museum’s- Museum, 441 Main St. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia August 7–30 “Pitch- Hertogenbosch, Magistratenlaan 100. England, Devon, Bovey Tracey through June 21 ers” at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Republic of Korea, Heungdeok-Gu, Cheongju-Si “Cup” at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia August 7–30 “Made September 23–November 1 “Cheongju International England, Devon, Bovey Tracey July 4–September at The Clay Studio” at The Clay Studio, 139 N. Sec- Craft Biennale 2009: Outside the Box” at Cheongju 13 “Summer Exhibition” at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, ond St. International Craft Biennial, 329 Heungdeok-Ro. Riverside Mill. South Carolina, Charleston through June 7 Spain, Barcelona through August 30 “Villa Nurbs” England, Devon, Bovey Tracey July 11–August “Mentor: Honoring the Historical Relationship Between works by Frederic Amat, Toni Cumella and Enric Ruíz- 30 “Token Values” at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Master and Apprentice” at Cone 10 Studios and Clay Geli; at Museu de Ceràmica, Palau Reial de Pedralbes, Riverside Mill. Gallery, 285 Meeting St. Av Diagonal 686. England, Devon, Bovey Tracey September 26–No- Virginia, Williamsburg through December 31 Switzerland, Geneva through October 4 “Swiss vember 8 “In Tandem” works by Blandine Anderson; “Inspiration and Ingenuity: American Stoneware” at Ceramics 1959–2009: The New Generation” at Musée at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, 325 W. Ariana, Ave. de la Paix 10. Netherlands, Deventer through June 27 “New Francis St. Work” works by Christine Fabre; at Loes & Reinier Virginia, Williamsburg through December 31 International Ceramics, Korte Assenstraat 15. “Identifying Ceramics: The Who, What and Ware” ceramics in multimedia The Netherlands, , Amsterdam June 20–January at DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 325 W. exhibitions 31, 2010 “At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol Francis St. in the 19th Century” at Hermitage Amsterdam, California, San Diego through October 18 “Masters Virginia, Williamsburg through December 31 Amstel 51. of Mid-Century California Modernism” works by Evelyn “Revolution in Taste” at DeWitt Wallace Decorative United Kingdom, London June 18–September 20 Ackerman and Jerome Ackerman; at Mingei Interna- Arts Museum, 325 W. Francis St. “Beyond Bloomsbury: Designs of the Omega Workshop tional Museum, Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado. Virginia, Williamsburg through January 2, 2011 1913–1919” at The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld District of Columbia, Washington June 19–Sep- “Salt-Glazed Stoneware in Early America” at DeWitt Institute of Art, Sommerset House, Strand. tember 16 “Milgrom on Morandi: Ceramics and Paint- Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, 325 W. Francis St. ings” works by Lillianne Milgrom; at Cross Mackenzie Washington, Anacortes June 5–28 “Clay, Fire and Ceramic Arts, 1054 31st St. fairs, festivals and sales Form” at Gallery at the Depot, 6th and “R”. District of Columbia, Washington August Belgium, Brussels June 6–July 18 “New Work” 7–January 3, 2010 “Renwick Craft Invitational 2009” California, Oakland June 6–7 and June 13–14 “East works by Wouter Dam and Sylvie Vandenhoucke; at at Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Bay Open Studios 2009”; at Pro Arts, 550 Second St. Puls Contemporary Ceramics, Kasteleinsplein 4, place Museum, Pennsylvania Ave. at 17 St., NW. California, Ojai June 13–14 “Mad Potters Tea du Châtelain. Illinois, Chicago July 18–August 16 “Drawn & Party”; at Libbey Park, 510 Park Rd. Canada, Ontario, Toronto through August 9 Created” works by Bernadette Curran, Shanna Fliegel, California, San Diego June 13–14 “Biannual Sale”; “Clay Canvases: The Fine Art of Painted Ceramics” at Chuck Hindes, Alex Kraft, Ron Meyers, Robert Boomer at San Diego Potters’ Guild, Studio 29, Spanish Village, Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. Moore, Jeff Oestreich, Rimas VisGirda and Kurt Weiser; Balboa Park, 1770 Village Pl. Canada, Ontario, Toronto through July 5 “Wedg- at Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. California, San Francisco August 15–17 “The wood: Artistry and Innovation” at Royal Ontario Illinois, Chicago July 31–August 27 “Her Mark American Craft Show in San Francisco”; at Fort Mason Museum, 100 Queen’s Park. 2010” works by Alice Simpson; at Woman Made Gal- Center, Landmark Building A. England, London through July 18 “Land Marks” lery, 685 N. Milwaukee A. Connecticut, Guilford July 16–18 “Guilford Art at Flow, 1-5 Needham Rd. Missouri, St. Louis through June 28 “Reactions” Center Craft Expo 2009”; at Guilford Art Center, England, London through October 11 “French at Craft Alliance, 6640 Delmar Blvd. Guilford Green, 411 Church St. Porcelain for English Palaces: Sèvres from the Royal Col- New Jersey, Demarest June 19–July 17 “20th Massachusetts, South Dartmouth June 20 “The lection” at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Annual New Jersey Small Works Show” at The Art Watershed Benefit Gala Wood Fire Raffle and Auc- England, London September 1–March 1, 2010 “Ob- School at Old Church and Mikhail Zakin Gallery, 561 tion”; at Gustin Ceramics Studio and Gallery, 231 jects of Luxury: French Porcelain of the Eighteenth Cen- Piermont Rd. Horseneck Rd. tury” at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd. New York, Corning June 1–26 “Hybrid Fire” Michigan, Ypsilanti July 17–19 “International France, Treigny through July 15 “Poissons d’avril: at Atrium Gallery, Corning Community College, 1 Royal Doulton Event”; at Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti Céramiques Contemporaines ” at APCP, L’Association Academic Dr. at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron St. des Potiers Createurs de Puisaye, Le Couvent. New York, Peekskill through July 26 “Origins” Montana, Helena June 18–July 25 “2009 Bray Germany, Berlin through August 17 “Contemporary at Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art, 1701 Benefit Auctions and Brickyard Bash”; at Archie Ceramics after 1989 from the Collection of the KMB” Main St. Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, 2915 Country at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Schustehrusstr. 13. Ohio, Columbus through June 21 “Best of 2009” Club Ave. Germany, Berlin through October 26 “Ceram- at Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. Nebraska, Omaha June 26–28 “Omaha Sum- ics from Westerwald” at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Oregon, Cannon Beach through June 29 “Spring mer Arts Festival”; at Downtown Omaha, Gene Schustehrusstr. 13. Unveiling” works by Randolph Sill; at White Bird Gal- Leahy Mall. Germany, Berlin June 6–November 16 “Karl Sc- lery, 251 N. Hemlock. New Jersey, Hillsborough June 20–21 “Spring heid and Gerald Weigel” at Keramik-Museum Berlin, Oregon, Portland August 6–September 22 “Craft Brookdale Park Fine Art and Crafts Show”; at Brookdale Schustehrusstr. 13. Biennial: A Review of Northwest Art and Craft” at Park, Watchung Ave. Germany, Frechen through November 22 “Works Oregon College of Art and Craft Hoffman Gallery, New Jersey, Upper Montclair September 12–13 by the London Group” at Keramion Foundation, 8245 S.W. Barnes Rd. “Fine Art and Crafts at Anderson Park”; at Anderson Bonnstraße 12. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia through September Park, 274 Bellevue Ave. Netherlands, Delft through June 3 “Tulip 30 “The Art of Japanese Craft: 1875 to the Present” New Mexico, Santa Fe June 11–14 “SOFA West: Vases from 12 Designers” works by Ineke Hans, Hugo at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and the Ben- Santa Fe”; at Santa Fe Convention Center, 201 W. Kaagman, Jan Kamphuis, Manita Kieft, Lotte van Laa- jamin Franklin Pkwy. Marcy St. tum, Gert de Mulder, Frans Ottink, Olav Slingerland, Pennsylvania, Reading through June 14 “Land- New York, Syracuse July 24–26 “Syracuse Wieki Somers and Norman Trapman; at Gallery Terra scape and Industry Juried Exhibition” at GoggleWorks Arts & Crafts Festival”; at Downtown Syracuse, Delft, Nieuwstraat 7. Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St. Columbus Cir. Netherlands, Delft through June 3 “Theme Tulip” Texas, Houston through July 3 “Literally Figura- North Carolina, Seagrove June 6–7 “Cousins in works by Guido Geelen, Hanneke Giezen, Marijke tive” works by Juliellen Byrne; at Houston Center for Clay”; at Bulldog Pottery, 3306 US Hwy 220 Alt. N. Gemessy, Simone Haak, Marta Nagy and Judith Rigert; Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main St. Ohio, Berea September 13 “Berea Arts Fest”; at at Museum Lambert van Meerten, Oude delft 199. Washington, Bellevue June 16–October 18 Berea Arts Fest, Inc., 31 East Bridge St., Ste. 202. Netherlands, ‘s-Hertogenbosch through June 1 “ÜberPortrait” works by Kukuli Velarde and Ah Xian; Oregon, Eugene October 9–11 “Clay Fest”; at “The Unexpected” ceramic works by Marc Chagall, Jean at Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. Lane Event Center, 396 West 13th Ave. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 68 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 69 calendar fairs, festivals and sales

Oregon, Lake Oswego June 26–28 “Lake Oswego Colorado, Arvada July 18 “ B u i l d a Festival of the Arts”; at George Rogers Park and Lake- Minigama,” presentations by Donna Kitchens. wood Center for the Arts, 368 S. State St. Fee: $75. Contact Donna Kitchens, Arvada Ce- Pennsylvania, Lancaster September 4–7 “Long’s ramic Arts Guild, 5870 Olde Wadsworth Blvd, Park Art and Craft Festival”; at Long’s Park, 1441 Arvada, CO 80003; [email protected]; Harrisburg Pike. www.arvadaceramicarts.org; 303-423-0448. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia June 27–28 “2009 Colorado, Arvada July 18–19 “Personal Paradox: Manayunk Arts Festival”; at Manayunk, Main St. Narrative Sculpture,” presentations by Todd Redmond. Texas, Longview June 5–7 “AlleyFest”; in Down- Fee: $160. Contact Bebe Alexander, The Arvada Cen- town Longview. ter for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Washington, Bellevue July 24–26 “63rd Annual Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003; [email protected]; Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair”; at Bellevue Arts Mu- www.arvadacenter.org; 720-898-7239. seum, 510 Bellevue Way NE. Colorado, Arvada July 25–26 “Straddling the Washington, Seattle August 1–2 “Urban Craft Fence: Combining Functional and Sculptural,” pre- Uprising”; at Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St. sentations by Shelley Schrieber. Fee: $160. Contact Canada, Toronto August 9–12 “Fall 2009 Gift Bebe Alexander, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Show”; at Toronto Congress Centre and Toronto Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003; International Centre, 650 Dixon Rd. [email protected]; www.arvadacenter.org; 720- 898-7239. England, Bovey Tracey June 5–7 “The Con- temporary Craft Fair”; at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Colorado, Arvada August 1 “Here Fishy, Fishy: Riverside Mill. Handbuilding Fish that Never Need Feeding,” presenta- England, West London June 19–21 “Aah! Art- tions by Judy Sorgenfrei. Fee: $35. Contact Donna Kitch- ists at Home Studio Tour”; at Artists At Home, AAH, ens, Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild, 5870 Olde Wadsworth www.artistsathome.net. Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003; [email protected]; www.arvadaceramicarts.org; 303-423-0448. Germany, Rheinstetten June 5–7 “Eunique”; at Colorado, Arvada August 15 “Extruder Extravaganza: Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center, Messe Karlsruhe, Mes- Explore the Extraordinary Possibilities of Extrusion,” presen- seallee 1. tations by Donna Kitchens. Fee: $50. Contact Donna Kitch- Netherlands, Leeuwarden through August 29 ens, Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild, 5870 Olde Wadsworth “Porcelain from Germany”; at St. Joseph Gallerie, Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003; [email protected]; Boerhaavestraat 3. www.arvadaceramicarts.org; 303-423-0448. Spain, Barcelona August 7–9 “International Ceram- Colorado, Arvada September 5–6 “Tradition and ic and Pottery Fair”; at Museu de Cántir D’Argentona, Innovation,” presentations by Takashi Nakazato. Fee: Plaça de l’Església 9. $160. Contact Bebe Alexander, The Arvada Center Wales, Ceredigion, Aberystwyth July 3–5 “In- for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth ternational Ceramics Festival 2009”; at Aberystwyth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003; [email protected]; Arts Centre, Penglais. www.arvadacenter.org; 720-898-7239. Connecticut, South Kent dates TBA “Clay For workshops Kids,” presentations by Alison Palmer. Fee: $250. Con- tact Alison Palmer, Alison Palmer Studio, 48 Stone Fences Alabama, Spanish Fort June 13 “Art as Busi- Ln., South Kent, CT 06785; [email protected]; ness.” Fee: $49. Contact Women’s Business Center, www.alisonpalmer.com; 860-927-4680. 1301 Azalea Rd., Ste. 201, Mobile, AL 36693; Georgia, Decatur October 16–18 “Image Transfer [email protected]; www.womenbiz.biz; 251- Techniques,” presentations by Paul Andrew Wandless. 660-2725. Fee: $295. Contact Luba Sharapan and Erik Haagensen, Arizona, Tuscon October 24–25 “The Functional directors, MudFire Clayworks, 175 Laredo Dr., Decatur, Pot: Tips, Tools and Techniques,” presentations by Bill GA 30030; [email protected]; www.mudfire.com; vanGilder. Fee: $130; $115, members. Contact South- 404-377-8033. ern Arizona Clay Artists, PO Box 44218, Tuscon, AZ Georgia, Decatur October 23–25 “Achieving a 85733; [email protected]; www.sa-clayartists.org; Beautiful Macabre,” presentations by Bonnie Seeman. 520-615-9581. Fee: $295. Contact Luba Sharapan and Erik Haagensen, California, Berkeley June 13 “Warren MacKenzie directors, MudFire Clayworks, 175 Laredo Dr., Decatur, Workshop and Round Table Discussion.” Fee: $100. GA 30030; [email protected]; www.mudfire.com; Contact Sandy Simon, Director, TRAX Gallery, 1812 404-377-8033. Fifth St., Berkeley, CA 94710; [email protected]; Georgia, Decatur November 6–8 “Sculpting Inside www.traxgallery.com; 510-540-8729. Out,” presentations by Arthur Gonzalez. Fee: $295. California, Pomona August 23 “Workshop with Don Contact Luba Sharapan and Erik Haagensen, direc- Reitz.” Fee: $85; $65 for AMOCA members. Contact tors, MudFire Clayworks, 175 Laredo Dr., Decatur, American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 S. Garey Ave., GA 30030; [email protected]; www.mudfire.com; Pomona, CA, 91766; [email protected]; 404-377-8033. www.ceramicmuseum.org; 909-865-3146. Georgia, Watkinsville September 5–6 “Tricks for Colorado, Arvada June 13–14 “Raku,” pre- Surface Decoration and the Intricacies of Glazing,” sentations by Bob Smith. Fee: $160. Contact Bebe presentations by Jennifer Graff and Katy McDou- Alexander, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Hu- gal. Fee: $125; one day, $65. Contact Cindy Farley, manities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003; Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, OCAF Art Center, [email protected]; www.arvadacenter.org; PO Box 631, Watkinsville, GA 30677; [email protected]; 720-898-7239. www.ocaf.com; 706-769-4565. Colorado, Arvada June 27–28 “Carved Porcelain,” Illinois, Sandwich June 4–7, June 18–21, July 9–12 presentations by Adam Field. Fee: $160. Contact Bebe and “Electric vs. Gas Firing,” presentations by Steven Alexander, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Hu- Hill. Fee: $390; residential, $790. Contact Steven Hill manities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada, CO 80003; and Kim Miner, Center Street Clay, 218 W. Center St., [email protected]; www.arvadacenter.org; Sandwich, IL 60548; [email protected]; 720-898-7239. www.centerstreetclay.com; 815-570-2030. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 70 Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 71 calendar workshops

Illinois, Sandwich August 1–8 “Functional Stoneware/Single Firing: Pouring Vessels and Cups,” presentations by Steven Hill. Fee: $1550. Contact Steven Hill and Kim Miner, Center Street Clay, 218 W. Center St., Sandwich, IL 60548; [email protected]; www.centerstreetclay.com; 815-570-2030. Illinois, Sandwich October 3–11 “Journey Workshop.” Fee: $2130. Contact Steven Hill and Kim Miner, Center Street Clay, 218 W. Center St., Sandwich, IL 60548; [email protected]; www.centerstreetclay.com; 815-570-2030. Maine, Deer Isle August 30–September 5 “Pots: Ideas and Making,” presentations by Linda Christianson. Fee: $390. Contact Candy Haskell, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, PO Box 518, Deer Isle, ME 04627; [email protected]; www.haystack-mtn.org; 207-348-2306. Maryland, Arnold September 12–13 “Clay Inlay and Monoprints,” presentations by Mitch Lyons. Fee: $125 for both days. Contact Anne Webber, The Pot- ters Guild of Annapolis, 452 Laurel Valley Ct., Arnold, MD 21012; [email protected]; www.pottersguildofannapolis.com; 410-861-6295. Maryland, Frederick July 6–11 “Throwing Large Forms,” presentations by Kevin Crowe. Fee: $475. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College Ceramics Program, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art; 301-696-3456. Maryland, Frederick July 18–30 “Ceramic Sculp- ture,” presentations by Joyce Michaud. Fee: $700. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College Ceramics Program, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art; 301-696-3456. Massachusetts, Chatham September 20–21 “Altered Forms and Murals,” presentations by Frank Matranga. Fee: $75 non-member 1 day; $120, 2 days. Contact Cape Cod Potters, Inc., Box 76, Chatham, MA 02633; [email protected]. Massachusetts, Stockbridge June 22–26 “Ad- vancing Your Style and Skill on the Potter’s Wheel,” presentations by Ellen Grenadier. Fee: $500. Contact Cindy Kelly, IS183 Art School, PO Box 1400, Stockbridge, MA 01262; [email protected]; www.153.org; 413- 298-5252 ext. 105. Mississippi, Biloxi October 17–18 “Lana Wilson Workshop.” Fee: $320. Contact Marjorie Gowdy, Execu- tive Director, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 1596 Glenn Swetman St., Biloxi, MS 39530; [email protected]; www.georgeohr.org; 228-374-5547. Mississippi, Natchez June 22–27 “Participation Workshop,” presentations by Emily Reason. Fee: $450. Contact Donna Jones, Natchez Clay, 101 Clifton Ave., Natchez, MS 39120; [email protected]; www.natchezclay.com; 601-660-2375. Mississippi, Ridgeland September 19–20 “Vessels Form and Function Demonstration Workshop,” presen- tations by Connor Burns. Fee: $125. Contact Crafts- men’s Guild of Mississippi, 950 Rice Rd., Ridgeland, MS 39157; www.mscrafts.org; 601-856-7546. Nevada, Incline Village June 13–14 “Hand- made Brushes,” presentations by Glenn Grish- koff. Fee: $250. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. Nevada, Incline Village June 22–26 “Fast Fire Pottree,” presentations by Randy Brodnax and Don Ellis. Fee: $525. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 72 calendar workshops

Nevada, Incline Village July 6–10 “As the Wheel Turns: Beginning Wheel Throwing Techniques and Their Creative Application,” presentations by Marc Lancet. Fee: $525. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. Nevada, Incline Village July 13–17 “Alternative Firing with Precision and Abandon,” presentations by Charlie Riggs and Linda Riggs. Fee: $525. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. Nevada, Incline Village July 18–19 “Color, Surface, Text: Color and Screen Printing on Handbuilt Clay Forms,” presentations by Nancy Selvin. Fee: $250. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. Nevada, Incline Village July 20–24 “Set Your Table,” presentations by Bill van Gilder. Fee: $525. Contact Sheri Leigh O’Connor, Sierra Nevada College, 999 Tahoe Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451; [email protected]; www.sierranevada.edu/workshops; 775-881-7588. New Jersey, Layton September 5–7 “Fire Runs Rampant: Open Studio,” presentations by Bruce Dehnert. Fee: $460. Contact Jennifer Brooks, Peters Valley Craft Center, 19 Kuhn Rd., Layton, NJ 07851; [email protected]; www.petersvalley.org; 973-948-5200. New Jersey, Metuchen September 14, 15, 21 “Reconsidering Raku,” presentations by Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella. Fee: $60. Contact Linda Vonderschmidt-LaStella, Earthsongs Studio, 242 Am- boy Ave., Metuchen, NJ 08840; [email protected]; www.claysongs.com; 732-906-4137. New Jersey, Metuchen October 12,13,14,21 “Timeless Tiles,” presentations by Linda Vonderschmidt- LaStella. Fee: $100. Contact Linda Vonderschmidt-LaS- tella, Earthsongs Studio, 242 Amboy Ave., Metuchen, NJ 08840; [email protected]; www.claysongs.com; 732-906-4137. New Mexico, Abiquiu June 1–7 “Raku Ceramics: A New Approach,” presentations by Jim Romberg. Fee: $500. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu June 15–21 “Micaceous Pottery,” presentations by Camilla Trujillo. Fee: $275. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu July 6–12 “Creation of the Sacred Vessel,” presentations by Barbara Campbell. Fee: $300. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu July 13–19 “Exploration of Firing Techniques,” presentations by Barbara Campbell. Fee: $300. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu July 20–26 “Creation of the Sacred Vessel,” presentations by Barbara Campbell. Fee: $300. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu July 27–August 2 “Porcelain Pots: A Touch of Elegance,” presentations by Susan Filley. Fee: $475. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 73 calendar workshops

New Mexico, Abiquiu August 3–9 “Sculpting the Dynamics of Complex Facial Expressions,” presentations by Arthur Gonzalez. Fee: $475. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu August 10–16 “Hunt- ing Intuition: A Sculpture Class,” presentations by James Tanner. Fee: $475. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New Mexico, Abiquiu August 28–30 “Mata Ortiz Pottery,” presentations by Pabla Talavera Quezada. Fee: $150. Contact Teresa Tunick, New Mexico Potters and Clay Artists, 131 Ridgecrest Dr., Santa Fe, NM 87505; [email protected]; nmpotters.org; 505-986-8912. New Mexico, Abiquiu September 28–October 4 “Micaceous Pottery and Fall Traditions of Northern New Mexico,” presentations by Camilla Trujillo. Fee: $275. Contact Linda Seebantz, Ghost Ranch, HC77 Box 11, Abiquiu, NM 87510; [email protected]; www.ghostranch.org; 505-685-4333. New York, Nassau June 27–29 “Dish Camp,” pre- sentations by Don Carpentier, Ted Gallagher, Miranda Goodby, Barbara Magid, Louise Richardson and Jonathan Rickard. Contact Don Carpentier, Eastfield Village, Box 465, Nassau, NY 12123; [email protected]; 518-766-2422. New York, Port Chester June 7 & 28 and July 26 “Discover the Joy of Raku Firing,” presentations by Denis Licul. Fee: $100; members, $90. Contact Leigh Taylor Mickelson, Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St., Port Chester, NY 10573; [email protected]; www.clayartcenter.org; 914-937-2047. North Carolina, Bakersville August 31–Septem- ber 4 “Basic Glaze Chemistry and Raw Materials,” presentations by John Britt. Fee: $500. Contact John Britt, John Britt Pottery, 154 Sparks Rd., Bakersville, NC 28705; [email protected]; www.johnbrittpottery.com; 828-467-5020. North Carolina, Brasstown through June 6 “Ex- ploring Cone 6 Glazes,” presentations by Lucy Hamilton. Fee: $512. Contact Sue Fruchey, John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902; [email protected]; www.folkschool.org; 828- 837-2775 ext. 122 or 1-800-FOLK-SCH. North Carolina, Calabash August 8–9 “Pots From Patterns,” presentations by Liz Zlot Sum- merfield. Fee: $195. Contact Sunset River Mar- Soldner Clay Mixers ketplace, 10283 Beach Dr. SW, NC179, Calabash, by Muddy Elbow Manufacturing NC 28467; [email protected]; www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com; 910-575-5999. EASY.Aslowly revolving North Carolina, Highlands June 13 “Pottery concrete tub forces clay through a stationary plough bar, turning, Making Demonstration with Bringle, Hewitt and Stu- blending and spatulating the empfle.” The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO mixture to a throwing Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; consistency in minutes www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands June 11–12 “Mud, call or email for a demo video Sweat and Tears: Making Fine Functional Pots,” pre- 310 W. 4th • Newton, KS • 67114 sentations by Mark Hewitt. Fee: $400; members, $375. Phone/Fax (316) 281-9132 Contact The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO [email protected] Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; soldnerequipment.com www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands June 15–19 “Finding Your Form Through Nature,” presentations by Alice Bal- lard. Fee: $395; members, $375. Contact The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, Visit us at NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. www.ceramicartsdaily.org North Carolina, Highlands June 20–22 “Lids and today! How They Fit,” presentations by Cynthia Bringle. Fee: $400; members, $375. The Bascom, A Center for Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 74 calendar workshops the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828- 526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands July 15 “What a Re- lief!,” presentations by Jessica Stewart. Fee: $95; mem- bers, $80. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands July 22 “Hidden Self,” presentations by Jessica Stewart. Fee: $95; members, $80. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands August 5 “Sweet Tea,” presentations by Jessica Stewart. Fee: $95; members, $80. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands August 12 “Dinner Time,” presentations by Jessica Stewart. Fee: $95; mem- bers, $80. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands August 13–15 “Coil Building Large Vessels,” presentations by David Stuemp- fle. Fee: $400; members, $375. Contact The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands August 17–23 “The Narrative Figure in Clay,” presentations by Debra Fritts. Fee: $450; members, $425. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands October 16–17 “Intro- duction to Precious Metal Clay,” presentations by Sara Sloan Stine. Fee: $195; members, $175. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands October 19–24, 31 “Spooky Raku,” presentations by Patrick Taylor. Fee: $275; members, $250. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828- 526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands November 2–19 “Open Studio for Ceramics,” presentations by Patrick Taylor. Fee: $375, members, $350. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Highlands December 1–18 “Open Studio for Ceramics,” presentations by Patrick Taylor. Fee: $375, members, $350. The Bascom, A Center for the Visual Arts, PO Box 766, Highlands, NC 28741; [email protected]; www.thebascom.org; 828-526-4949. North Carolina, Seagrove Dates TBA “Stay and Study Where Over 100 Potteries Call Home,” presentations by David Fernandez. Fee: $795. Sea- grove Stoneware Inn and Pottery, 136 W. Main St., Seagrove, NC 27341; [email protected]; www.seagrovestoneware.com; 336-873-8283. Pennsylvania, Little Meadows July 18–19 “Big Pots: Forms, Hunches and Risks,” presentations by Kevin Crowe. Fee: $275. Contact Archie Johnson and Ruth Cohen, Mud and Fire Potters, 1552 Bowbridge Rd., Little Meadows, PA 18830; [email protected]; www.mudandfirepotters.com; 570-623-3335. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia June 13–14 “Wheel Explorations,” presentations by Kenny Delio. Fee: Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 75 calendar workshops

$215; members, 200. Contact Jeff Guido, The Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; [email protected]; www.theclaystudio.org; 215-925-3453. Tennessee, Oak Ridge July 25–26 “Figura- tive Sculpture,” presentations by Debra Fritts. Fee: $195; members, $175. Contact Leah Marcum-Estes, Oak Ridge Art Center, PO Box 7005, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-3305; [email protected]; www.oakridgeartcenter.org; 865-482-1441. Tennessee, Oak Ridge August 29–30 “Lids, Han- dles, Spouts and Altered Pots,” presentations by Kathy Byrd. Fee: $120; members, $100. Contact Leah Marcum- Estes, Oak Ridge Art Center, PO Box 7005, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-3305; [email protected]; www.oakridgeartcenter.org; 865-482-1441. Tennessee, Smithville September 11–13 “Drink- ing Vessels,” presentations by Melody Tiemann. Fee: $250. Contact Gail Gentry, Appalachian Center for Craft, 1560 Craft Center Dr., Smithville, TN 37166; [email protected]; www.tntech.edu/craftcenter; 615-597-6801. Tennessee, Smithville September 18–20 “Im- proving Wheel Throwing Techniques,” presentations by T.J. Edwards. Fee: $250. Contact Gail Gentry, Appalachian Center for Craft, 1560 Craft Center Dr., Smithville, TN 37166; [email protected]; www.tntech.edu/craftcenter; 615-597-6801. Texas, San Antonio June 13 and 20 “Horse Hair and Aluminum Foil Sagger Firing,” presentations by Lyn Woods. Fee: $95; members, $90. Contact Catherine Brillson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Southwest School of Art and Craft, 300 Augusta, San Antonio, TX 78205; [email protected]; www.swschool.org; 210-224-1848 x328. Texas, San Antonio June 26–28 “Succulent Surfaces,” presentations by Erin Furimsky. Fee: $250. Contact Catherine Brillson, Director of Market- ing and Public Relations, Southwest School of Art and Craft, 300 Augusta, San Antonio, TX 78205; [email protected]; www.swschool.org; 210- 224-1848 x328. Wyoming, Jackson Hole July 10–12 “Archi- tectural Ceramics,” presentations by Marcia Selsor. Fee: $210; members, $185. Contact Sam Dowd, Art Association of Jackson Hole, 240 S Glenwood, Jackson, WY 83002; [email protected]; www.jacksonholeworkshops.org; 307-733-6379. Wyoming, Jackson Hole September 17–19 “Ce- ramics: Color and Design,” presentations by Donna Rozman. Fee: $290; members, $265. Contact Sam Dowd, Art Association of Jackson Hole, 240 S Glen- wood, Jackson, WY 83002; [email protected]; www.jacksonholeworkshops.org; 307-733-6379. Denmark, Skælskør June 27–28 “Sculpture in Public Space: Seminar,” presentations by Christie Brown, Akio Takamori and Wenzhi Zhang. Fee: $161; two days, $94. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 Den- mark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Denmark, Skælskør August 17–26 “Wood- fire Marathon.” Fee: $627. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 What are you waiting for? Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Visit us today at Denmark, Skælskør October 5–9 “Takeshi Yasuda www.ceramicartsdaily.org Workshop.” Fee: $424; members, $390; students, $339. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 76 calendar workshops

International Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Denmark, Skælskør October 12–16 “Plaster Master Workshop,” presentations by Richard Saaby. Fee: $424; members, $390; students, $322. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard Interna- tional Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. Denmark, Skælskør October 26–30 “Vitrified Print,” presentations by Paul Scott. Fee: $424; mem- bers, $390; students, $322. Contact Ane Fabricius Christiansen, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, Heilmannsvej 31 A, Skælskør, 4230 Denmark; [email protected]; www.ceramic.dk; 45 5819 0016. England, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex July 19–24 “Shozo’s Japanese Ceramics,” pre- sentations by Shozo Michikawa. Contact Amy Meredith, West Dean College, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0QZ; [email protected]; www.westdean.org.uk; 44-1243-818-208. Greece, Skopelos Island September 10–25 “Mia Muse,” presentations by Suzy Birstein. Fee: $1800. Contact Gloria Carr, Skopelos Foundation for the Arts, PO Box 56, Skopelos Island, 37003 Greece; [email protected]; www.skopart.org; 604- 737-2636. Greece, Crete October 2010 “Greek Island Ce- ramics 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 and Bali March 2010 “Village Pottery Experience.” 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. Italy, Tuscany June 23–July 7 “Wood-Fired Terra Cotta in Italy,” presentations by Don Davis. Fee: $2700; $2400, student. Contact Don Davis, East Tennessee State University, Dept. of Art and Design, Campus Box 70708, Johnson City, TN 37614; [email protected]; www.spannocchia.com; 423-439-7864. Mexico, Oaxaca December 16–29 “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. Morocco October 28–November 15 “Morocco Ex- cursion.” Fee: $3175. 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. People’s Republic of China, Beijing, Shanhai, Exclusively! Suzhou, Xian and Yixing June 15–29 “Ceramic Art VENCO Tour of China,” presentations by Xiaosheng Bi. Fee: Pugmills, Wheels $3600. Contact Joyce Michaud, Hood College Ceram- Spare Parts ics Program, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick, MD 21701; www.vencousa.com [email protected]; www.hood.edu/academic/art; [email protected] 301-696-3456. 508-662-5706 Romania August 26–September 10 “From the Painted Monasteries to Folklife and Crafts of Transyl- vania.” Fee: $4695. Contact Tom and Sherry Wilson, Craft World Tours, 6776 Warboys Rd., Byron, NY 14422; 585-548-2667. Switzerland, Ticino, Gordola November 2–7 “Sag- gar Firing, Sulfates,” presentations by Patty Wouters. Fee: $750. Contact Atelier Cirkel and Toepferschule, Via San Gottardo 3, Gordola, Ticino 6596 Switzerland; [email protected], [email protected]; www.toepferschule.ch, www.pattywouters.be; 091- 745-3495. Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 77 classified advertising Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, Opportunities, Per- Studio and Home For Sale. 28 acres, 8 stall horse sonals, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements will be inserted into the barn, organic gardens/orchard, 7 acre stocked first available print issue, and posted on our website (www.ceramicsmonthly.org) for 30 days at no additional charge! pond. Generous workspace with two downdraft See www.ceramicsmonthly.org/classifieds.asp for details. kilns (one new), 34” electric kiln, more. $265,000 King William, Virginia. (804) 994-8248. buy/sell miscellaneous Potter’s Dream: Eaton, New Hampshire! Passive New! billandlizhunt.com solar post-and-beam contemporary home and studio Small Hammer Mill wanted. Looking to grind up on 18 wooded acres. Four bedrooms, two baths, fired tile body. Please contact Richard Scott at (206) opportunities screened porch, deck, organic garden. Separate 282-0181 or email [email protected]. gallery and guesthouse, sunny studio, 20 years RESIDENCY — www.cubcreek.org. strong onsite sales. Large gas kiln rolls beautifully employment on track into studio. $349,900. Contact Alex: (603) 986-5910, [email protected]. Avail- Mid-Coastal Maine Potter’s Retreat. Beautiful able immediately. Experienced English thrower/potter seeks work- ceramics studio/living space on 110 acres. Woods ing holiday in Southern USA, January/February trails, swimming pond, private lessons and critiques/ Home, 2010. Philip Gardiner, 8 Fore St., Mevagissey, group workshops. Nearby ocean and sailboat. Santa Fe, New Mexico Artist Compound. studio, guesthouse in spectacular setting. 5000+ Cornwall PL26 6UQ, United Kingdom. Telephone: www.starflowerfarmstudios.com; (207) 525-3593. sq. ft. on 1.5 acres IN TOWN. Fully equipped 01 144726 842042. high fire studio, spacious rentable guesthouse. Idyllwild Arts Summer Program offers week-long Artistically designed home. $1,370,000. Contact workshops in ceramics including Hot Clay with Ingrid Apprentice / Internship. Small production pottery [email protected] for pictures and information. in northwest Montana seeks motivated individual for Lilligren, Cynthia Consentino, Marc Digeros, Rosette one-year position starting end of August. 40 hours/ Gault, Eduardo Lazo, and Paul Lewing; general week in exchange for studio space (includes materi- Ceramics; and traditional Native American Pottery rental als and firing), room and board, monthly stipend, (Hopi-Tewa and Santa Clara). All skill levels. Other courses available in sculpture, painting, metals, gallery sales. Check www.whitefishpottery.com for Share 700 sq. ft. clay studio near Asheville, more details about applying. textiles, mixed media and more. Campus located in the mountains of Southern California. For infor- North Carolina. Equipped with electric and gas mation and course catalog, call (951) 659-2171, kilns, natural light, river scenery, small town, Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wisconsin invites ext. 2365, or email [email protected]. Web fantastic community. Send inquiries to Emily at applications for a one-year full-time cerami- site: www.idyllwildarts.org. [email protected]. cist/sculptor visiting assistant professor of art for 2009-2010 academic year. MFA must Potter’s Retreat - vacation/yearly rental, in Bar- be completed by summer 2009. For complete Stay Centered. Steven Hill Pottery at Center Street Clay. centerstreetclay.com ryville, New York on Delaware River, 2 hours to NYC. details about the position and the university Studio with apartment in handcrafted saltbox house visit www.viterbo.edu/employmentaplication.aspx. overlooking brook. 2 kilns, electric and soda, with Women and minorities encouraged to apply. Re- Stay/Study Where Over 100 Potteries Call Home. 4 kickwheels. Apartment fully furnished; view more view of applications begins May 1 and continues Seagrove Inn & Pottery offers the complete pottery at www.flickr.com/potterystudio-apt. Contact Russ until filled. experience. Four nights lodging; four days of wheel (704) 262-9510; [email protected]. turning instruction with Master Potter David Fer- events nandez. Materials included; $795. For dates: (336) 707-9124; www.seagrovestoneware.com. Large Maine income-producing Studio/Farm appropriate for family or group. Possible to buy CHRIS GUSTIN WORKSHOP — www.cubcreek.org. into collective after trial rent period for those with products compatible vision. www.starflowerfarmstudios.com; (207) 525-3593. Radca Ceramics: Handmade Architectural Ceram- The Steve Tool for wild texture on pottery! Roll it ics for Indoors & Outdoors. Corporate & Private on, stretch it out. Online or via your local pottery Commissions Accepted. Master Classes in Throw- supplier. www.graberspottery.com. Midwest Clay Guild, Evanston, Illinois. Studio ing & Altering Techniques. www.TomRadca.com. space, 24-hour access, gas and electric kilns, park- 15216 Grove Rd., Port Washington, Ohio 43837. publications/videos ing. Rent starts at $275. (847) 475-9697. (740) 498-4303. PotteryVideos.com – DVD’s with Robin Hop- per, Gordon Hutchens and Graham Sheehan. services Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For details, see Video Workshops for Potters at all levels of ex- www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689- perience. Choose from 21 titles. (800) 668-8040; Ceramics Consulting Services offers technical 9430. [email protected]. information and practical advice on clay/glaze/ kiln faults and corrections, slip casting, clay body/ “Handbuilt.” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sep- Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, 4-disc DVD set. glaze formulas, salt glazing, product design. 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Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 78 Custom Mold Making—Increase your productivity Morocco 2009 Ceramics Excursion - October and profits with quality slip-casting molds of your 28-November 15, 2009. Offered again in 2009 due to popular designs! Petro Mold Co. offers a complete popular demand. www.discoveryarttravel.com. range of mold-making services, including sculpting and 3-D models, master and case molds, and pro- duction mold manufacturing to thousands of satisfied Overseas Ceramic Workshops & Tours—Morocco, customers. Visit www.custommolds.net; or call (800) October 28 - November 15, 2009, Berber traditional 404-5521 to get started. pottery, adobe architecture, tile art in Southern Mo- rocco. Lombok and Bali, March 2010, Crete, Greece, October 2010. Burma (Myanmar) February 2011. Small, culturally-sensitive groups using local transla- Accept credit cards in your ceramics retail/whole- tors and experts. Discovery Art Travel, Denys James, sale/home-based/Internet and craft-show business. Canada; (250) 537-4906; www.denysjames.com; No application fee. No monthly minimum. No lease [email protected]. requirement. Retriever/First of Omaha Merchant Processing. Please call (888) 549-6424. Tuscany and Greece Workshops: Learn to dig local clay, embed texture, colors. Studio overlooking sea. Web Sites for Potters - We specialize in custom designed Greece 8/27-9/9, ‘09 or Tuscany 10/17-30. For details sites for artists, craftspeople. New sites, redesigns, of tours, lodging, meals, Neuchatel, Switzerland and maintenance. Visit www.webkazoo.com/ceramics or other workshops contact [email protected]; call (860) 664-9593. (503) 777-6363.

Grand Canyon Raft Trip with Potters Joseph travel Bennion and Kevin Crowe; June 11-25, 2010. For artists of all disciplines and those interested in art. Craft & Folk Art Tours — Romania, SW Balkans, www.joethepotter.com. South Africa, Christmas in Oaxaca (Mexico), Myanmar (Burma), India, Guatemala, Central Asia, Ecuador, Morocco. Small, personalized groups. Craft We’re Online! There is always something new World Tours, 6776CM Warboys, Byron, NY 14422. happening at www.ceramicartsdaily.org. Up- (585) 548-2667; www.craftworldtours.com. dated daily!

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Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 79 Comment got a match? by Kevin and Linda Crowe

Wanted: Kiln Crew nity produced and sold recordings that allowed danger in this misconception is the assumption by Linda Crowe those with busy lives to wear headphones and that if they are different, one is inferior. Let You know, we’re not getting any younger, I get enlightenment-on-the-go. Such flexibility that one go. said to Kevin a few years ago. We were talking has strong appeal in our high-octane lives. A three- to seven-day firing slows things, about replacing our wood fired, two-chamber Similarly, the marketing of “anagama-on-the- and people, down. When crew members ar- noborigama kiln with a much larger kiln. In- go” is a nimble fit in our drive-thru culture. rive, the kiln is in slow motion. There is time stead of 24 hours, it would take 4 days to fire. I I’m enthusiastic about innovative kiln de- to reconnect, let go of busy lives and settle into couldn’t imagine how we’d engage a crew large signs, the incorporation of high tech materials the rhythm of the days ahead. Folks get the and knowledgeable enough, let alone a group and a creative scrutiny of how and why we fire details about the stacking, the wood, the plan. we could rely on for subsequent firings. At on the edge of global warming. Oil, wood, Over the course of the firing, each participant the same time, our old kiln was falling apart. electricity, dung, gas—all capable of produc- will stoke the kiln, help prepare food and wash Each firing was going to be our last. If we ing jaw-dropping wonder. I don’t believe wood dishes, spend leisure time at the kiln when off didn’t do something soon, we’d have a disaster firing occupies the high ground in the geogra- shift—high quality visiting. on our hands. phy of clay; however, I find that many of the At our firings, the early morning shift tends Wanted: kiln crew members. Must be an anagama-express kilns exploit misconceptions toward the contemplative. My wife Linda experienced potter with a desire to fire a wood that isolate the anagama potter as an elitist. showing up with oatmeal and hot tea. Slow kiln. Additional expertise in the following areas Misconception #1: You need $25,000 or talk at sunrise. Afternoons, visitors arrive. Crew will be given priority: Elementary school teach- university affiliation to build a large wood kiln. members off shift lounge at the kiln. The lunch ing, teaching graduate-level clay, consulting with I do know a few potters who spent $25,000 buffet opens. Laughter dominates. The night the United States government on nuclear waste to build anagamas. Most of the potters I know shift, preferred by the youngsters, starts with disposal, fluency in Arabic and Spanish, State spent between $2,000 and $10,000 to build high-energy, competitive stoking and joking. Department administration, publicity consulting kilns of varying capacities. If you plan care- Lots of caffeine. The later hours bring a calm for non-profit organizations, knowledge of issues fully, put your ear to the ground and exercise introspection. Music. I say goodnight to a very surrounding global climate change, proficiency in patience, you can build on a thin budget. I different crew from the one I greet at sunrise. lip reading, hospice volunteer experience, gour- built my 450-cubic-foot anagama/noborigama Misconception #4: “I simply don’t have met cooking, discerning musical tastes. Sense of for $5,637.75. I hand-dug footers, scrounged the time for long firings.” humor a must. used brick and built the arches with homemade Misconceptions 1–3 pale in the face of this Okay, we really didn’t need a crew with all castable. The used kiln shelves—2 feet square one. There is an accusation here that those those qualifications, but that’s what we got. with a ½-inch warp—cost $20 each. Each time practicing anagama firings have less demand- And how could we have guessed what these I hear the prohibitive cost of building raised ing, less busy, less responsible lives. Being busy people would come to mean to us? Eight years (I hear it often), it’s a loud assumption that all is status. Taking days to fire a kiln is almost have passed, and these people have become an other kilns represent a more rational, economi- civil disobedience. integral part of our lives. cal choice. I know potters who contracted the What is it about an anagama firing that at- construction of kilns in the 30-cubic-foot tracts us? Community, ashed surface, mystery, Myths and Gratitude range for up to $24,000. I know others who one of the many faces of the soul? We seek what by Kevin Crowe purchased commercial gas kilns that cost thou- is missing. Perhaps a culture drinking lite colas, There are other places to experience that sands before shipping and installation. eating lite junk, living lite lives, is a culture rare combination of an inner soft-shoe of focus Misconception #2: It takes an army of vulnerable to hucksters selling us the belief that and that outer tango of the senses besides the undergraduates to fire an anagama. we can have it all: Junk food and weight loss. firebox of an anagama—Irish pubs, Zen mon- This one always catches me off guard. My This is a life hard on the soul. asteries and Brazilian soccer games come to kiln can be fired with a crew of 6. I fire with 8 We all make choices about what we make mind. An increasing interest in the unimagined and stop keeping a waiting list when it reaches and how we work. It is vital that we be curious surfaces and the experience of community in 35 names. I can’t imagine that a potter would before being critical about the choices. Creative anagama firings has produced both fascination not be able to come up with 5 friends. I live curiosity builds dialog that spices the soup of and mythology, fueling recent designs of small, in the sticks and our crew members drive an community that clay offers us. When you make fast-fire wood kilns with very small appetites average of 100 miles to fire with us. a choice, embrace it. Be excited. When you for wood. Many of these kilns promise results Misconception #3: The same excitement hear the dark dismissive footsteps of myth, be similar to those produced in long firings with- and sense of community can be experienced suspicious. When you find yourself suddenly at out the expense, labor and time commitment in the twelve hours or less required in more just the right firebox of a kiln, firing the work that anagamas require. practical firings as that experienced over a three you hoped was in you, let out the breath-prayer A spiritual community in my county had to seven-day ordeal. of gratitude. Gratitude is never out of place. as its logo a picture of a Buddha wearing head- Excitement and community are experi- phones. The community realized that while enced by potters gathered around the electric The authors Linda and Kevin Crowe operate Tye many folks felt the need to be enlightened, few switch, the raku tongs, gas valve or oil tank. River Pottery in Amherst, Virginia. For further had the time to actually meditate. The commu- They are all magical. They are all different. The information, see www.kevincrowepottery.com.

Ceramics Monthly June/July/August 2009 80