November 1998 1 2 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 Volume 46 Number 9

“Double Cantador,” 8½ inches in height, water whistle, slip cast and handbuilt, with airbrushed terra sigillata, fired to Cone 01, by Laurie Spencer, FEATURES Tulsa, Oklahoma.

55 31 The Attraction of the Intimateby Glen R. Brown Third biennial “International Orton Cone Box Show” 35 My Hands Tell Me What I’m Thinking by Ward Doubet The Pottery of Kris Nelson A new museum and training center in Ecuador supports the 39 Marvin Zehnder by Richard C. Bachus country’s ceramic heritage and Influential teacher delves into the “why” of artwork fosters new growth. 43 Texas Clay Traditions 50 Exhibition of works by educators and their teachers 44 Put a Lid on It Focusing on containment at the Appalachian Center for Crafts 46 Spraying Paper-Reinforced Clay by W. Lowell Baker How to produce large lightweight forms 50 New Museum and Education Center in Ecuador by Judy Blankenship with Paul Rivet Foundation Residency Program 55 El Rio de la Vida by Laurie Spencer Intimations of Ecuador 59 Fletcher Challenge’s Last Bowby Christine Thacker The end of New Zealand’s long-standing international show W. Lowell Baker preparing a sculpture form for 62 Pairing of Opposites by Kate Bonansinga spraying at the University of Eva Kwong’s Sculptural Vases Alabama, Tuscaloosa. 65 Cyberclay by Joe Molinaro 46 An Electronic Pottery Village with Joining Clayart Double spouted ewer, 6 inches 67 Storytelling by David Frank with Carol Wright in height, by Julia Galloway; The cover: “Color Burst,” Narrative expression in making pots from “Put a Lid On It” at the 25 inches in height, stoneware, Appalachian Center for Crafts. fired to Cone 5, by Eva Kwong, 71 Exploring Possibilitiesby Karen Salicath Kent, Ohio; see page 62. Abstract sculpture from the water’s edge 44

November 1998 3 UP FRONT 8 Peg Malloy Wood-fired ware at Margo’s Pottery and Fine Crafts in Buffalo, Wyoming 8 JudyTitche EditorRuth C. Butler Associate EditorKim Nagorski Mosaics at Northwest Gallery, Lafayette, Indiana Assistant EditorConnie Belcher 8 John Glick Assistant EditorH. Anderson Turner III Los Angeles County Museum of Art adds piece to collection Production SpecialistRobin Chukes 8 Seeking Exposure by James Sullivan Advertising ManagerSteve Hecker Bringing visibility to the University of Arizona program Circulation AdministratorMary R. Hopkins 10 David Austin’s Public Art by Richard C. Bachus Circulation AdministratorMary E. May Publisher Mark Mecklenborg Environmental sculpture in Michigan.

12 Latka Family Show by Terry Riley Editorial, Advertising and Circulation Offices Three viewpoints at Commonwheel Gallery, Manitou Springs, Colorado 735 Ceramic Place Post Office Box 6102 14 Alexandra McCurdy Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102 Vessels and wall hangings at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Telephone: (614) 523-1660 16 Canadian Biennial Fax: (614) 891-8960 Eighth competition open to Canadian ceramists E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] 18 Tableware Exhibition [email protected] The art of dining at the Louisville Art Association [email protected] 18 John Jessiman by Bryan McGrath Website: www.ceramicsmonthly.org Functional work at Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute School of Art Gallery Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, 18 International Biennial in Mexico except July and August, by The American Ceramic Society, 735 Juried competition in Monterrey Ceramic Place, Westerville, Ohio 43081. Periodicals postage 20 Beverly Prevost paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not White stoneware at the Oakland Museum of California Collector’s Gallery necessarily represent those of the editors or The American 20 Carol Bradley Ceramic Society. Subscription Rates: One year $26, two years $49, three years Earthenware vessels at the Cambridge Galleries in Ontario, Canada $70. Add $ 12 per year for subscriptions outside North America. 22 F elicity Aylieff In Canada, add GST (registration number R123994618). Handbuilt sculpture and vessels at Loes and Reinier, Deventer, Netherlands Change of Address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: 22 Steven Rushefsky Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, PO Box 6102, Nested work on view at Galeria Mesa, Mesa, Arizona Westerville, OH 43086-6102. Contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are avail­ able on request. Mail manuscripts and visual support (photo­ graphs, slides, transparencies, drawings, etc.) toCeramics Monthly, DEPARTMENTS 735 Ceramic PI., PO Box 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102. We also accept unillustrated texts faxed to (614) 891-8960, or 6 Letters e-mailed to [email protected] 26 New Books Indexing: An index of each year s feature articles appears in 74 Call For Entries the December issue. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index and daai (design and applied arts index), available 74 International Exhibitions through public and university libraries. 74 United States Exhibitions Copies and Reprints: Searchable databases and document 76 Regional Exhibitions delivery are available through Information Access Company, 76 Fairs, Festivals and Sales 362 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404; and through Univer­ 80 Suggestions sity Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal 82 Calendar use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted 82 Conferences by The American Ceramic Society, provided the base fee of 82 Solo Exhibitions $5.00 per copy, plus $0.50 per page, is paid directly to the 84 Group Ceramics Exhibitions Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 86 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions 01923. Prior to copying items for classroom use, please contact the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, 88 Fairs, Festivals and Sales MA 01923; (978) 750-8400. The code for users of the Trans­ 90 Workshops actional Reporting Service is 0009-0328/97 US$5.00 + $0.50. 92 International Events Back Issues: When available, back issues are $7 each, includes 96 Questions shipping and handling; $ 10 each outside North America. 106 Classified Advertising Postmaster: Send address changes toCeramics Monthly, PO Box 108 Comment: 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 1998 In the Coil: The Collector’s Urge by Delia Robinson The American Ceramic Society 112 Index to Advertisers All rights reserved

4 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 5 raku is fired in a side chamber of a wood- I think raku is clearly a process as opposed Letters burning kiln, where it gains some reduction. to being a glaze treatment. While glazes are When mature, it is pulled out and dunked formulated to optimize the process, almost into water to prevent oxidation. The only any low-fire glaze can be used. Some of Good Marketing Advice other reference I could find to reduction wasDuncan’s Cone 06—04 glazes are really nice Thanks for publishing the article on in Japanese Ceramics where the author men­ copper reds. Cracklelcrazing is always a “Niche Marketing for Beginners” by Ivor tioned bisque firing with charcoal. Somehow,function of the fit of glaze to clay. Raku Lewis in the JunelJulylAugust issue. the carbon was then trapped in the clay bodycrazes because of the wild temperature ex­ During a five-year stay in the United (someone will have to explain this one to me)tremes. It should be noted, however, that States, my friend Elisabeth Stuetzle and I hadand would then affect the glaze color. Red raku-fired slipware will not normally craze opportunities to participate in several exhibi­ raku is fired to maturity, then cooled outside unless you use a crackle glaze. As noted tions. On returning to Germany, however, the kiln. above, the coloration of cracklelcrazing on we had a difficult time finding a gallery in Japanese raku is fired at a much lower traditional Japanese ware is a product of use, which to exhibit, or a shop whose owner temperature than what we are used to. Leachnot the firing. would be interested in selling our work. Sincesays 750°C. That is about Cone 017. Japa­ Whatever my feelings are about the use of we had always enjoyed making pottery for nese raku uses lead in the glaze. Leach even the name, it seems clear that raku has made flowers while we were in the U.S., we startedworries about the difference between red andthe transition to a new culture. In its journey, looking for ikebana schools in Germany. white lead in glazes, but eventually decides it has picked up some new attributes. Raku Fortunately, we found several ikebana mas­ that they are close enough to be interchange­now has a kind of cachet and romance to it. ters who were interested in our work. In less able. He talks about the fact that raku is Many potters market their pieces with blurbs than six months, we have already contributed porous but that it loses its porosity with use, about the tea ceremony and how raku means to two ikebana shows. as the cracks eventually fill up with tea resi­ peaceful. This is a pretty one-dimensional Ivor Lewis is right. It really is a good idea due. This is how the crackle!crazing pattern reading of an ideogram. Almost all Chinese, to look for a niche. gets colored. and by extension Japanese ideograms, have Angela Dittmer, Hirrlingen, Germany Leach’s description of a party where pieceslayers of meaning. It is why almost no one are fired for the guests after they have paintedwho is not native born understands the Good Question decorations on them is about as close as one subtleties of those languages. And, it makes Another great question for potters would gets to what we all seem to preconceive as about as much sense as using the name Smith be: What was the most insightful assignment raku. No mention is made of tossing the potsand saying that it has ties to metalworking, or you received as a student? into a reduction can. The tale is often told for me to reference Stejskal as meaning Steve Smith, Ney, Ohio how Paul Soldner accidentally invented this homesick and applying it to my work. practice after cooling a pot on a patch of If we are at all concerned about traditions, What Raku Means to Me grass. It makes for a good story. It does seemnone of us should use raku to describe our I was intrigued by Mr(s). Name Withheld to mark the beginnings of the postfiring work, unless we’ve spent the last ten years by Request’s inquiry regarding raku in the reduction game that has become synonymousstudying the method in Japan. Perhaps JunelJulylAugust issue. I would argue that with raku. “Soldnerization” would be more appropriate. we should all agree that nothing made in Truth be told, there are as many different Richard Garriott-Stejskal, Albuquerque, N.M. America is really raku, but I suspect that will methods of reduction as there are folks doing never happen. Raku is a family name given raku. Robert Piepenburg uses big piles of Fascinating Means by a Japanese warlord to a potter whose worksawdust, and he seems to have long dialogues Thanks for the informative article on he liked. The name has been passed down with the pieces as he piles on sawdust, uncov­Larry Rumble in the September issue. To me, through nearly five centuries. In the Japanese ers, recovers and squirts each piece with American materials culture is very interesting. master apprentice system, it is common for water. Jim Romberg uses one or two sheets ofPotters, such as Larry Rumble, made and the master to adopt the apprentice andlor fornewspaper and pulls the pieces out of reduc­sold these vessels to satisfy needs for the the apprentice to take on the master’s name. tion pretty quickly. I have seen others pull a storage and preservation of food items. In printmaking, this has led to a plethora of piece out of reduction and swing it around to Although potters were prevalent through­ same-sounding names, like Yoshitoshi, partially reoxidize it, then return it to the out the Eastern states, each sold his wares Kuniyoshi, Kunisda, etc. Potters Bernard reduction chamber. Others “burp” the reduc­according to the means available. I found it Leach and Shoji Hamada were both appren­ tion can to introduce oxygen into the mix, fascinating that this pottery was taken down ticed in the raku tradition and were both lightening the amount of reduction they get. the river in a flat. The old photographs used allowed to use the name. To judge a raku piece based on the amount to illustrate the article give us a good glimpse A quick review of the literature shows of reduction is not appropriate. into the past. that Japanese (i.e., traditional) raku is not When I first encountered raku in the mid Judy Dechar, Atlanta the same as our understanding of raku. Leach1960s, the clay body we used was so loaded states that there are two kinds of raku, red with grog, it felt a bit like concrete. Since Kiln Wiring Clarification and black. The difference is that the black then, I have seen everything from porcelain As I was going over an installation of a to casting slip used in raku. Several of us new three-phase kiln recently purchased from In keeping with our commitment to provide experimented with different bisque tempera­our company, the customer mentioned he an open forum for the exchange of ideas tures to try to improve durability. And, while had seen an answer in the Questions column and opinions, the editors welcome letters Cone 1 seems to be the limit (pieces lose theirof Ceramics Monthly regarding a kiln with from all readers. All letters must be signed, porosity, don’t readily accept glaze and crack three-phase power. On reading the item, I but names will be withheld on request. Mail easier with quick temperature changes), I did found I must disagree with several state­ to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, see someone actually glaze and fire a piece ofments; from the beginning: Westerville, OH 43086-6102, e-mail to Cone 6 stoneware without a problem. As I The kiln in question could very well be [email protected] or fax to remember it, they even tossed it into a water wired for three-phase power. A three-phase (614) 891-8960. bucket to cool. Please turn to page 102

6 CERAMICS MONTHLY

Up Front

Peg Malloy Wood-fired stoneware and porcelain by Carbondale, Colorado, potter Peg Malloy were featured through August 15 at Margo s Pottery and Fine Crafts in Buffalo, Wyoming. The wheel- thrown functional forms were coated with a Shino slip on the outside and glazed on the inside before the wood firing to Cone

Judy Titche’s “Concentration,” 21 inches in height; at Northwest Gallery, Wells Community Cultural Center, Lafayette, Indiana.

chip on the edge, would render it useless as a pristine antique; but in my sculpture, it gains a new and different life as a piece of art.” John Glick Curator Jo Lauria of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently added a lidded stoneware box by Michigan artist John Glick to the museum’s contemporary crafts collection. It joins a large, altered bowl made by Glick in the 1980s. The box is one of a recently completed series in which he manipulates extruded forms while they are leather hard. It was

Peg Malloy pitcher, 10 inches in height, wood fired; at Margo’s Pottery and Fine Crafts, Buffalo, Wyoming.

10 in a Bourry-box-style Idln that she built in 1990. “I attempt to keep my forms simple and honest. I want people to use them,” explains Malloy. “I love making functional wares.” Judy Titche Mosaics by Indiana artist Judy Titche were exhibited recently at Northwest Gallery of the Wells Community Cultural Center in Lafayette, Indiana. Using the pique-assiette technique, she begins with a terra-cotta base then attaches found objects, such as handles of smashed pottery, as well as shells, beads and marbles. “In the formation and execution of my art, I use ‘found John Glick lidded box, 16 inches in length, stoneware objects’ or, as judged by some standards, trash,’ to form a new with multiple layers of iron glazes, reduction fired to whole, an object with a totally different meaning and purpose Cone 10; at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. from the original fragments themselves,” Titche explains. “Yet, these individual pieces still hold their original history and lend it surfaced with multiple layers of several different iron glazes, to the story of the new work itself. then reduction fired to Cone 10. “Some of the fragments come from objects that, if still whole, would have immense dollar value as antiques,” Titche Seeking Exposure continues. “A hand-painted German plate, for example, with a by James Sullivan The University of Arizona in Tucson recently presented an all­ Submissions are welcome. We would be pleased to consider clay exhibition of student works. The idea for the show press releases, artists' statements and photoslslides in con­ stemmed from the fact that there are no ongoing showcases junction with exhibitions or other events of interest for publi­ around campus for ceramic work and from the desire to make cation in this column. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, Post Office the ceramics department more visible at the university. A one- Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102. person department run solely by Aurore Chabot, the ceramics

8 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 9 ^Jp Front facility is located a few blocta away from the main campus in an old adobe church. Selections for the exhibition were made by a panel of jurors consisting of Chabot and art faculty members Rosemarie Bernardi and Moira Geoffrion. Visiting artist Gina Bobrowslci, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, juried the awards.

James Sullivan’s “Exuviation,” 18 inches in height, raku- fired earthenware with stains, third-place award winner. When it came time for the jurors to review the submis­ sions, there were over 50 works to consider—an overwhelm­ ing student response. Of these, 30—consisting of pedestal and

lo Palmer’s “Francis,” 5 inches in height, earthenware wall pieces, abstract and figurative sculpture, and vessels— with stains; at the University of Arizona, Tucson. were chosen for the exhibition. David Austin’s Public Art by Richard C. Bachus To Harbor Springs, Michigan, artist David K. Austin, the 38- foot, 5-ton expanse of clay he installed at the Portage Public Library is more than a static sculpture—it is “an environment that provides a respite from our complex and stressful society.” Austin calls himself an environmental sculptor because he incorporates waterfalls, fountains, natural light and natural sounds into his creations. In the three years since he has been working professionally, he has generated a steady flow of business. Last year, he completed a piece called “Compassion, Tolerance and Understanding” for the Springfield Middle School in Battle Creek. He also created a small indoor pond for the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum. There, he worked with a biologist who was turning the pond into a self- sustaining system with turtles, snakes, frogs, etc. Austin did not intend to work in public art when he began attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette, where he majored in graphic design. In his senior year, however, he flunked the mandatory critique and was kicked out of the program. After spending the next few semesters trying every other form of art, he took a ceramics class and has stayed with it ever since. Eight years after starting college, he graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1994. The $55,000 Portage library commission was obtained through a juried competition. The library had received a grant from the Kalamazoo-based Irving S. Gilmore Foundation. Tanya Hubbard’s “Homebody,” 16 inches in height, More than half the grant was for outdoor sculpture to enhance earthenware with stains and glazes. a concrete courtyard. Continued

10 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 11 Up Front “Representational art is easier for people to comprehend and respond to,” he commented, “but it is also easier for people to pass judgment on—good or bad. Abstract art is The final design, which includes a 38-foot-long wall with more open to interpretation. Therefore, people make up water pouring out of its lower edge, was approved by a six- their own stories about a piece.” member committee Whether or not of artists and library Austin intended to staff. The public, be, he is part of a including children, current public-art voted on sketches trend that is bind­ from the three ing artists closer to finalists chosen by the places for which the committee. The their art is commis­ results of the public sioned. As Jennifer vote were included Dowley, director of in the committee’s Museums and final vote for Visual Arts for the Austin’s design. National Endow­ Once the project ment for the Arts, was approved, Austin puts it: “My job is began the process of not to create a making more than collection for a city, 200 individual pieces but to seek ways to for the main element engage artists in the from an equal-parts shaping of a city.” clay body (20% The trend fireclay, 20% stone­ evolved out of the ware, 20% XX Sagger sometimes cantan­ clay, 20% flint and kerous debate over 20% coarse grog). David K. Austin’s 43-foot-long ceramic installation at the Portage Library in Michigan. the “site specificity” These were arranged of commissioned on a 43-foot-long, 8-foot-high plywood easel in his studio so artwork, says Dowley. “What has the artist done to contribute that he could see the flow of the sculpture while he made it. to this space? Why does it belong here? These are some of the First, ½-inch-thick slab backings were set in place for each of questions being asked. the individual pieces, then Austin built a crisscross substructure “In the future of public art, the artist’s role will disappear using 5 /8-inch-thick slabs attached perpendicularly to the back­ and the art becomes the place itself,” according to Dowley. ing. A ½-inch-thick “skin” was then stretched over the top of the substructure. Latka Family Show To prevent overdrying, he sprayed the clay every day or so, by Terry Riley and kept the easel covered in huge plastic sheets; these were “Latkaland Family Size,” an exhibition of ceramics by Tom, attached to the ceiling with string so they could be drawn up to Jean and Nick Latka, was presented at Commonwheel Gallery work on one section at a time. in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Tom is married to Jean, and he When dry, the completed pieces were fired in an electric kiln to Cone 9-10. “With the deadline looming, we fired for about two months straight every day,” Austin commented. “We pushed everything. We fired sooner than we should have, we unloaded sooner than we should have, but we only lost one piece that crumbled when I was setting it in the kiln. We had some breakage before and after firing, but we repaired those pieces with a polymer-modified cementlike product.” For the most part, the work was left unglazed; only the border pieces were enhanced with a simple blue glaze. The total installation of the piece took about two weeks, with the help of a five-member team—not including the electrical and plumbing subcontractors. The finished installation—more abstract than originally intended—was the result of back-and-forth negotiations with the selection committee, as well as phone interviews. “There is a slight difference with how I work and how other artists work,” Austin maintained. “Maybe the client isn’t sure what he or she wants at first, but I try to be very responsive to other people and the environment I’m working with. I like to let them guide me Jean Latka square dish, 15 inches square, press molded, at the outset. with white glaze and brushed oxides, fired to Cone 01.

12 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 13 Up Front one—the pug mill and the extruder—this invention came from a fortuitous accident 15 years ago, when he had to fit a pug mill into his small studio. He remembered seeing a pug mill hanging vertically in a studio in England, and did so with his. It wasn’t much of a jump for him to realize the potential for extrusion, and he added an expansion box that allowed him to extrude shapes 10 inches in diameter. He then alters and manipulates the extruded shapes by immediately placing them in molds, throwing, stacking or cutting off portions. The surfaces of Jean’s wheel-thrown earthenware pots are enhanced with multicolored slips and oxides applied with abandon. Her brush is confident, yet relaxed. The late Nick Latka’s sculptural forms are intellectual and spiritual, in that order. His minimalist philosophy was the basis for these slip-cast vessels, if they can be called vessels at all. Although he came from a pottery background, there isn’t a trace of function in his work.

Alexandra McCurdy “S. O. S.: Sources of Support,” an exhibition of ceramics by Halifax, Canada, artist Alexandra McCurdy, was on view through August 23 at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. The show featured works from various stages of McCurdy’s career, including footed vessels and containers, and six new ceramic wall hangings. Over the past two years, according to guest curator Gil McElroy, McCurdy has “developed a technique for silk screen-

Tom Latka’s "Vase,” 18 inches in height, extruded, fired to Cone 03 in an electric kiln; at Commonwheel Gallery, Manitou Springs, Colorado. and Nick are brothers. Though related, the work of all three is distinct. It is difficult to discuss Tom’s work without mentioning the process, because they are so intricately intertwined (see the article “Taking the Rude out of Extrude” by Jean in the Septem­ ber 1995 issue). He has created infinite structural possibilities with a pug-mill extruder. Actually a blend of two machines into

Alexandra McCurdy’s “Tranquilt,” approximately 281/2 inches in height, porcelain with embroidery floss and wooden dowel; at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canada.

ing representational images onto porcelain slabs that has permitted her to undertake an introspective and highly charged self-examination in ceramics. These new works are structured around images of the people, places and things in Nick Latka bowl shape, 26 inches in height, slip-cast McCurdy’s life that she feels both necessary and influential (for whiteware, airbrushed with oxides, fired to Cone 06. good or ill) in her ongoing work.” Continued

14 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 15 Up Front

“I am developing a new visual language with which to express meaning, a sense of depth and three-dimensionality through the interaction of imagery, material and the use of color, light and shade,” McCurdy adds. “Although I work in an essentially formal, abstract manner, I am also seeking to progress from the visually static to a sense of movement and drama. “At the same time, I am using craft: as a vehicle to celebrate womens advancement in modern society. The quilt format, combined with visual references in the representational images and colors, functions to create an optimistic emblem of the feminist movement, [while bringing] attention to the lack of support for my own and other women’s work.”

Canadian Biennial “Espace Terre,” the eighth biennial ceramics competition open to Canadian artists, was presented through September 13 at the Galerie d’art du Parc in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. Consisting of three categories—competitive, invitational and a tribute to a

John Chalke’s “Gray Taper and Pipes,” approximately 181/2 inches in height; at the Galerie d’art du Parc, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.

different techniques, approaches and thought processes that conform to the present time, on many different levels,” the jurors stated in the accompanying catalog. “The constraints, or challenges as some choose to refer to them, are renewed every two years, and are responsible for this precious result, which, since the biennales beginnings, have simultaneously traced the portrait of ceramic art in Canada. “This eighth edition offers the double occasion of maldng earth art while giving shape to an exploration of the theme— espace terre. As such, the earth as life space, cosmic place and

Carol Bradley’s “Red Weed,” to approximately 73 inches in length, earthenware with steel.

Quebec artist (Suzanne Tremblay)—the biennial explored the ideas of place, volume, time, and interior and exterior space. Jurors Danielle Meunier, art historian; Francine Paul, art historian; and Gilbert Poissant, ceramist, selected sculpture, murals and installations by 14 artists from throughout Canada for the competitive category, then chose award winners. The Prix de la Ville de Trois-Rivieres went to Quebec artist Naomi Pearl for “Bracelet”; Mitsuru Cope, also of Quebec, received the Prix Pierre Legault for “Silent Scream” (shown here); and Brian McArthur, Alberta, won the Prix Jeannot Blackburn for “Family Supper.” “Thank to the multifaceted nature of the competition and Mitsuru Cope’s “Silent Scream,” approximately 49 its theme, the Biennale continues to question and highlight the inches in length; winner of the Prix Pierre Legault.

16 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 17 Up Front material earth, is transformed into sculptural space; the seman­ tic and sculptural interrelations explore the verbal and visual coexistence. Earth used as a medium to explore Earth—Espace terre, as was expected, allows us to see the earth manipulated and structured, but also as a place of life, of conquest and of space, of doubt, and of suffering. “This repetition of the theme and of the material soon becomes an abundant place from which the artists create, each taking a different path that is entirely his own,” they continue. “However, beyond the differences and personal points of view, there emerges a line of convergence, through allusion or direct reference—linking together the common preoccupations. “It is obvious that the majority of artists favor the hollows and projections of bas reliefs and high reliefs, as if the ceramic were coming apart from the wall, frame and support merging, as if it were advancing in the space of the spectator, vertically presenting its organization, material, texture and color. Some prefer pieces suspended from the ceiling or placed on the ground. No pedestals, shelves or showcases. The sculpted work is not propped up as a display. It affirms itself as a sculpture without being designated as an object. “This independent work chooses to occupy the architectural space rather than only the utilitarian or decorative space, and expresses itself by multiplying the places of presence,” the jurors conclude. “It seems that a new ambition inhabits the artists, one of conceiving and presenting the work as a total solution, meeting the sculptural and formal constraints, rather than as a partial solution specific to the medium, that of the material, its firing and its resistance.” John Jessiman covered jar, 24 inches in height; at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute School Tableware Exhibition of Art Gallery, Utica, New York. “DinnerWorlts,” an exhibition of tableware in clay, glass, wood and silver designed by 15 local artists and 15 artists from Art Gallery in Utica, New York. His work reflects a strong throughout the country, was presented at the Louisville Visual sense of form and surface, giving utilitarian pots a monumen­ tal yet personal feeling. “I am drawn to the gesture of throw­ ing, the slow wheel movement that allows the clay to respond less mechanically,” he comments. According to Jessiman, applying a thick slip and iron stain, or utilizing salt-fired textures against a glazed surface, “draws attention to the fluidity of the surface and the interplay of the glaze with the firing.” Recently retired after 33 years as professor of art at the State University of New York, College at Cortland, Jessiman also presented a one-day demonstration of wheel throwing, as well as a slide discussion focusing on personal and historical influences on his work in conjunction with the exhibition.

International Biennial in Mexico Dan Finnegan soup tureen, 9 inches in height, The “Second Biennial of Ceramic Art,” a juried international green ash glaze over slip trailing; at the Louisville competition, was presented through September 20 at the Visual Art Association, Kentucky. Centro Cultural Alfa in Monterrey, Mexico. From 368 entries by 216 artists representing 27 countries, jurors Ingrid Suckaer, Art Association in Kentucky. To enhance the “dining” atmo­ art researcher; Eduardo Rubio Elosua, professor of art history; sphere, the place settings were exhibited on tabletops planned and Eduardo Rodriguez Canales, curator/art critic, selected 70 by 15 designers. The exhibition opened with a black-tie dinner. clayworks for the show. A second panel of jurors, consisting of Ruth C. Butler, John Jessiman editor, Ceramics Monthly magazine; Ida Rodriguez Prampolini, by Bryan McGrath art critic, Vera Cruz; and Guillermo Sepulveda, gallery direc­ Ceramics by Virginia potter John Jessiman were featured tor, Monterrey, selected the award winners from the actual recently at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute School of worlds prior to the opening. The three monetary prizes ($5000

18 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 19 Up Front

each) went to Jean-Paul Azai's of France; Gerardo Azcunaga, Mexico; and Anne Turn, Estonia; while Helen Carter of Ger-

Anne Turn’s “Wolf Ladies,” approximately 13 inches in height, porcelain, fired to approximately 2300°F; $5000 award winner. establishing a friendly dialogue with artists from different parts of the world, people s personal horizons are expanded. “I firmly believe that this type of effort raises artists’ own limits and goals, and makes them struggle to perform the art under new and higher quality standards,” he concluded.

Beverly Prevost Jean-Paul Azais’ “Black Poppy,” approximately 9 inches White stoneware vessels by Sonoma, California, artist Beverly in height, wheel-thrown whiteware, with terra sigillata, Prevost were featured in the exhibition “Beyond the Shadow, burnished and smoked, fired to approximately 1900°F; $5000 award winner at the “Second Biennial of Ceramic Art,” Centro Cultural Alfa, Monterrey, Mexico.

many; Enrique Rosquillas Quiles and Katrin Schikora, both of Mexico, received honorable mentions. With this being the first year that the competition was open internationally, the “response to our invitation was amazing,”

Beverly Prevost vessel, 12 inches in height, white stone­ ware, fired to Cone 10; at the Oakland Museum of California Collector’s Gallery and Alta Bates Medical Center.

Healing through Art and Creative Expression.” Presented at Gerardo Azcunaga’s “Corazon para otro Pincipio,” the Oakland Museum of California Collector’s Gallery as well approximately 24 inches in height, coil-built stoneware, fired to approximately 2200°F; $5000 as the Alta Bates Medical Center, the show included artwork award winner. by 10 breast-cancer survivors. In conjunction with the exhibi­ tion, free community-outreach programs were provided. said Rubio Elosua in the accompanying catalog. “It has been very encouraging to see the number of pieces of art in ceramics Carol Bradley that come from different Mexican states...; this has allowed us to “Typologies,” an exhibition of pinched and coil-built earthen­ compare them to the work of artists from other countries. By ware vessels by Canadian artist Carol Bradley, was presented

20 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 21 Up Front recently at the Cambridge Galleries, Preston Branch, in Cam­ bridge, Ontario. Bradley’s work utilizes repetition of similar forms that refer, she says, “as much to seed pods, insect cocoons

Felicity Aylieff vessel, approximately 10 inches in height, black porcelain body, press molded and handbuilt, painted with gray slip; at Loes and Reinier, Deventer, Netherlands. Photo: Takeshi Yasuda

is an awkwardness that marks both seduction and beauty of the asymmetrical.” Steven Rushefsky Astoria, New York, ceramist Steven Rushefsky was among the artists whose work was presented in the exhibition “Creature

Carol Bradley’s “Vesicles,” suspended earthen­ ware vessels (each approximately 11 inches long) and steel; at the Cambridge Galleries, Preston Branch, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. or gourds as to bodies and body parts. The repetition contrasts with and provides a structure to the individual forms, creating a recognizable class or genus of objects in the process.” Frequently suspended on hooks and hung from the ceiling or mounted on the wall, these forms also refer to domestic associations, mainly the pantry or kitchen.

Felicity Aylieff Press-molded sculptures and coil-built pots by British artist Felicity Aylieff were exhibited recently at Loes and Reinier in Deventer, Netherlands. “In the course of her work as a ceramist, Felicity Aylieff explores fundamental questions about the clay object, its scale, its destination, form and decoration,” notes Linda Sandino in the accompanying catalog. This work is a “return to a more intimate scale, after the large terrazzo ceramic forms of recent years, which expressed an absorption with the Steven Rushefsky’s “Man and Bird Nesting,” 6 inches interrelations between surface and form that is, in fact, the in height, stoneware, fired to Cone 5; at Galeria hallmark of her work. Mesa, Mesa, Arizona. “In these smaller vessels, this dialogue is expressed by the way in which each piece embodies the great modernist opposition Feature” at Galeria Mesa in Mesa, Arizona. The show focused between decoration and form, between the straight line and the on artwork that depicted animals. curve, the hard and the soft,” she continues. “Although the Rushefsky’s “Man and Bird Nesting” is actually composed context for these works is ‘domestic’ as opposed to the public of two stoneware pots, with one “nesting” inside of the other. sphere of the sculptural, the problem of the space beyond the Wheel thrown and altered, then brushed with underglazes and pot, its relation to the ground, is played out in the undulating fired to Cone 5, each piece depicts men and birds moving vessels....Despite the formal coherence of all these pieces, there around the surface.

22 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 23

chart and an Orton cone chart. $24.95. Lark ever, “shortcuts, copying, and imitation will New Books Books, 50 College Street, Asheville, North Caro­ not work in the long run. Sometimes, achieve­ lina 28801. Distributed by The American ment can come quickly, but lasting meaning, Ceramic Society, Post Office Box 6136, real depth and maturity do not. Identifying The Clay Lover’s Guide to Westerville, Ohio 43086-6136; telephone (6 14) your personal artistic voice takes time, and Making Molds 794-5890; fax (614) 794-5892. learning how to give it expression takes even Designing, Making, Using longer. The very best of our most talented by Peirce Clayton Handcrafted Ceramic Tiles ceramists have resisted “My goal...wasn’t to add to the technical by Janis Fanning and Mike Jones the traps described. As information already available in this field, This well-illustrated beginner’s guide cov­ a result, some of the but to encourage clay lovers who have never ers all aspects of working with tiles, from work we see today is worked with molds before to jump right in making and decorating to installing. Decora­ among the best work and make a few—to sample the practical tion is considered first: after identifying the ever done.” aspects and immediate rewards of mold materials needed, the authors describe special Featuring a broad making,” writes the author of this guide to paint effects, decoupage, stenciling and trans­ selection of contem­ plaster mold making. “As I organized each fer design. “Most important of all is that you porary work, from chapter, I imagined enjoy embellishing your tiles,” they note. functional pottery to you in my studio, right “Confidence will come from trying the tech­abstract sculpture by well-known and not- by my side, mixing niques and learning from your mistakes, so so-well-known artists, the book is loosely plaster, pressing clay, do not become despondent if your first at­ broken down into technique-based catego­ pouring liquid clay slip tempts are unsuccessful. Designs can be easilyries—wheel-thrown, handbuilt, mold-made and asking questions. removed before sealing, so push your imagi­ pieces and additions, and combined tech­ I hope that this per­ nation and experiment with ideas.” As niques and materials. Each image is accom­ sonable approach to throughout the book, how-to photos accom­panied by technical information; many also teaching the basics of pany the steps for each project. include a brief statement by the artist. 176 mold making demysti­ Examined next are the items and pro­ pages, including a list of contributing artists. fies the process enough to encourage begin­ cesses used in making tiles—tools and equip­398 color photographs. $34.95.Lark Books, ners to start creating mold-made art—even ment, clay bodies, glazes and slips, kilns and 50 College Street, Asheville, North Carolina bad mold-made art!” firing, along with making and using plaster 28801. Distributed by Random House, Lnc., Clayton first offers a quick overview of the molds. Slabbed and 201 East Fifth Street, New York, New York mold-making process, including a historical rolled tiles, open-face 10022; telephone (800) 284-3388. lesson on Chinese mold-made art. This is molded tiles, extruded Hispanic New Mexican Pottery done to help the reader “realize by now that and press-molded tiles making molds isn’t terribly difficult.” In the are explained, as is Evidence of Craft Specialization 1790-1890 next two chapters, he explains in detail how making tiles with by Charles M. Carrillo to set up a good workspace for mold making paperclay, decorating Intended for archaeologists and histori­ and what tools will be needed, as well as the paperclay tiles, press ans, this book challenges the assumption proper way to mix plaster. Helpful tips are molding a fruit design, “that each and every piece of pottery associ­ featured throughout these and the remaining and slip-cast tiles. ated with New Mexican Hispanic village life chapters. There is even a checklist that indi­ Ideas for decorating both bisque-fired andwas a trade item introduced from the Orient, cates where to find/buy the necessary equip­preglazed tiles, along with planning and com­Mexico or the nearest Indian pueblo. ” Rather, ment and supplies. pleting a tiling scheme, are provided. The the author presents Chapters four and five explain one- and authors also talk about design considerations, research suggesting two-piece mold making, illustrated by step- planning the design and the actual installa­ “that during the late by-step photos for various projects. For ex­ tion. 144 pages, including glaze recipes and 18th and 19th centu­ ample, how to make a press-molded wall index. 441 color photographs; 1 sketch. ries, some Hispanic mural and how to use stacked two-piece $24.95 (in California, add7.5%), plus $4.50 villages became ce­ molds are described. Care is taken to explain shipping and handling. Tile Heritage Foun­ ramic craft specialists.” every part of the process. dation, Box 1850-CM, Healdsburg, Califor­ After an overview Chapter six covers how to make a mold of nia 95448; or, for Mastercard or Visa orders, of the history of Span­ more than two pieces. A four-part mold is thefax (707) 431-8455. ish Colonial New chosen project, again explained in the same Mexico, Carrillo com­ thorough and easy-to-understand manner. The Ceramic Design Book bines data from archaeological sites, oral his­ Some highlights from this chapter include A Gallery of Contemporary Work tories from Hispanic villages and information how to diagnose the model, and assembling “Our marketplace and the art world it from archival sources to prove the existence and reassembling the mold box. represents reward newness over consistency of Hispanic pottery production. The follow­ The final chapter, which is dedicated to and quirkiness over familiarity,” states ce­ ing chapter presents an archaeological case making a rubber gang mold, is followed by anramist Val Cushing in this well-illustrated study of two Hispanic sites near Abiquiu, in-depth description of the arts/industry pro­“photographic gallery” of contemporary ce­ New Mexico, which was officially settled as a gram at the John Michael Kohler Arts Cen­ ramics. “We generate confusion because we Hispanic community in 1734. ter, as well as a full-color portfolio of encourage the belief that success in ceramics “As the population of Abiquiu grew and mold-made works by contemporary artists. is measured by acceptance in the right galler­the dynamics of social interaction between 128 pages, including a metric conversion ies and coverage in the popular media.” How­Hispanic and Pueblo neighbors evolved, so

26 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 27 New Books concerning a series of relationships of ceram­and-white photographs; 34 sketches. $27.95, ics to the environment and to the rest of the softcover. LPD Press, Albuquerque, New cultural system in many societies around the Mexico. Distributed by University of New did the tradition of making pottery in this world.” He says that “pottery production by Mexico Press, 1720 Lomas Boulevard’ North­ village.” At one of the sites, “the consistency Hispanic villagers was a product of disenfran­east, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-1591. of rim diameters of Hispanic Blackware chisement; individuals with poor-quality land, bowls...suggests that the bowls were made in insufficient land, or no land at all turned fromThe Artist’s Guide to New Markets agricultural pursuits to pottery production to molds....The bowls were most likely pro­ Opportunities to Show and Sell Art duced by a technique in which a flattened claysustain themselves. This specialization was Beyond Galleries disk is molded over the inverted base of a considered to be a last resort, however, and it larger bowl or pot and cut to size.” may have conferred a low status on the spe­ by Peggy Hadden Finally, Carrillo discusses Hispanic craft cialists.” 283 pages, including lists of pottery “As an artist, you may feel that your future specialization using the “Arnold Model,” shapes and Hispanic settlements, glossary of depends solely on the commercial gallery which “provides cross-cultural generalizationsSpanish terms, sources, and index. 60 black- system to sell your work,” notes the author of this guide. “This concept is both inexact and self-limiting. Inexact, because galleries are by nature unable to reach everyone who, at a given moment, wants to buy art. Many art buyers never enter a gallery. Self-limiting, because galleries are also physically unable to give residence to every artist who wants to exhibit with them.” After discussing why artists must pur­ sue new markets, Hadden looks at selling to museums and interior designers, then talk about working with art consultants and cor­ porations. (Lists of each willing to work with artists are provided.) “One of the great new markets for show­ ing your work is in a corporate space,” she contends. “Some of these corporations don’t have in-house curators and you may have to get an exhibition on your own, but believe me, it’s worth doing. This is one of the least- pursued, least-understood, least-appreciated gallery venues around.” Art in public places, outdoor art fairs and indoor expos, new government opportuni­ ties, licensing, and markets both far and near are covered next. For instance, “did you know...that NASA has an art program? Or that the Smithsonian Associates commission artists every year? That you can go and live in the National Parks and make art? That art collections at the Federal Reserve Bank Head­ quarters, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps are alive and well?” Hadden goes on to talk about self-promo- tion, such as creating brochures, postcards and resumes, plus putting together proposals for an exhibition of your work, an artist’s talk, a commission, etc. The final chapters discuss making your day job work for you and plan­ ning an open house at your studio. 251 pages, including bibliography and index. $18.95, softcover. Allworth Press, 10 East 23rd Street, Suite 400, New York, New York 10010; tele­ phone (800) 491-2808.

28 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 29 30 CERAMICS MONTHLY The Attraction of the Intimate by Glen R. Brown

in 1994 by Inge Balch, professor of art at Baker University in Baldwin City, “Cone Bottle,” by Marko Fields, Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas. While the 1998 exhibition opened at Baker University, its traveling schedule will include a showing during he opinion that bigger is invariably the National Council on Education for Tbetter—an adage that many 20th- the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in Colum­ century artists have taken quite liter­ bus, Ohio, in March of 1999. ally—was refuted by the works of the The jurors—Michael Simon, studio third biennial “International Orton potter from Winterville, Georgia; Har­ Cone Box Show,” which clearly dem­ ris Deller, professor of art at the Univer­ onstrated that quality can be as much a sity of Southern Illinois, Carbondale; property of the intimate as the colossal. and Anna Callouri Holcombe, head of While the 132 pieces selected for the the art department at Kansas State Uni­ exhibition varied greatly in terms of versity—selected the works from over materials, technique and subject mat­ 600 entries received from 16 countries. ter, they had in common the 3x3x6- Clearly, their goal was to present a di­ inch or smaller format that allowed them versity of approaches as well as to main­ to be easily stored within the confines tain standards of high quality. They of an Orton standard pyrometric cone considered both from functional en­ box. The diminutive size of the works tries—mostly bowls, lidded vessels and proved no handicap to expression, or teapots—and sculptural works, many even in some cases to the elaboration of of which actually incorporated pyro- a narrative. More surprisingly, the exhi­ metric cones. bition convincingly revealed the poten­ The Orton cone box itself obviously tial for experiences of the monumental, served as inspiration for many of the even the sublime, in the presence of contributors, who selected their subject works that could fit comfortably in the matter from the array of objects one palm of the hand. might normally find in boxes. To some, The idea for a competitive exhibi­ the tiny container suggested a box for tion of small-scale ceramics originated shoes. Canadian Claire Salzberg found in 1975 with William Bracker, who was inspiration in the shoe-box analogy to then a professor at Purdue University. produce “A Pair of Boots (After Van Following a gap of 15 years and Bracker s Gogh),” which rendered in three di­ “Mezcal Bottle,” by David Gurney, death in 1993, the exhibition was re­ mensions the image of battered boots Arroyo Grande, California. vived as an international competition from the famous painting. Others

November 1998 31 “Heavy,” by James LaChance, Fargo, North Dakota.

thought of the box as a storage place for tiny objects. Susan F. Mollet of High­ land, Texas, filled her box with ceramic oil cans, and Susanne Greene of New York City, recipient of a purchase award for her “Universal Tool Box,” created an array of tiny tools that included a saw, hammer, screwdriver and pliers. Curiously, only a small number of the entries were sculptural works de­ picting the human figure. Austrian Heinz Ortner received a purchase award for his pensive “King Turned Mad”; James LaChance of Fargo, North Da­ kota, was also a purchase award winner for “Heavy,” which depicted the upper portion of a generic human head sur­ mounted by a leaden-colored block in­ scribed with the word “wait.” In some sculptural works, such as “Tower of Babble” by Chris Kunze of “Tower of Babble,” by Chris Kunze, Walnut, California, and “Double-Bar­ Walnut, California. rel Conebox Creamer” by Jerod Morris of Manhattan, Kansas, the figurative elements were slip cast from toys, such as tiny articulated dolls and plastic sol­ diers, respectively.

32 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Double-Barrel Conebox Creamer,” by Jerod Morris, Manhattan, Kansas.

“King Turned Mad,” by Heinz Ortner, Fritiz, Austria.

“Squirts,” by Susan F. Mollet, Highland, Texas.

November 1998 33 “A Pair of Boots (After Van Gogh),” by Claire Salzberg, Westmount, Ontario, Canada.

The overwhelming number of works in the exhibition were vessels, though— most of them perfectly functional de­ spite their small size. Teapots ranged from sleek variations on the traditional form to gracefully attenuated, linear compositions. Some of the most inter­ esting vessels paid homage to the forms and techniques of nonwestern ceram­ ics. “Mezcal Bottle,” a purchase-award recipient by David Gurney of Arroyo Grande, California, made an interest­ ing combination of the form of a bule, or hollow gourd, with images borrowed from pre-Columbian Mixtec codex paintings; while “Cone Bottle,” by Marko Fields of Lawrence, Kansas, “Universal Tool Box,” by Susanne Greene, New York City. loosely referred to decorative elements of South American pottery. As might be expected, the most frequent refer­ duced their characteristic styles and show was also important as an example ences were to Asian ceramic traditions. forms to the required small format, the of what can be accomplished techni­ As a whole, the exhibition provided exhibition proved to be a good repre­ cally and stylistically in ceramics con­ the kind of rare survey of contemporary sentation of the kind of work currently ceived in miniature. ceramics that can be extremely valuable produced around the nation, as well as Above all, the exhibition was a re­ to those in the field, but is generally in other parts of the world. minder that a small format should not cost-prohibitive with work on a larger Other artists were drawn to the exhi­ be viewed as a limitation, but rather an scale. Since most participants seemed bition specifically because they habitu­ opportunity to investigate a unique set to have entered pieces that simply re­ ally work on an intimate scale; thus, the of aesthetic possibilities. A

34 CERAMICS MONTHLY My Hands Tell Me What I'm Thinking The Pottery of Kris Nelson by Ward Doubet

Stoneware pitcher with natural ash glaze, 13 inches in height, thrown and altered, anagama fired in Japan.

November 1998 ennessee potter Kris Nelson makes classic yet contemporary, sensuous yetT functional ware. His wheel-thrown and subtly altered forms, most notably his pitchers, coffeepots and ewers, are sleek combinations of traditional pots, Scandinavian design and references to the figure. The upward sweep of line may evoke a belly or breast, while the

downward movement following shoul­ PHOTOS: DEAN CADE, LYNN ROSENTHAL, BOB SCHATZ der or handle may suggest the draping of hair on a neckline or the swelling of a hip. The negative space between a spout and neck, beneath a handle, tracing from the shoulder to lip, or sweeping across the inside of a bowl into a gracefully proportioned rim, all reflect both the movement of the hand in throwing and an intimate awareness of the fit and feel of these spaces in the user s hand. These are inanimate objects that pulsate with life, yet always respect the priority of pottery function above overt anatomi­ cal allusion. Nelson has been a potter since his preteen years. He had already sold re­ duction stoneware at craft fairs for sev­ eral years by the time he graduated from Coffeepot, 9 inches in height, thrown and altered stoneware, high school in a Chicago suburb. His with natural ash glaze, anagama fired in Japan. early interest in pottery was comple­ mented by a strong interest in figure studies, both of which he pursued dur-

Coffee service, tray measures 20 inches in length, porcelain, thrown and altered, wood fired in an anagama.

36 CERAMICS MONTHLY Teaset, to 6 inches in height, glazed stoneware, wood fired.

ing a B.FA. program at the Kansas City Art Institute and through an M.F.A. course at the New York College of Ce­ ramics at Alfred University. Nelson is also an eclectic admirer of historical pots, 20th-century design and contemporary clay art. One finds ech­ oes of the industrial modernism of a Russell Wright or Eva Zeisel, in the same vein as the energy of aerodynami- cally decorated kiddie cars and bicycles among the objects he has collected. On the other hand, the influence of Japanese ceramics on Nelsons work is evident in the wood-fired surfaces he develops. He prefers rich, thickly ap­ plied glazes and the complex surfaces that result from the use of natural clays with inclusions of bits of feldspathic stones, in the manner of Iga ware. Both wood firing and salt glazing are used extensively to enhance the specific form of each pot. His work with anaga- ma firing in the United States, and in Japan with Katsuyuki Sakuzume, is cen­ tral to his appreciation of the critical importance of materials and firing to the meaning of pottery. Through both the clay and glaze, Nelson has long sought a reflection of the natural world and a revelation of his pottery’s charac­ ter that is more subtle and integrated Pitcher, 12 inches in height, porcelain with copper-fumed than any applied decoration. white glaze, salt fired.

November 1998 Nelson speaks of watching his work ply. In fact, the natural weight and Nelson’s work and the beckoning faces, evolve over the years with tones of won­ balance of the work in use reveal a sur­ unavoidably evoke the temptations of der and affection, almost as if referring prising aesthetic strategy—to be, in a Adam and Eve. to the growth of his sons. The synthesis sense, forgettable. Within this analogy lies the key to of influences and the development of Nelson wants the work to mesh with Nelsons work—the dynamic union of technique are not, he says, linear and the fabric of domestic life, to enrich and opposites in a sensuous, graspable form, deliberate, but emerge incrementally in uplift the aesthetic quality of daily ritu­ and a guilty knowledge that each revels the work. “My hands tell me what I’m als, such as drinking coffee or eating in its carnal self and yearns for a tran­ thinking,” he says. rice. Perhaps, he suggests, the warmth scendental purity. Consider the contrast­ The curving axes and more dramatic and elegance of a coffee cup, communi­ ing terms and sources that are paired in alterations of the thrown forms of ear­ cating through the hands and lips, have his pots: formal modernist design and lier work seem to be gradually receding a potent and subliminal way of wel­ sensuous mingei rusticity, the demands toward a more traditional center. Some coming one to the enjoyment of life. of function and the sculptural impulse, of the more intentional flashing and Perhaps, also, the reverie of nature a simple pot for the table and an art pot dripping effects of the wood fire have evoked by gazing into the crystalline striking a sly allusive image. given way to a richly textured glaze with depths of a wood-fired glaze awakens These kinds of paired terms reiterate a thick roll at the bottom. The overall the senses to the worlds beauty (even a persistent imperative for craft in a effect is, if less exuberant, more classic more than the coffee). Perhaps, he says, culture of art—expanding the expres­ and committed to function while still insights and perceptions that move qui­ sive and interpretive means of the crafts reflecting the sculptural sensibility of etly in the back door become more in­ without abandoning their accessibility. earlier solutions. His new works are pot­ tegrated into our outlooks than those What is revealed in the domesticity of ters’ pots, relaxing into an ageless tradi­ that we publicly display and critique. the most thoughtful contemporary func­ tion that reflects a growing trend in As the forms have grown simpler, tional ware gives it a voice of growing contemporary functional studio pottery. brushed-resist images have begun to influence in the broader culture of art He gives serious attention to the tac­ emerge on some of Nelson’s pots. A face and design, as craft helps to blur the tile sensations and sense of weight in composed of broad, simple strokes peers lines between art and life. When a pot­ the hand. The contrasts of matt, pebbly from breaks in the glaze on a teapot, ter has quietly wrestled with some of and glossy surfaces are just as rich to the forming a beguiling image, yet remain­ the central terms of this dialogue, and touch as to the eye. Superbly balanced, ing within the simple vocabulary of a the work resolves them as convincingly his designs feel just right in use, not so single stoneware glaze and the exposed as Kris Nelson’s does, we should take light as to convey fragility, but lighter clay body. Some of the forms them­ time to pay attention, reflect and enjoy than the heft the earthy stoneware and selves clearly suggest an apple, which what it reveals of this moment in the porcelain surfaces would typically im­ together with the fleshy contours of history of ceramics. ▲

Tripod bowl, 20 inches in diameter, wheel-thrown porcelain, with natural ash glaze, wood fired in an anagama, by Kris Nelson, Silver Point, Tennessee.

38 CERAMICS MONTHLY Marvin Zehnder by Richard C. Bachus

“Those who can, do. And those who can’t, teach.” Or so the old saying goes. Those who know Michigan ceram­ ist Marvin Zehnder know how ridicu­ lous that saying can be. He taught ceramics and other art classes at North­ ern Michigan University in Marquette for 32 years. When he retired, a retro­ spective exhibition of his vessels and sculpture at the university’s art museum provided a comprehensive glimpse into some of his teachings. “I am more con­ cerned with process,” Zehnder said. “The motivation and the feeling that you get in doing it is the process I’m concerned with more than the object. The major emphasis is in the doing.” Zehnder’s exploration of process in his own work has tended to emphasize forms that are more sculptural in na­ ture. While the vessel is still a major mode of expression, he isn’t strictly mak­ ing a pot, a vase or a bowl. “I was a painter before I was a pot­ “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” approximately 36 inches in height, ter,” he remarked. “I was probably a glazed stoneware and rope, 1985. painter in what people call abstract ex­ pressionism. But it is a little different in asked him if he wanted to sell in a derived form. I had been throwing clay than in paint. The immediacy is certain gallery, and he said he didn’t things on the wheel, then altering and there, but the expectations of the viewer want to because he wanted to be true to changing them. I’ve always kind of been are different. There is an expectation himself. He didn’t want to compromise entranced by stretching and pulling. It with clay that it will yield an object. In his work in any way, and he made us gives you a longer period of time in­ clay, we cover that up by talking in believe in a higher ideal. I still wonder if volved with each piece.” terms of sculpture.” I am taking it to the limit and stretch­ Other pieces show Zehnder’s use of The retrospective attracted former ing myself enough,” Bernstein said, as face molds and body casts. In these students from as far away as Florida and he looked around the gallery at works, he is exploring the process of as long ago as the sixties. A flock of Zehnder’s work. reassembling. What some former stu­ current students also filled the museum. Some of Zehnder’s former students dents noticed, however, in one of his As they gathered at the opening, red came away from the exhibit with a later pieces was a coming together of his wine and “Marv” stories flowed freely. greater appreciation for the variety and earlier use of the face molds and body “WTien I was a student, I was real integrity of their teacher’s work. “This casts with the more recent stretching defensive, at first. I didn’t say more than is so Marv,” one former student was and altering processes. a few words in class till I was a junior,” heard to say about a series of vessels “When people see a larger body of said Terry Gilfoy, a 1975 NMU gradu­ entitled “Bud Forms.” work that spans a period of time, they ate who works as a potter and contrac­ “From the exhibit, it should be obvi­ see that you don’t go off on tangents all tor in the Marquette area. “But from ous my major interest besides working the time when you are working with Marv, you learn the language of form. with clay is growing things,” Zehnder integrity,” Zehnder said. “There is a During critiques, he was always asking, commented. common thread that goes through your ‘Why is this good?’ I learned that art is a Other pieces also seemed to grow work. It’s not just an attempt to be fusion of physical labor and your intel­ out of his love for gardening, but he with it.’ It’s an attempt to be honest.” lectual ability.” doesn’t sit down at the wheel planning Before coming to NMU, Zehnder Barry Bernstein, who attended NMU to make the clay look like something earned a bachelor’s degree in painting in 1981, said he got some insight into from the garden. “The buds were some­ from Michigan State University. He then Zehnder’s character after college. “I thing that opened up from a process- apprenticed with a potter in Germany,

November 1998 39 Vessel with applied faces, approximately 10 inches in height, wheel-thrown and press-molded stoneware.

where he discovered how closely Euro­ pean artisans guard the secrets of their craft. Even within the German studio, his boss would work behind a curtain. After returning to the states, Zehnder taught high-school art for three years in Menominee, but realized that wasn’t for him. “High school was too structured and restrictive,” he remarked. “I thought, aren’t they lucky to have me, but they didn’t really give a damn.” Next was the ceramics program at Alfred University in New York, where he received a master of fine arts in ce­ ramics. Zehnder said the reason for his switch from paint to clay was grounded in the basic qualities of the material itself. Like Henry Varnum Poor, an early “Container,” 12 inches in height, wheel-thrown 20th-century potter who stood bare­ and handbuilt stoneware. foot in a cow pasture and reveled in the manure and mud oozing between his refine it and process it before you make worked in a studio—“hidden in the toes, Zehnder just likes the feel of clay. something of it.” corner of the plant”—along with the “It has that tactile quality that doesn’t In the early 1960s, Zehnder went to other in-house artists. come in anything else. And you don’t work for Haeger Pottery in Dundee, “The artists do not design for the have to destroy anything like a tree or a Illinois. The company made lamp bases, industry, but the industry tries to ab­ mountainside to use it. You just have to bowls, ashtrays and other ceramics for sorb what they do by some kind of dig it up. You don’t have to melt it and the home-decorating industry. He osmosis or something,” he said.

40 CERAMICS MONTHLY Zehnder found the industrial envi­ ronment “too stifling,” but he did man­ age to make some impact on the company by helping steer it away from the use of mostly shiny glazes to more matt finishes. He joined the teaching staff at NMU in 1965, just as the campus was shifting from a “teachers’ college” to a liberal arts education. He was the university’s first studio artist to work as a teacher. At the time, the ceramics studio consisted of an empty room on the third floor of one of the classroom buildings. “The concept of a studio was foreign to them,” Zehnder recalled. “I began by furnishing my own wheel and kiln.” Under his guidance, the ceramics program flourished, moving to a Quon- set hut on the edge of campus, then to the Art & Design North studio, which opened in 1996. The large new ceram­ ics studio, which Zehnder played a key role in designing, includes two large gas-fired kilns (one of which is a shuttle kiln), a raku firing pit, space for stu­ dents to build their own kilns, two large electric kilns, a small round electric kiln, a lot of ware carts, a large walk-in damp room, about 15 kick wheels with elec­ tric motors, two pug mills (one for por­ celain and one for other clays), a large clay mixer, separate clay-mixing and glaze-mixing rooms, and a state-of-the- art venting and dust-collection system. The new equipment is nice, but what is more important about the facility to Zehnder is that it is “a functioning stu­ dio” where students are challenged to understand art, as well as feel it. “They call me ‘Why because I’m always asldng them why something is,” he continued. “The artist makes deci­ sions and he/she has to know what those decisions are. If you don’t know what you are doing and can’t address the logic for what you are doing, I seriously ques­ tion the piece. For some, this thinldng process takes a long time. They just want to emote and ‘do their own thing.’ “Early on, I found that when I was looking at exhibitions by faculty and students, the students’ work often came out as carbon copies of their teachers. I didn’t want that. My role as an educator is to help the students figure out what they are all about.” But as Zehnder tried to do that, he learned that the main problem is that Smoked wall form, approximately 36 inches in height.

November 1998 41 most students don’t know what they are kind of social influences Zehnder has “When everyone was upset, he would all about yet. challenged in order to bring out the feel good. But a person like that suffers “Too often, they try to find their best in his students: because people keep their hands off him. own self in all the social gobbledygook “John was totally undisciplined,” People avoided him instead of confront­ they are involved in,” he said. Zehnder recalled. “His whole attitude ing him or engaging him. I don’t like to Although Zehnder came to North­ in life was to shock everyone. He would interfere, but I do interfere when I see ern Michigan University with all the come to class with a quart jug full of the choices being made are destructive trappings of the hippie life-style, he sludge from a roadside ditch and present to the individual.” learned that he and his students have it as his assignment, just daring anyone More recently, a student was caught to get through “all the social trash” to to challenge him. He would work in up in stereotypical expressions of femi­ find themselves in their work. The ex­ the studio to a tape recording of re­ nism and female rights. “It was not periences of two students show the peated obscenities. until she got her act together and could stop being a pissed-off woman that she could really discover herself,” Zehnder noted. The discipline and the critical think­ ing have not translated into creative or intellectual conservatism, however. That’s especially apparent in his own work habits. For example, he is “bored if I work with a glaze that I know will always work. I like to take chances. I believe in people making mistakes and falling flat on their faces. You have got to take chances and a university should be able to do that.” David Austin, a recent graduate who specializes in public art and fountains, said one of the main lessons he learned from Zehnder was to look at something in more than one way. “He would never accept somebody doing one object and saying, ‘This is the idea I’m trying to get across,’” Aus­ tin said. “He would make you do it ten different ways.” Zehnder’s assignments were more idea and solution oriented than object oriented. Rather than ask students to produce 50 mugs of equal dimensions, a typical Zehnder assignment would be something more ambiguous, such as: “Create a container that holds milk.” Several of Zehnder’s former students echoed their teacher s mantra about delv­ ing into the “why” artists make the de­ cisions they do in their work. But the greatest compliment his students have paid him is that they have all turned out differently. “They are all such extremely differ­ ent individuals,” Zehnder noted. “You would not be able to look at their work and say they were my students.” As another former student observed, “He did not just turn out potters; he turned out human beings. It didn’t mat­ “Sketch,” 29 inches in height, wheel thrown and assembled, ter whether you became an investment by Marvin Zehnder, Marquette, Michigan. banker or an artist.” A

42 CERAMICS MONTHLY Texas Clay Traditions

eramics by 14 Texas artists/educa- tors, as well as objects by the teach­ Cers who taught and inspired them, were exhibited in “Clay Traditions: Texas Educators and Their Teachers” at the Dallas Museum of Art. “The tradition of teaching is woven through the history of ceramics. Teach­ ers mentor their students, passing down ceramic traditions to the next genera­ tion,” noted Lee Akins, professor of art at Collin County Community College in Plano; and Aileen Horan, head of Family Education and Community Pro­ grams at the Dallas Museum of Art, in the exhibition catalog. “These teachers function as guides, providing examples of what can be ac­ “Large Triple Leapin’ Wizard Cruet,” 26 inches in length, earthenware with colored slips, Cone 06 oxidation fired, by Susie Moody, Dallas. complished over a lifetime. Though the teacher and artist roles require different characteristics, the instructors in this exhibition have been able to combine the two successfully. These two genera­ tions of artists provide a cross section of contemporary work in clay.” ▲

“Black Charger,” 27 inches in diameter, porcelain with airbrushed glaze, Cone 10 reduction fired, by Victor Babu, Overland Park, Kansas; invited by Dennis Smith, San Antonio.

“Lidded Torso Bottle,” 17 inches in height, coil-built terra cotta with glaze and oxide, Cone 1 oxidation fired by Lee Akins, Dallas.

November 1998 43 Put a Lid on It

n invitational focusing on the idea terested in decoration and embellish­ of containment, “Put a Lid on It” ment of surface.” Aopened this summer at the Appalachian Montana potter Frances Senska pro­ Center for Crafts in Smithville, Tennes­ duces forms “that will serve their pur­ see. When putting the show together, pose efficiently and are attractive enough Stephen Robison, an instructor at the to give their owner pleasure in use, or center, made a point of inviting at least sitting on a shelf.” To fulfill her desire to one person working in every type of remain “an independent, low-technol- firing technique to participate; in all, ogy, pre-industrial-type worker, in per­ ceramics by 55 artists were featured. sonal control of all parts of the process, Working in porcelain and stoneware, from clay bank to customer,” she digs Michigan potter Jane Shellenbarger fires her own clay from the edge of a landfill with soda and wood. “Often,” she says, and often uses local slip clays. “the pieces undergo multiple firing, or After closing at the Appalachian Cen­ are enameled and sandblasted to achieve ter for Crafts in August, the show a depth of surface.” traveled to Leu Art Gallery at Belmont She is interested in the “dialogue that University in Nashville, then to the Covered jar, 7½ inches in height, wheel clay creates with hand and eye and Lawton Gallery at the University of thrown from local clay, high fired, $25, memory....While function continues to Wisconsin, Green Bay, where it can be by Frances Senska, Bozeman, Montana. be a primary concern, I am equally in­ seen through November 6. A

Oval jar, 8 inches in height, terra cotta with terra sigillata, fired first to Cone 04, then rubbed with black copper oxide and refired to Cone 018, $250, by Charity Davis-Woodard, Edwardsville, Illinois, with iron handle by Bob Woodard.

44 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Pair of Boxes,” 8 inches in height, stoneware with slips, wood/soda fired, Cone 9-10, $200, by Jane Shellenbarger, Hale, Michigan.

Six-sided jar, 14 inches in height, stoneware with slips, wood/soda fired, Cone 9-10, $240, by Will Ruggles and Douglass Rankin, Bakersville, North Carolina.

Jars, to 5½ inches in height, brushed with commercial and noncommercial glazes, raku fired, accented with pewter inlay, $200 each, by Karl Borgeson, Whitewater, Wisconsin.

November 1998 45 by W. Lowell Baker

ver the course of history, individuals have added a variety of tempers to clayO bodies to improve working quali­ ties and dry strength. In the 1960s, a number of ceramics artists worked slip into fiber-glass cloth and draped the slip-laden material over a variety of forms to create thin veils of clay. In the 1970s and ’80s, nylon fiber was added to allow artists to develop thin but tough clay sculpture. In the 1990s, cellulose fiber was added to enhance wet working characteristics, increase the leather-hard and bone-dry strength, and to allow repairs and reworking of bone-dry forms. Like many ceramics teachers, I have provided my students with information about this cellulose-reinforced clay (pa­ per clay) and encouraged them to ex­ periment. This experimentation has led some of my students to work with a jersey fabric soaked in a slip of rein­ forced clay to form single-use saggars. In developing this process, however, we found that the fiber-reinforced saggar was often more interesting than the piece it contained. Subsequently, I looked to industry for a way to blow the slip into a mold or over a form made from materials that would burn out in the firing. After some experimentation, I found that two com­ mon and relatively inexpensive tools are suitable. The best tool for applying large quantities of thick slip is the Goldbladt Pattern Pistol. The low-price model of this tool can be purchased from most paint-supply stores or lumberyards for about $70. It was designed to spray textured paint and stucco onto walls and ceilings. The second tool I have used to spray clay is a nonpressurized sandblaster, which can be found for as little as $12 Untitled sculpture, approximately 10 inches in height, produced by spraying at many auto-supply stores. It is most layers of paper-reinforced clay over a foam core. effective when used to apply thin coats.

46 CERAMICS MONTHLY Core forms may be constructed from foam rubber, cardboard or other lightweight combustible materials.

Foam can be easily shaped with a bandsaw or cut with a knife or scissors; additional shapes are attached with glue.

Large forms can be suspended from a frame. Spraying with a Pattern Pistol.

November 1998 47 Spraying Clay Body (Cone 10) Custer Feldspar...... 3.0 lb Cedar Heights Goldart...... 15.0 Hawthorn Bonding Clay...... 25.0 Flint...... 3.0 Fine Grog...... 5.0 Dry Paper Fiber...... 1.5 5Z5 lb Add 3 ounces sodium silicate. My source of paper fiber is linter from regional paper mills, but any high- quality linter would do. This recipe yields a fibrous body, which works well for quickly building thickness in the wall of the piece. I sometimes reduce the fiber content to 0.75 pound for a Applying layers of paper-reinforced clay with a sandblaster; care should be more dense surface coat. The addition taken to avoid breathing mist from the spray. of 0.5 pound Zonolite, a form of ex­ panded mica, gives an interesting sur­ face texture, as well as quickly adding bulk to the wall thickness. Forms can be constructed from any lightweight combustible material. I pre­ fer to use foam rubber, which can be shaped with a bandsaw, or cut with a knife or scissors. Additional pieces may be glued to the core with a high-quality contact cement. Once the form is complete, it is placed on a sheet of plastic so that overspray may be easily retrieved and

Allowing each layer to dry thoroughly between applications produces strong walls.

Bisqued work just prior to removal from the kiln; all paper-reinforced clay Slip-coated fabric can be added as a structural patch projects should be fired in a well- or to create decorative elements. ventilated fuel-burning kiln.

48 CERAMICS MONTHLY The thickness of each layer depends on the paper-fiber content, the viscos­ ity of the slip and the size of the piece. I have found that layers of between Vs and Vi6 inch seem to work best. Be careful not to spray any single coating too thickly or sagging will result. As the shell dries, additional coats are applied to develop the final wall thickness. Thor­ ough drying between layers produces the strongest walls. After two or three coats of slip have been applied and allowed to dry, smaller forms will be self-supporting. Additional layers provide enough thickness for a wall that is strong enough to support itself in the firing. Pieces 2 feet in height require a finished wall thickness of at least ½ inch. Taller pieces will require thicker walls. Wall thickness and fired strength are difficult to judge, however. I have found pressing on the form with your hand will give you a good indication of its strength. As you press, you should feel a rigid wall with no cracking. If you crack the wall, it can be repaired by simply spraying on additional layers of slip. I have also used slip-coated pieces of fab­ ric to patch structural cracta, as well as to create decorative elements. The wet- to-dry shrinkage of sprayed, fiber-rein­ forced clay is less than 2%. Once the final layer of slip has been applied, the work may be loaded into the kiln and fired. Firing a ceramic shell that contains foam rubber should only be done in a well-ventilated space, as the gasses from the burning foam are exceptionally noxious and potentially hazardous. I have also had very good Untitled sculpture, approximately 12 inches in height, paper-reinforced clay results using core forms made from cor­ sprayed over a foam form, bisqued, then glazed and fired to Cone 1. rugated cardboard and other combus­ tible materials. These forms will produce remixed into the batch. Due to the If the form is small, there is no need less gas and smoke than the foam, but overspray, I prefer to work outside. to suspend it. Just be sure to rotate still require well-ventilated kilns. It is Larger forms may be suspended to while spraying to ensure complete and best to fire any fiber-reinforced clay in a help support the weight of the initial even coverage. fuel-burning kiln with a flue vented to coats of slip and prevent the form from The slip is mixed to the consistency the outside. distorting; however, before the form is of thin mayonnaise, then placed in the The sandblaster has proven to be a suspended, a thick layer of slip should hopper of the Pattern Pistol and sprayed good tool for applying glazes onto large be spread over the bottom of the form, directly onto the form. If you choose to forms as well. The surface texture of the or a thin slab of plastic clay may be use a sandblaster, the slip must be slightly sprayed clay is enhanced by the layering placed underneath to build the bottom. thinner. I recommend about 35psi air and overspraying of a variety of glazes. After spraying, the bottom of the foam pressure. Just a few safety precautions: The largest sprayed-slip piece I have form should be slightly compressed and do not point the spraying device at your made to date is slightly over 5 feet tall, placed firmly on a plastic-covered base skin, avoid breathing mist from the with a finished weight of only 18 to allow for the slight clay shrinkage sprayed slip, and avoid breathing dust pounds. The only limitation appears to during drying. from subsequent carving or sanding. be the size of the kiln. ▲

November 1998 49 A mural by cofounder Eduardo Vega was installed in the courtyard of the Casa de Chaguarchimbana, a new museum and education center for ceramics in Cuenca, Ecuador. New Museum and Education Center in Ecuador by Judy Blankenship

n 1957, in the tiny village of Valdivia bana) is the long name of a long-term ruins on the outskirts of town. I always on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, a self- restoration project of the Paul Rivet stopped to marvel at the remains of Itaught archaeologist, Emilio Estrada, Foundation, a nonprofit institution es­ painted murals of bucolic European discovered a few shards of pottery that tablished in 1987 to promote and pre­ scenes on the exterior walls of the house, eventually forced archaeologists and his­ serve the ceramics tradition in Ecuador. a peculiar conceit of weal thy Cuencanos torians to revise their timeline of the When I lived in Cuenca in the early a hundred years ago. The weather was origins of Central and South American 1990s, I often walked by a once-grand slowly destroying these murals. One cultures. With radio-carbon, these an­ 19th-century adobe house that lay in adobe brick wall had fallen entirely, ex­ cient shards proved to be the oldest posing a large interior courtyard, its (5000 years) ceramic pieces yet found wooden balconies hanging at crazy in the New World, indicating that pot­ angles. Someone told me that this prop­ tery production existed in Ecuador a erty was once owned by a wealthy thousand years before it appeared in woman farmer and now belonged to Mexico or in Peru. the city, but it sat in ruins because there Millennia later, the center of ceram­ was no money to restore it. ics in Ecuador is several hundred miles On a return visit to Cuenca five years southeast of Valdivia, in the picturesque later, I again walked to the Casa de city of Cuenca, where a new ceramics Chaguarchimbana, now meticulously museum and education center recently Before restoration, the once-grand restored and transformed into the new opened its doors. The Casa de 19th-century adobe house was nearly headquarters of the Paul Rivet Founda­ Chaguarchimbana (Chug-war-chim- a total ruin. tion. Approaching the house from the

50 CERAMICS MONTHLY Calle de Herrerias, the street of black­ smiths and ironworkers since colonial times, I stepped into a huge plaza of brick and stone radiating out from the house. With its renewed stucco walls and red tile roof, rebuilt wooden balco­ nies and restored murals, the house sits proudly like a grand old dame, em­ phatically declaring she has a lot of life left in her yet. The sign at the entrance said Casa de Chaguarchimbana: Museum and Training Center of the Arts of Fire. I was early for my appointment with the director of the foundation, so I walked around to see what other changes had occurred. Behind the house, a large kiln sat under a new shed roof, alongside piles of bricks and bags of materials for making clay. A man in canvas overalls came out of a long, low building and introduced himself as Jose Cumbe, the ceramics workshop manager, and of­ fered to give me a tour. He proudly posed for a photograph at one of the three kick wheels. From the grassy courtyard of the house, dominated by a free-standing ce­ ramic mural by Eduardo Vega, I could see that this is no ordinary museum. No collection of prehistoric ceramics was in evidence—those are under glass a few blocks away in the national mu­ Traditional Ecuadorian pottery for sale in the market. seum of the Banco Central. In fact, no exhibits of any kind were on display; Eduardo Vega, a well-known Ecuadoran to Paris with his Ecuadoran wife and a there was only a series of pristine rooms ceramist, and myself, before we were trove of South American artifacts, Rivet and galleries waiting to be used. I later married. As an art historian, I was inter­ founded the ethnology museum at the learned that, although the training cen­ ested in starting something that was not University of Paris. ter had been operating since 1993 and just about collecting objects, but an alive Soon after establishing the founda­ the museum had been dedicated in Janu­ and interactive museum, a welcoming tion, it became apparent to Vega and ary 1997, the foundation offices had place of work and education, a chang­ Kennedy that the traditional potters of been moved into the house only the ing exhibit space, and a formal and in­ the region, most working in their homes, week before. formal meeting ground. Because most were barely surviving. Antiquated equip­ Alexandra Kennedy, long-time direc­ of the ceramics industry and small work­ ment, poor materials, low productivity, tor of the Paul Rivet Foundation, ex­ shops are located in the Cuenca region— lack of access to credit and to markets, plained all this when we met in her the earth here is perfect for ceramics—it and exploitative commercial middlemen office. Light flooded through tall win­ made sense to establish it here.” meant that handcrafted ceramics in Ec­ dows, framing a backdrop of moun­ In 1987, Kennedy and Vega formally uador were in danger of dying out alto­ tains and the dramatically changing skies created the Paul Rivet Foundation, gether. Many rural potters had already for which Cuenca is famous. I asked named for a Frenchman who came to left their studios in search of more lu­ Kennedy, an Ecuadoran art historian Ecuador in 1901 with the second inter­ crative work in the cities. Others had trained in the U.S., Spain and Ecuador, national geodesic expedition measuring given up making large pots and were how she became involved with a ceram­ the meridians of longitude. Rivet was instead producing cheap plaster items ics museum. fascinated by the indigenous cultures of for tourists. “The idea of creating a national mu­ Ecuador, linguistics and, as it happened, “We realized there would be no more seum of ceramics began as the dream of a woman from Cuenca. On his return ceramics if the people remained so poor,”

November 1998 51 The entrance to Casa de Chaguarchimbana: Museum and Training Center of the Arts of Fire.

said Kennedy. So the foundation redefined its direction and began to of­ fer technical courses and hands-on as­ sistance to local ceramists to help them improve their working and living con­ ditions, and the quality of their work. Soon the potters themselves were re­ questing advice from the new “ceram­ ics school.” How could they build a better kiln? The foundation organized a 60-hour course with a national kiln expert to help area potters improve their wood- and gas-fired ovens. What was wrong with their clay mix? How could they improve their glazes? An analytical study of area workshops revealed that many potters were using inappropri­ ate—and highly toxic—clay and glaze mixtures. In one of the worst examples, potters were melting down lead from spent car batteries to make glazes. The foundation officially assumed a development role in 1993 by approach­ ing national and international organi­ zations to help fund projects designed Workshop manager Jose Cumbe. to save the workshop ceramics industry

52 CERAMICS MONTHLY in Ecuador. The response was immedi­ ate. A United Nations development fund provided for a series of courses on mixing clays, making better kilns, and eliminating toxins. The Fulbright Com­ mission supported the publication of a series of instructive manuals and audio­ visuals. A Swiss organization paid for a 50-hour course in high-fired ceramics. Ecuadoran development funds and na­ tional banks cooperated to provide ce­ ramists with credit opportunities for the first time. In 1996, the foundation opened a retail outlet in a restored 19th-century church, thus cutting out the “middle­ man problem” in marketing that had so often robbed local potters of any profits. A year later, the shop moved into the new museum quarters. “I calculate we’ve served about 200 families in the region with our courses,” Kennedy said, “and have been instru­ mental in the survival of at least 50 ceramics families who were in danger of giving up their traditional vocation.” With the continuation of a local ce­ ramics tradition promising, if not as­ sured, Vega and Kennedy turned their attention to their original dream: the establishment of a museum. “It took ten years to restore the house, with many stops and starts according to the flow of fund-raising,” Kennedy re­ Eduardo Vega, cofounder of the Paul Rivet Foundation, called. (The city, while retaining own­ discussing the layout of one of his tile murals. ership, agreed to give the foundation use of the house if it restored it.) These intervals gave the foundation board plenty of time to rethink their original concept of a national ceramics museum and incorporate local developments. Ar­ tisans in fields other than ceramics, for example, began to request the foundation’s services: forged-iron artists, jewelry makers, glassblowers, etc. They too wanted technical courses and help with marketing and credit opportuni­ ties. The foundation responded by ex­ panding its mandate to include all the arts of earth and fire. With requests from foreign ceram­ ists and artists, educators and designers in other fields interested in visiting Ec­ uador, the foundation also established an international residency program to offer artists and scholars opportunities A brick kiln was constructed adjacent to the workshop area.

November 1998 53 Cuenca potter Lorena Tamiriz. Juan Guillermo Vega working in the museum studio.

for research, contact with local artisans, and travel. Many of the visiting artists teach courses in their specialties to Ecuadorans, creating a rich exchange of Paul Rivet Foundation Residency Program experience, ideas and techniques. by Judy Blankenship By the time the Casa Chaguar- chimbana was unveiled in January of Since 1991, the Paul Rivet Foundation has hosted artists, art historians 1997, the last phase of construction and art educators in the areas of ceramics, jewelry, wrought iron, metal­ aided by the J. Paul Getty Foundation, work and textiles. Although the foundation offers no financial support, it the original idea of a single-craft mu­ collaborates with funding institutions or individual artists to provide seum had evolved into a comprehensive contacts with local artists and artisans, research and teaching opportuni­ center for the preservation and promo­ ties, studio workspace, accommodations and Spanish classes. tion of all Ecuadoran handcrafts of fire Laurie Spencer, ceramics artist and teacher at Holland Hall School in and earth. Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent six months in Cuenca in 1992-93, sponsored by “So now we have this beautiful house Arts International and the Lila Wallace/Readers Digest International Artist and we must create the museum,” re­ Program. The Paul Rivet Foundation was her host organization. marked Kennedy. “Its a big challenge “During my time in Ecuador,” she says, “I was involved in everything because we want a museum centered from researching pre-Columbian pottery, to teaching classes, visiting art­ not in beautiful objects, but in people. ists and craftspeople in their workshops and participating in firings. The We want our exhibits to visualize social, foundation provided the studio that I shared with a local artist, arranged political and economic problems—how for my classes, and helped make the contacts necessary to do research in women have not been recognized as an the museums around the country.” essential part of the history of ceramics, Although Spencer didn’t speak Spanish, she prepared for her residency for example. by taking a crash course in Oklahoma, and hiring a private tutor in “Museums in our country have his­ Cuenca. With the help of a translator, she taught a ceramic sculpture class torically been geared to the elite, to to local artists. “I loved teaching those classes,” Spencer says, “because they reflect their customs, knowledge and allowed me to give something back to the community and get to know the interests,” said Kennedy. “Now, in our artists in Cuenca.” new museum, urban people will be in On her return to Oklahoma, Spencer worked through the Arts and touch with a peasants life, the rich Humanities Council of Tulsa to give ceramics classes based on the pre- with the poor. Its the interconnec­ Columbian works she had studied in Ecuador. In addition, she helped tions that were interested in, that will coordinate the exchange visit by a ceramics artist from Cuenca to Tulsa; make it a living museum. We might during his stay in the U.S., he gave workshops at Oklahoma universities show beautiful objects, but at the same and attended the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts time we will show awful’ objects if (NCECA) conference in New Orleans. they tell a story.” ▲

54 CERAMICS MONTHLY El Rio de la Vida Intimations of Ecuador by Laurie Spencer

“Pinus Sonorus,” 21 inches in height, slip cast and handbuilt, with airbrushed terra sigillata. ince the early 1980s, my work in ceramics has developed in two re­ latedS but distinct directions, the first being fruit- and vegetable-shaped whistles or sound sculptures. It was the sound quality of these whistles that led me to the construction of large-scale clay domes. What began as sound cham­ bers for the whistles slowly evolved into huge site-specific clay structures built and fired on site; (see the February 1990 issue of Ceramics Monthly). My most recent series of sculptural whistles was presented at the Little Rock Art Center in Arkansas and the Tulsa Ceramic Art Gallery in Oklahoma. It was inspired by pre-Columbian ceram­ ics. In a program sponsored by Arts International and the Lila Wallace/Read­ ers Digest International Artist Program, I spent six months conducting research in various museums in Quito, Guaya­ quil and Cuenca, Ecuador. The focus of my study was ancient water whistles, double-vessel forms that when filled with water and rocked back and forth produce sounds as the water pushes the air through small built-in whistles. The tones created by these pieces often sound like bird chirps or warbles. Many of the water whistles incorporate bird or animal imagery and the sounds they create can be imagined

Firing of “Suenos Escarchados”; all larger works were fired by building a temporary brick kiln around the piece “Whistling Tree #1,” 59 inches in height, press molded and and heating with three propane burners. handbuilt, airbrushed with terra sigillata, fired to Cone 4.

56 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Nacio del Agua,” 31 inches in height, slip-cast and handbuilt water whistle, airbrushed terra sigillata, fired to Cone 01.

November 1998 57 to be the birds or animals voice as it sings or cries. Similar to the pre-Columbian wa- ter-whistle makers, I too am inter­ ested in sound as the voice of the sculpture. It is a means of giving these pieces a sense of life. My works are not meant to be musical instruments, but rather “living” forms. Another aspect of my interest in sound-making sculpture is the physical relationship one has to the piece. With the whistles that are made to be blown into, one has to control ones breath in such a way that the instrument can respond. When the focus is right, the whistle comes alive. In a similar way, water whistles are extremely sensitive to movement. Tilting slightly can make them speak. Most of my whistles are slip cast in plaster molds that I make from fruits and vegetables. While leather hard, the cast parts are cut, altered and as­ sembled. Handbuilt additions are some­ times added. I am interested in the fruit and veg­ etable forms because of their shapes and textures. The slip-casting process lends an air of reality. In this way, I can create sculptures that are believable, familiar forms, and yet unknown. Some of the forms in this series were also inspired by native fruits, vegetables and other organic forms of Ecuador. I made plaster molds of such tropical fruits as papaya, babaca, siglalon and calabaza while in residency, but because the plaster molds were too heavy to transport to the U.S., I fired the cast forms in my Ecuadorian studio and brought the fired clay fruits back to my home studio so that I could then make new plaster molds. Dating back to 3500 B.C., the civi­ lization of Ecuador is one of the old­ est in the Americas. A great deal of our knowledge about these early cul­ tures comes from the ceramic objects they created. Looking at this continuum of ceramics production throughout the centuries helps me to define my role in society and to feel that I am an integral part of this ongoing history as we con­ “Whistling Tree #2,” 68 inches in height, press molded and handbuilt, airbrushed tinue to define, refine, discover and cre­ with terra sigillata, fired to Cone 4, by Laurie Spencer, Tulsa, Oklahoma. ate in clay. ▲

58 CERAMICS MONTHLY Fletcher Challenges Last Bow by Christine Thacker

After 22 years, Fletcher Challenge Ltd. the rugged manipulation of clay, and has bowed out as the sponsor of one of the scorching work of the flames. the top ceramics competitions in the Juror Tjorborn Kvasbo, a Norse art­ world. Consequently, the “Fletcher Chal­ ist who has been on the other side as lenge Ceramics Award” has been can­ well (including a judge’s commenda­ celled for 1999. Auckland Studio tion for the 1994 competition and an Potters, which was responsible for the Award of Merit in 1997), chose 91 management of the competition, is con­ pieces from the 791 entries received sidering the development of a different from 57 countries. The greatest num­ Award” to recognize the strength of New ber of acceptances (23) was from the Zealand ceramics and encourage a shift U.S., while nine countries were repre­ in emphasis away from the purely sculp­ sented by just one entry; but in the tural to more functional work.—Ed. case of France, it was a vital one, as “Grand Coquille” by Jean-Francois Possibly more than at any of the 21 Fouilhoux won the premier award of preceding competitions, the key to NZ$ 15,000 (approximately US$7785). the selection of the winners and With a ripped and scooped, shell-in­ finalists for the 1998 “Fletcher Chal­ spired, celadon-glazed dish brimming lenge Ceramics Award” lies in the with all the contrary qualities that “Velvet,” 11 inches in height, NZ$450 jurors own elemental work. Each of make any artistic expression compel­ (approximately US$235), by Sasja these pieces documents two events: ling and enduring, it has strength yet Scherjon, Amsterdam.

“Grand Coquille,” 7 inches in height, celadon-glazed dish, NZ$3400 (approximately US$1765), by Jean-Francois Fouilhoux, Mont-Pres-Chambord, France.

November 1998 59 seems delicate. It is gutsy, yet refined; the height of the two figures make concrete or oatmeal in texture, and heavily structured, yet lightly per­ this a commanding work. treated the press-molded conical form ceived; dynamic, yet still; and famil­ Dutch artist Sasja Scherjon built up with a soda solution and wood ash. iar, yet entirely new. a cylinder from a continuous coil, made Odd and enigmatic, it looks alien or The five merit awards are all tech­ a mold from this, then covered the cast­ like part of a seed husk, and at the nically intriguing and different in type: ing with an intense blue matt slip. It is a same time is quite simply a bowl. Mark Chatterley, Williamston, Michi­ dynamic and evocative piece about na­ Water was the inspiration for Nor­ gan, explores the tensions and pas­ ture, but also brings to mind saggy socks wegian Eirik Gjedrem’s “Whirl,” a sions of relationships in his larger- and the forces of gravity. large press-molded bowl form with a than-life figures; his “In Your Face” “Kreisel” by Jochen Ruth of Ger­ wavelike surface that ripples and radi­ has two spindly legged, 61/2-feet-high many is a work about materials and ates from a central vortex. This is a figures locked in an apparent power process. Ruth has used a very gritty study of frozen motion and draws the struggle. The pocked crater glaze and mixture of clay, something resembling viewer into its apparent depths.

“Kreisel,” approximately 14 inches in diameter, roughly formed from a fireclay, sand, grog and perlite body, heavily sanded when bone dry, bisqued, soaked in a soda solution, then fired to 1280°C (2336°F), NZ$1300 (approximately US$675), by Jochen Ruth, Altisheim, Germany.

“In Your Face,” 6½ feet in height, slab-built stoneware, with crater glaze, gas fired to Cone 6, NZ$3500 (approximately US$1816), by Mark Chatterley, Williamston, Michigan.

60 CERAMICS MONTHLY “The Pleasures of Metal” by Charles Timm-Ballard, Appleton, Wisconsin, is both pleasing and perplexing. A wall- mounted clay slab is a canvas for a se- pia-toned watery landscape where random cracks in the clay surface be­ come the skinny trunks of delicate trees, bringing to mind the myopic view of an old Monet or the early landscapes of a young Mondrian. Off-center and es­ sentially distracting is a recessed square with a ball wedged inside, perhaps some allusion to the title. As Kvasbo put it, “A good craft object is filled with dilemmas and conflicts,” and the selection for the 1998 show fully provided the oppor­ tunity to reflect on those properties.

The author New Zealand ceramist Christine Thacker is a past Merit Award winner in the <(Fletcher Challenge Ce­ ramics Award. ” “The Pleasures of Metal,” 21 inches in height, dolomite-matt-glazed wall plaque, fired to Cone 6 in oxidation, NZ$4170 (approximately US$2165), by Charles Timm-Ballard, Appleton, Wisconsin.

“Whirl,” approximately 20 inches in diameter, press-molded stoneware with barium green and white matt glazes, fired to Cone 8, NZ$3500 (approximately US$1815), by Eirik Gjedrem, Sogne, Norway.

November 1998 61 Pairing of Opposites Eva Kwong’s Sculptural Vases by Kate Bonansinga

“I am amazed by the tiny bits of matter that live and move within our cells, and in the evocative nature and optical mix­ ing of colors,” says ceramics sculptor Eva Kwong, who lives and teaches in Kent, Ohio. The subjects of Kwong s “Opposites Attract” series, which she initiated in the mid 1980s, are not only cells and color, but also the larger issues of duality, balance and partnership. In 1988, Kwong was invited to participate in an exhibition of tableware at the Con­ temporary Art Center in Cleveland, Ohio. In response, she created the first vases that respected both the param­ eters of the exhibition and the concerns that she was, and still is, addressing. Although earlier sculptures in the series were handbuilt, the vases were wheel thrown from either earthenware or stoneware. Most of the completed works consist of two components: one is cylindrical, geometric and func­ tional; the other is volumetric, or­ ganic and nonfunctional. Kwong enjoys bringing seemingly “Pink Tendril Vase,” 12 inches in height, stoneware with slips, salt glazed, Cone 5. disparate forms and colors together; de­ veloping a visual complexity contrib­ utes to the success of these pieces. It is impossible to generalize about the rela­ tionships between the units in each of the ceramic pairs; they are as diverse and complex as the relationships be­ tween human partners. In “Pink Ten­ dril Vase,” either of the two forms could stand alone aesthetically, yet their effect would be completely different and un­ doubtedly diluted. “Pollen Vase” com­ bines a 9-inch-high cylinder with a shorter, closed funnel that is crowned at its edge by a tiny ball of pollen. In “Passion Fruit,” the green cylinder dominates in scale, but its red counter­ part, the size and shape of a plump “Big Ball and Skinny Vase,” 8½ inches in height, thumb, dominates in color and texture. salt-glazed stoneware, fired to Cone 5. As the artist says, “Each vase, although

CERAMICS MONTHLY “Pollen Vase,” 9½ inches in height, salt-glazed stoneware.

potentially independent, is completed by something else.” This is true of cells, as well, which the ninth edition of Webster’s dictio­ nary defines as “capable alone of inter­ acting with other cells, of performing all the fundamental functions of life, and forming the least structural unit of living matter capable of functioning in­ dependently.” One manifestation of Kwong’s interest in microbiology and cells was “Bacteria, Diatoms and Cells,” a wall installation at the McDonough Museum of Art in Youngstown, Ohio. Another is the sculptural vase pairings, where the artist specifically refers to zy­ gosis, the union of cells, which she says “are about the fusion of ideas and hu­ man relationships.” Many of the recent vases are also architectural: “Big Ball and Skinny Vase” is shaped like a nuclear cooling tower; “Reflections” is reminiscent of a vase and its shadow. This is in part due to “Passion Fruit,” 8½ inches in height, wheel-thrown and handbuilt stoneware, Kwong’s recent involvement with with colored slips, salt glazed at Cone 5.

November 1998 63 several site-specific pieces, for which she studied and carefully considered the re­ spective interior spaces. If the primary text of the vases in the “Opposites Attract” series is balance and duality, their subtext is multiplicity and the wide range of characteristics present in every human being, any one of which may dominate at certain times or in certain situations. This is apparent not only in the diversity of Kwongs forms, but also in the layering and interplay of color. In her words: “By carving back into layers of colored slips, I reveal bits of other colors underneath.” The resulting combinations of forms and colors reflect Kwongs “wonderment of the natural world,” and fascination with how seemingly disparate people and circumstances often harmonize.

The author Freelance curator Kate Bonansinga resides in Portland\ Oregon. “Reflections,” 10½ inches in height, stoneware, wheel thrown and assembled, brushed with slips, salt glazed, fired to Cone 5, by Eva Kwong, Kent, Ohio.

Recipes

Kwong/Mangus Color variations of the all-purpose slip All-Purpose Clay Body are possible with the following oxide or (Cone 04-6) stain additions: Cedar Heights Redart...... 50% Fireclay...... 50 Light Copper Green: 100% Copper Carbonate...... 3 % Add: Sand...... 10-20% Dark Copper Green: Copper Carbonate...... 7-8 %

Kwong/Mangus Dark Green: All-Purpose Slip Chrome Oxide...... 5% (Cone 04-9) Light Blue: Cobalt Carbonate...... 1% Gerstley Borate...... 13% Nepheline Syenite...... 12 Dark Blue: Ball Clay...... 25 Cobalt Carbonate...... 5% Kaolin...... 25 Pink: Flint...... 25 Mason Stain 6006 or 6020 .. 12-15% 100% Turquoise: Best when applied to leather-hard ware. Mason Stain 6363 or 6364 ...... 10%

64 CERAMICS MONTHLY Cyberclay An Electronic Pottery Village by Joe Molinaro

ho are all these people? They keep each day to sit down and be part of an knocking on the door of a friend in order Wappearing each day wanting to talk electronic pottery village. How many? It to stop in and say hello. about ceramics, most often on topics that didn’t matter. At the time, only the con­ Then there is the immediacy. Unlike challenge and provoke, enlighten and con­ nection seemed relevant, not the number writing letters and waiting days or weeks fuse, even console and nurture. Never be­ of people participating. for a reply, or calling only to start a game fore have I seen so much information about Sharing ideas about clay and glazes, of telephone tag by leaving a message on clay exchanged on such a regular basis with­firing techniques and aesthetic concerns an answering machine, e-mail messages out anyone feeling he or she should be was just the start. The weather, personal seem to come in like a trickle of water compensated. In fact, the very giving na­ accomplishments and frustrations, family (although some say it can be more like a ture of it all has me somewhat mystified, concerns, as well as health and safety is­ tidal wave), never really ending. knowing good and well that information sues, quicldy found their way into the elec­ Ah, it seemed perfect, a steady diet of about clay and glaze recipes, special firing tronic dialogue that soon grew faster than communication with others about ceram­ techniques and other valuable ceramic in­ our own ability to use computers. Before ics, anonymity if needed, and electronic formation can, and oftentimes is, pack­ too long, I felt as if I had created a vehicle hugs when support was necessary. With aged for a profit and/or only comes throughfor communication that was moving so little work from me, Clayart slowly grew. the slow process of education. fast I could merely hang on to the bumper There was no longer a need for me to post The transmission of thoughts and data as it flung me around each new techno­ questions to the list to generate discussion; through fiber optic lines, and the sense of logical bend in the road. I too could enjoy the banter and serious “real” people not caring responses to any ques­ about age, race, educa­ tions that came along. tion or how tall one can The transmission of thoughts and data through fiber optic lines, As the number of par­ really throw a cylinder, and the sense of “real”people not caring about age, race, ticipants grew, the need are the unique qualities to filter the messages that make up the forum education or how tall one can really throw a cylinder, are the took on a new dimen­ called Clayart, a Listserv unique qualities that make up the forum called Clayart. sion. Spam mail (mes­ list that allows ceramists sages sent out to anyone from around the world having e-mail access, to communicate with each other on a daily, After a very short time, I found a like- a.k.a. junk mail), and the general use of sometimes hourly, basis. It is a place where minded friend and colleague on the list the Internet by those marketing anything like-minded clay folks get together for cof­who I quickly persuaded (although he from web services to sex, seemed to invade fee, lunch or late-night mingling, never in might say begged) to work collaboratively cyberspace in grand proportion. Realizing real time or the same place, only on com­ with me on this venture of bringing clay that a sense of order and control would puter screens in the intimacy of their own people together electronically. Richard help keep topics on course, the governing homes and/or studios. There is a sense of Burkett, an associate professor at San Di­ staff (of two) decided that it was time to community without walls, faceless at times, ego State University and developer of the begin moderating messages to the list. but never without passion for daywork. glaze calculation program called Hyper- While we realized that this would institute It was just over six years ago that I Glaze, agreed to help manage this new a type of dictatorship, our goal was to discovered e-mail (thanks to my wife Mary, forum. From that point on, we have workedmake it as much a benevolent dictatorship who still finds time to bail me out with together almost daily, though nearly a con­ as possible. technical assistance). After some frustrat­ tinent apart, to keep a steady diet of clay- Some members initially were concerned ing attempts to seek out others online who related information flowing smoothly out about moderation of the list, but it was were interested in sharing ideas about their to the new, the occasional and the sea­ our belief that they would soon discover work in clay (most of the “art” lists I knew soned readers of Clayart. this to be an advantage. Moderation was about found any clay discussion either te­ While I had once formed questions to not meant to stifle the exchange of infor­ dious or irrelevant), I decided to go it pose to the list in order to keep the various mation, only to facilitate conversation. We alone and start a list for ceramists. topics of discussion moving along, I soon were right, and soon others agreed that the I had just recently moved from south­ found myself serving the list as manager list had become more focused, with fewer ern Florida, a bustling metropolis where with little time to contribute. New mem­ “off-topic” discussions distracting us from artists easily find support in numbers, to bers gathered around the cyber water coolerwhat’s really important—clay! Blind faith, rural Kentucky, where the gentle slopes of each day to test out theories, explore ideas, a trait I found most useful as a student green hills and winding roads make daily ask questions about new equipment, share years ago, and one that I still work to contact with others somewhat difficult. marketing stories or discuss new work seennurture in my own students at Eastern With the Internet clay list, I hoped to in shows around the world. Logging on Kentucky University, was necessary for the attract some people who would make time each day made me feel as though I was continuance of Clayart.

November 1998 65 So who are all these strangers, united another with a simple tap on the delete they are kind and pleasant. And while there only by their love for clay and their will­ key. I have found myself wanting to loudly certainly are moments when bickering or ingness to participate in what was once disagree with someone, which has me pro­ posturing takes place, it is usually only commonly viewed as a fringe interest? And pelling my finger toward the delete key as differences being expressed through pas­ don’t we have better things to do with our if it were shot from a gun. And then there sionate discourse. And sure, we all have time than sit in front of a computer screen?are those times when I want to disagree better things to do with our valuable time, Aren’t there ceramics statements to be madequietly (probably because I’m not sure why with making pots being only one small that are never finding their way to the I disagree) that I tap the delete key softly piece of our daily pie. kilns because of this silly need to connect (almost as if I think the sender is looking Whether it is through the gatherings of via the Internet? And what could one pos­ over my shoulder). And then there are the Clayart members at each National sibly learn from a computer about a real, those postings about which I am on the Council on Education for the Ceramic tactile experience? fence. Do I keep or delete? These I save forArts (NCECA) conference, or through the Actually, my own knowledge of ceram­ a later date when I am wiser and will surely meeting of participants at workshops ics has been expanded upon through dis­ know where they need to go, to the “trash”throughout the world, I am always de­ cussions on the Internet, and learning of or the “save” folder. Of course, my “save” lighted to learn how “real” connections to the varied opinions and approaches to our folder is quickly stuffed to the gills, only to the names oil computer screens have only medium has often caused me to find new then have me do some mid-month purg­ strengthened the friendships enjoyed as a energy and enthusiasm for what I do in ing. Ah, I am so brutal at this point and result of their cyber-meetings. the studio. How often are people still fooledany message left for later consideration is Where do we all go from here? Your by negative thoughts about computers, and often thrown away, leaving no remnant of guess is as good as mine. E-mail is univer­ how much have others learned through its existence. There’s nothing quite like the sal and Clayart is only one example of how their cautious steps forward into the elec­ feeling of orderliness achieved after clean­ this modern technology transcends our tronic age? But, I digress. ing out old files on e-mail. immediate field of vision. Where Clayart With messages now averaging over 65 So, I ask again, who are all these people began as a modest attempt to unite a few a day (365 days a year), it is no mystery logging on each day in quest of that bit of like-minded people, it now includes nearly why some newcomers to the list run information that might make their life or 3000 ceramists from over 30 countries. screaming into the night trying to figure work in clay more meaningful? And why From where I sit, I can only feel proud to out why their computers are growling at are they so willing to put aside everything be part of this unique blend of human them each time they log on. Going away they are involved with at that particular spirits, who are willing to listen to and for a week without setting your account to moment just to answer a question from a encourage the young, respect the old, find “no mail” may cause you to feel electroni­ stranger? Don’t they have studio work they confidence and courage in their ability to cally buried, because all those messages should attend to? Aren’t they missing out disagree, and look to the past with pride keep coming. Of course, the tiniest bit of on something more important, like mak­ and the future with hope. experience helps you realize that you have ing more pots to sell so they can have more While this computer revolution that several options. Since it costs nothing to money? And why don’t they spend this we are experiencing will certainly take us join Clayart, removing yourself from the valuable time on the computer fine tuning to areas as yet unknown, I can only suggest list, then resubscribing, could not be easier. their resumes? Go figure! But there they that ceramists should stand tall for em­ Also, having your account set to “digest” are each day when I log on, waiting to bracing a technology at a time when most allows you to receive the mail as one packet serve and be served rather generous help­ artists working in other media found it (complete with table of contents) at the ings of ceramics information. irrelevant to their art. If one wishes to close of each day. These contributors to Clayart are most support the claim that art is about com­ But, the method of controlling the ava­ often: patient (newcomers asking old ques­munication, then why not use any tool at lanche of mail (including any unwanted tions are always treated kindly); knowl­ your disposal to encourage and nurture e-mail from any source) that I find most edgeable (there are tech gurus who give any level of communication? Plus, I’d sure inviting is the selective use of the delete tirelessly to others); generous (clay and glazemiss talking to the friends who pop in button. Without hesitation (sometimes this recipes abound), but most important, as I electronically each morning when I light is too easy), one can mute the voice of see it from this electronic perch where I sit,up my screen. A

Joining Clayart

Clayart, the online discussion group dedicated to clay-related Do not send messages intended for the discussion group to issues, is open to anyone wishing to participate. To join the Listserv address. Ail messages to Clayart should be sent (subscribe to) Clayart, send the following e-mail message to: to this e-mail address: [email protected] [email protected] Appropriate postings may include such topics as: SUBSCRIBE CLAYART YourFirstName YourLastName aesthetic issues; questions about technical problems and recommended solutions; exhibition and grant opportunities; You must include both your actual first name and your last announcements of workshops/seminars; conference name in the format shown above. All commands to the Listserv information; job openings; and book, video and exhibition must be in the body of the message. Any text in the subject line reviews. Participants are encouraged to keep all appropriate of the e-mail message will be ignored. Do not include any discussion public, but purely private messages should be other text (signature file, etc.) in the message. sent directly to the intended receiver.

66 CERAMICS MONTHLY Expanded vase, 12 inches in height, accented with dry ball clay pressed onto the surface of the partially thrown form, by David Frank, Guilford, Connecticut.

he practice of throwing pots, glazes I like. Or if I have a new glaze an ancient and in some ways combination or an effect that I do Tmysterious technique, seems like, I can easily work out “stories” to encourage potters to think about Storytell ing that fit those colors and surfaces. their work metaphorically. The no­ I don’t know exactly when I be­ tion of centering clay on the wheel, by David Frank with Carol Wright gan thinking about pots as stories, for example, has led some potters to but I have been doing it so long that talk about centering as it applies to per­ grotesque, and pots that are sad or cheer­ it has become part of me and part of what sonal psychological or spiritual matters. ful, just as there are stories that convey I am trying to do. Apparently, the con­ The fact that every pot starts out as an these emotions. In addition, pots can tell cept makes sense to other people, too. amorphous wet mass of earth has stimu­ the story of how they are made, just as Once when I was demonstrating at a craft lated others to focus on the potter’s role there are stories that examine the process fair, an onlooker asked how I lrnew when in bringing order from chaos. For me, of storytelling; to me, these pots seem to a pot is finished. I explained something however, pots suggest an entirely differ­ have a quality of honesty. Pots must also about my narrative theory and told him, ent metaphor—they are like stories, nar­ have an expressive aspect so that the story “It’s not done if you have told only the rative in nature. they tell has interest. beginning and middle of the story.” To Pots tell stories both in the formal When I throw the foot of a bowl or a my surprise, he smiled and said, “Yes, sense and in the sense of conveying mood pitcher or a jug, I set up the whole pot that makes a lot of sense; that’s a good or feeling. Like any well-structured narra­ (though the actual details of the foot will answer. I understand what you’re saying.” tive, a pot has a beginning, a middle and come later); I make the shape of the pot My career in pottery seems to have an end. possible so that even before I start mov­ grown from two separate intellectual in­ WTiile a pot doesn’t tell a specific tale—ing the clay, I know where I am going in terests, first in geology and second in an­ of Little Red Riding Hood or the Riders terms of the glaze, the color, the surface thropology. As a child in North Guilford, of the Purple Sage—it does suggest mood decoration. Since color and surface will Connecticut, I poked around in the hills or feeling. There are pots that are gro­ influence the pot’s form and shape, I find and woods, collecting rocks. In college, I tesque, just as there are stories that are it difficult to make pots if I don’t have any studied geology, both as a student at

November 1998 67 Wesleyan University and for a summer in the combed body of the pot. The comb Alaslca, where the course work focused on lines on the fired pot not only reveal the geology of the Pleistocene period. I still texture of the clay, but show the stresses like the geological aspect of potting: I to which the clay was subject during its want the clay to look like clay. I enjoy the creation. They tell the story of the pot. fact that my kiln operates like a low-grade I have arrived at these pots after a volcano, perhaps not reaching the tem­ career of more than 25 years. Shortly af­ peratures of intense eruptions, but cer­ ter I graduated from college in 1971, I tainly approximating lesser ones. I like started my business, establishing a studio the idea that any substance that won’t in part of a barn behind my house. burn up at these volcanic temperatures To succeed financially, I have accepted can be used to glaze a pot. Sometimes, as little debt as possible, although I had to when I have taught children’s classes, we take on a mortgage to buy half the farm have used ground-up rocks, or driveway where I live and work, which was left dirt to make glazes. Older students, who equally to me and my brother. Had money have experimented with salt or baking been no object, I probably would have soda, have been intrigued that common knocked down the barn and started from substances can work as glaze materials. David Frank expanding the wall the ground up, but instead I gradually of a “powdered” vase. My interest in anthropology has led adapted what I had. In the early years, I me to the pottery of other cultures. I have had only a woodstove for heat, and I still studied pottery from Machu Pichu, and or otherwise, I do sometimes try to sug­ do not have hot running water. During for a while after college I worked with a gest the softness and pliability of the clay the winter, I carry kettles of boiling water Mexican potter, DonaTeodora, who lived or its other qualities. I make pots with from my house to my studio to keep my near Oaxaca and made handbuilt figures ribbon handles, like the folds of ribbon hands warm. The studio is air conditioned, from local clay. From her, I learned about candy. I throw bowls with fluted lips and but with an old air conditioner from the creating pots that showed the inherent hands, and I handbuild serving pieces house, and I justify the luxury by the fact expressive properties of the clay. Her that may have rectilinear shapes like rect­ that my pots dry more quickly and evenly. figures represented small animals that ex­ angles and squares, but end in soft rims I think this extreme unwillingness to isted somewhere between the animal and or lips. incur debt has been one of the main fac­ human domains. Some of her whimsical I also make pots that use traditional tors contributing to my financial stability. pigs and dogs played musical instruments decorative ideas; for example, combing, If my experience is any guide, a potter’s or held their children in their arms as which has been around probably as long income is too sporadic and too uncertain humans would do, but whatever their as pottery itself. African, South American at any moment to permit the making of pose, these creatures looked pliable and and Native American potters have all used regular monthly payments. But avoiding boneless. Like Gumby, they had bendable, this technique. debt has meant that my business has had jointless legs and arms that reflected the I use combing both in the application to grow gradually. softness of the unfinished clay. Dona of glaze and, more recently, in shaping My work has always entailed a pro­ Teodora was not trying to make the clay the pot itself I particularly like to throw a duction-selling component; off and on look like something it was not; instead, narrow cylinder, comb the outside and through the years, it has also had a she imparted its expressive qualities to then expand the cylinder into a rounded teaching component. At first, I sold my figures that related to her religious beliefs. form from the inside. I may glaze the work through shows organized by oth­ While I don’t make figures, religious inside and the rim, but I leave unglazed ers, but eventually it became obvious that I was at the mercy of factors be­ yond my control—not only on whether my work was selected, but on such con­ siderations as quality of the publicity and sometimes the weather. For better control of sales, I built my own gallery in an abandoned chicken coop on the farm. I have been able to incorpo­ rate some of the building’s old lumber so that the gallery has a spare, rustic feeling that works well with my pots. Today, a major part of my work is sold by direct order. Through the years, I have developed new lines of pottery, but I’ve also kept the old lines in order to please long-term customers who like what they’ve seen before. I have no love for the sales end of the business, but since I often sell Platter with trailed decoration, 24 inches in length, stoneware, Cone 10 reduction fired. things before they are made, I have been

68 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Flower of Bowls,” to 14 inches in diameter, wheel thrown and altered, Cone 10 reduction fired.

able to reduce the energy and time that The second component of my career cause I cannot accomplish my own stu­ go into marketing, and to focus more on is teaching. Though I do not teach every dio work. making the pots themselves. year or expect teaching to be a major I’ve taught a wide range of students, While working on commission does source of income, I find it refreshing to from children to adults, beginners to ad­ reduce the sales end of the business, it meet students and help them discover a vanced. Among the most interesting were also means that I depend to some extent direction for their own work. Teaching a group of blind students. Surprisingly, I on my customers’ whims. I ask them to also gets me out of the studio, a relief found it relatively easy to convey the sense give me freedom to experiment, to make since solitude and loneliness are different of what pottery was all about with these what I want to make, and in turn I give sides of the same coin. people who were inventive and also pa­ them the freedom to reject what they Occasionally, over the course of a year, tient with their progress, enduring frus­ don’t like, to say, “No, that’s not what I I have stayed home and used every avail­ tration at times, as any learner does, but had in mind.” Usually when a customer able minute to turn out pots, but I find working through it. Some of them did wants me to make something that I think that I’m happier if I balance the financial amazing things. is a poor idea, I work with the customer rewards of production with the less tan­ One student felt my head and then to negotiate a project that has validity for gible ones of teaching. However, if I take sculpted it, and while the result didn’t me as well. on too much teaching, I get restless be­ look exactly like me, it was definitely a

November 1998 69 life-size male head. She built the nose first, then constructed the head around it, apparently knowing exactly what she wanted to do the minute she grabbed on to my nose. Maybe she thought it was the salient part of the story her pot was going to tell. At another time, this student, who had lost her sight during childhood, worked for a long time with a low-tem- perature clay, making a series of forms, each of which progressed from the previ­ ous one. As her manipulative skills im­ proved, her ideas improved and her execution became more expressive. When she had finished the series, she turned to me and said, “Well, do you have a nice blue glaze to go on these pots?” I was stunned at her sense that the pot needed color, but she said, “Feel this pot. Doesn’t it feel like it should be blue?” So I made her a nice cool stabilizing color to settle down her very energetic pot. I thought her choice was right on; she’d remembered blue from her childhood and Frank’s studio is located on the first floor of a former barn; the gallery space the shape of the pot somehow suggested is on the second floor, while the gas kiln is housed by the addition on the right. that color. Outside is a dough mixer that is used to mix clay. It seemed to me that while these blind students could not see the forms of the pots they created, they were nonetheless rotates on the wheel. Whatever finishing anywhere along the way. The story can be aware of the notion of narrative pots. decoration I choose, I use the controlled rather quiet, then have a big, expressive, Sometimes, as a way of suggesting pro­ form of the vessel as a base or framework exciting ending; but more often, when I gression, I used the narrative metaphor for the expression of the soft clay. am throwing, I try to make the whole with the woman who wanted to glaze her All my pots, like stories, unfold in story come together, to produce a single pots blue. time, one thing happening first before statement about the clay from which it is I have also taught deaf students, but another event can occur. The most in­ made and the hand of the potter who they reacted differently to the process. tense part of the procedure can happen made it. A Perhaps because they were unaccustomed to stories, to the idea of narrative, they often wanted to begin at the end, to ar­ rive at a finished pot without living through its development as a story. When I look at my work, I can see how the notion of narrative, and my in­ terest in clay as a geological substance influences it. Among the pieces that cur­ rently please me most are some which are accented by pressing dry, powdered clay onto the wet, thrown cylinder and scratch­ ing the surface with a needle. As I expand the form on the wheel, the dry clay ab­ sorbs the moisture from the wet clay, caus­ ing it to crack. As the diameter widens, the scratches open differentially, so that the finished pot has irregular openings that suggest willow leaves. A more traditional application of this Wheel-thrown covered jar, 9 inches scratching technique appears in my slip- in height, combed and expanded, decorated stoneware, on which I hold a Covered jar, with tooled slip made of Cone 10 reduction fired, by David homemade tool that vibrates (chatters) 2 parts sand, 2 parts table salt and 1 part Frank, Guilford, Connecticut, and cuts through the slip while the pot porcelain slip, 7 inches in height, Cone 10 reduction fired.

70 CERAMICS MONTHLY Skeleton,” approximately 28 inches in length, handbuilt stoneware, with low-fire glaze and melted glass, Exploring Possibilities by Karen Salicath

t is the land to which I always turn written laws about what is beautiful for sculptural inspiration. I live in a and true, certain routes to walk to small country (Denmark), sur­ beauty and truth, contradictions that Irounded by the sea. Moreover, I grew meet and become a unity, contrasts up on the coast, so wind, sand and that cut into each other and become shells are frequent points of departure new forms. in my work. My sculpture is built from stone­ The fact that my grandfather (Johan ware reinforced with a lot of grog and Georg Galster) was also a sculptor has fiber, so that it is very strong and can had an influence on my work as well. allow going to extremes—seeing how Being in his studio, seeing him carve much the clay can endure, to what huge sandstone and plaster pieces clearly extent it can stretch. Often, I produce nurtured my own interest in form. several forms with nearly the same Another major influence is music. shape, then try to explore all the pos­ From the age of eight, I have played sibilities by making alterations—cut­ classical guitar. I use music a lot when ting holes, for instance. These holes considering and sensing form. It is as are like pauses in the form, similar to Working with new materials in the if classical music contains a set of rules, pauses in music. context of ceramics fascinates Danish which I translate into a language of I work a lot with contradictions, sculptor Karen Salicath. forms. It seems that there are some un­ with the outsides and the insides of the

November 1998 71 forms, often using color to reach a con­ dition where they support or repel one another. The use of colors can freeze a form or make it more fluid. Texture in the glaze can enhance this aspect even more. I have recently been experimenting with adding glass to the glazed surface to bring out the colors. A very-low-melting glaze acts as a bridge between the clay and the glass, which prevents the glass from coming off in the cooling process. This glaze bridge also allows the addition of glass to verti­ cal surfaces. Working with new materials in the context of ceramics fascinates me. I re­ cently started to work with a new type of concrete that can be modeled almost like clay; I then stain the surface and heat it with a gas flame. I think it is important to artistic development to dare to challenge oneself by working “Object,” approximately 32 inches in length, with many new materials. A handbuilt stoneware with low-fire glaze.

“Time and Space,” approximately 24 inches in length, stoneware with low-fire glaze and melted glass, by Karen Salicath, Copenhagen, Denmark.

72 CERAMICS MONTHLY No vem ber 1998 73 November 15 entry deadline Call for Entries Waterbury Center, Vermont “Emerging Artists Exhibition” (February 1-28, 1999), open to clay Application Deadlines for Exhibitions, artists who have exhibited their work less than 6 Fairs, Festivals and Sales times in galleries and/or education environments. Juried from slides. Entry fee: $10. For prospectus, send SASE to Vermont Clay Studio, 2802 Water- bury-Stowe Rd., Rte. 100, Waterbury Center International Exhibitions 05677; or telephone (802) 244-1126. Wilmington, Vernzont“Prevailing Winds: Cur­ November 6 entry deadline rent Trends in Contemporary American Ceram­ Guilford, Connecticut “Ceramics ’99” (March ics” (January 15-March 29, 1999). Juried from 29-May 31, 1999), open to North American slides. Jurors: Barry Bartlett, artist/faculty mem­ ceramists. Juried from slides. Jurors: Andrea and ber , Bennington College; and Elizabeth Zawada, John Gill. Awards: $1000, first place; $500, sec­ artist/director, Greenwich House Pottery. For ond; and $250, third. For application, send SASE prospectus, send SASE to Young and Constantin to Ceramics ’99, the Guilford Handcraft Center, Gallery, PO Box 882, Wilmington 05363; tele­ PO Box 589, Guilford 06437; telephone (203) phone (802) 464-2515. 453-5947 or fax (203) 453-6237. November 18 entry deadline November 10 entry deadline New York, New York “Artists on Their Own” Florence, Alabama “The Kennedy-Douglass (January 7-February 6, 1999), open to clay artists Center for the Arts Monarch National Ceramic not presently affiliated with a gallery or selected Competition” (February-March 1999), open to for last year’s exhibition. Juried from up to 4 residents of the United States, Canada and Mexico. slides. Entry fee: $15. For prospectus, contact Juried from slides. Juror: Ruth C. Butler, editor, Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pot­ Ceramics Monthly. Fee: $15 for up to 3 works. tery, 16 Jones St., New York 10014; telephone Awards: nearly $5000. For prospectus, send SASE (212) 242-4106 or fax (212) 645-5486. to Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, Ce­ January 4, 1999, entry deadline ramic Competition, 217 E. Tuscaloosa St., Flo­ Tampa, Florida “10th Annual Black and rence 35630. White” (February 13-March 26, 1999), open to January 15, 1999, entry deadline works in all media in black and white or gray; no Rochester, New York “Porcelain ’99” (March color. Juried from 3 slides. Fee: $25; members, 26-April 30, 1999), open to functional porce­ $18. Contact Artists Unlimited, 223 N. 12th St., lain forms by artists residing in the United States, Tampa 33602; or telephone (813) 229-5958. Canada or Mexico. Juror: Richard Zakin, profes­ January 16, 1999, entry deadline sor of ceramics, State University College, Os­ Chicago, Illinois, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin wego, New York. Juried from up to 2 slides per “10th Anniversary Teapot Show” (February 28- entry (with SASE); up to 5 entries. Fee: $20 for up March 29, 1999, in Oconomowoc; April 4-May to 5 entries. For prospectus, contact Esmay Fine 10, 1999, Chicago). Juried from slides. Entry Art, 1855 Monroe Ave., Rochester 14618. fee: $20. For prospectus, send business-size June 1, 1999, entry deadline SASE to A. Houberbocken, Inc., PO Box 196, Carouge, Switzerland “Prix de la Ville de Cudahy, WI 53110. Carouge 1999” (October 2-November 28,1999), Galesburg, Illinois “GALEX 33” (March 13— competition theme is the functional teapot; works April 10, 1999), open to all media. Juried from must be no more than 35 cm (approximately 14 slides. Entry fee: $20 for 4 slides. Awards: $2000. inches) in height. Juried from 2 slides plus a short For prospectus, contact Galesburg Civic Art Cen­ resume (30 lines maximum). Awards: 7500 SFr ter, 114 E. Main St., Galesburg 61401; or tele­ (approximately US$5000), 1000 SFr (approxi­ phone (309) 342-7415. mately US$665) and 500 SFr (approximately January 22, 1999, entry deadline US$330). For further information, contact the Cambridge, Massachusetts “National Prize Musee de Carouge, Mairie de Carouge, Case Show” (April 2-May 29,1999), open to all media. postale, CH-1227 Carouge. Juried from slides. Juror: Peter Rathbone, vice president, Sotheby’s, New York. Awards: best of United States Exhibitions show, $2000; plus 10 other awards. Location: Federal Reserve Gallery, Boston. For prospectus, November 6 entry deadline send SASE to Cambridge Art Association, National Gatlinburg, Tennessee “Arrowmont National Prize Show, 25 Lowell St., Cambridge 02138. 1999 Juried Exhibition” (February 26-May 15, January 24, 1999, entry deadline 1999), open to artists 21 years of age or older. Chico, California “Chico Art Center’s 1999 Juried from 2 slides per entry; up to 3 entries. Fee: ‘All Media’ Juried National Exhibition” (May 7— $20. Cash and merit awards. Juror: Joanne Rapp, June 13,1999). Juried from slides. Fee: $25 for up owner/director, Joanne Rapp Gallery/The Hand to 2 slides. Awards: $500 best of show, and 4 $250 and the Spirit, Scottsdale, Arizona. For entry awards. For prospectus, send #10 SASE to Chico form, send SASE to Billy R. S. Rothove, Arrowmont Art Center, 1999 All Media Juried National Exhi­ School of Arts and Crafts, PO Box 567, Gatlinburg bition, 450 Orange St., Ste. 6, Chico 95928. 37738; or telephone (423) 436-5860. January 29, 1999, entry deadline Ephrata, Pennsylvania" Seve nth Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National” (May 8-30, 1999). For a free listing, please submit informa­ Juried from slides. Juror: Warren MacKenzie. tion on juried exhibitions, fairs, festivals Fee: $20 for up to 3 entries. Awards: more than and sales at least four months before the $3500 in cash and merchandise. For prospectus, event’s entry deadline (add one month for SASE listings in July and two months for those in send business-size to Jean B. Lehman, Direc­ tor SFPN, Market House Craft Center, PO Box August). Regional exhibitions must be 204, East Petersburg, PA 17520. open to more than one state. Mail to Call “National Crafts” for Entries, Ceramics Monthly, PO Box Lancaster, Pennsylvania 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102, e-mail (April 23-June 13,1999), open to ceramics, fiber, to [email protected] or fax to metal, paper, glass and wood. Juried from slides. Entry fee: $25 for up to 3 entries. Juror: Joanne (614) 891-8960. Rapp, owner, Joanne Rapp Gallery/The Hand

74 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 75 Juried from 5 slides, resume and artist’s statement Michael Lucero. Over $9000 in place, purchase Call for Entries (with SASE). No entry fee. For further informa­ and merit awards. For prospectus, send legal-size tion, send SASE to Ferrin Gallery, 179 Main St., SASE to Lincoln Arts, PO Box 1166, Lincoln and the Spirit, Scottsdale, Arizona. Awards: $2000. Northampton 01060. 95648. For prospectus, send SASE to National Crafts, February 16, 1999, entry deadline March 24, 1999, entry deadline Lancaster Museum of Art, 135 N. Lime St., Boulder, Colorado “Celestial Seasonings: A Youngwood, Pennsylvania “Westmoreland Art Lancaster 17602; or telephone (717) 394-3497. Loose Interpretation IV” (June 24-September Nationals—25th” (May 30-June 13, 1999, in February 12, 1999, entry deadline 11, 1999), open to teapots inspired by Celestial Youngwood; traveling to Greensburg, Pennsylva­ Carbondale, Illinois “Clay Cup VII” (April Seasoning’s (herbal tea manufacturer) imagery, nia from July 2-5, 1999). Juried from slides. 23-May 13, 1999). Juried from slides. Juror: products, packaging or history. Juried from writ­ Awards. Send legal-sizeSASE to Westmoreland Art Sandy Simon. Contact the School of Art and ten or drawn proposals for original works plus Nationals—25th, RD 2 Box 355 A, Latrobe, Design, SIUC, Carbondale 62901-4301, Attn: slides of current work. For prospectus, send SASE Pennsylvania 15650; telephone (724) 834-7474 Clay Cup; telephone Kate Nelson, (618) 453- to Leslie Ferrin, 163 Teatown Rd., Croton on or e-mail [email protected] 4315 or e-mail [email protected] Hudson, NY 10520. February 15, 1999, entry deadline February 27, 1999, entry deadline Regional Exhibitions Northampton, Massachusetts “China Painting Lincoln, California “Feats of Clay XII” (May Today” (July 31-August 29, 1999), open to ce­ 1-22, 1999), open to sculpture, functional andNovember 14 entry deadline ramics artists using china-painting techniques. nonfunctional works. Juried from slides. Juror: Columbus, Ohio “1999NCECA Regional Jur­ ied Student Exhibition” (February 22-March 20, 1999), open to undergraduate and graduate stu­ dents enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Juried from slides of up to 2 works. (Each college must submit all entries from that school in 1 packet; however, each work will be juried independently.) Jurors: Margaret Bohls and Arthur Gonzales. No entry fee. For prospectus, send SASE to Bonita Day, Newcomb Art Dept., Woldenberg Art Cen­ ter, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118. January 31, 1999, entry deadline Baltimore, Maryland^.C. Clay” (May 1999), open to artists residing in Washington, D.C., as well as the following MarylandlVirginia counties: Arlington, Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince Georges. Juried from 5 slides. For entry form, send SASE to Leigh Taylor Mickelson, Baltimore Clayworks, 5706 Smith Ave., Baltimore 21209; or telephone (410) 578-1919. March 1, 1999, entry deadline Indianapolis, Indiana“Clayfest XI” (April 19- May 14, 1999), open to current and former resi­ dents of Indiana. Juried from slides. Entry fee: $10. For prospectus, send SASE to Clayfest XI, University of Indianapolis, Dept, of Art, 1400 E. Hanna Ave., Indianapolis 46227.

Fairs, Festivals and Sales November 20 entry deadline Philadelphia, Pennsylvania “The Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show” (April 30-May 2,1999). Juried from slides. Contact Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show, 162 N. Third St., Philadelphia 19106; telephone (215) 440- 0718 or fax (215) 440-0845. December 4 entry deadline Gainesville, Florida “ 13th Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire” (February 12-14, 1999). Juried from slides. Booth fee: $85 for a 15x15-foot space. Contact Linda Piper, Coordinator, Hogge­ towne Medieval Faire, Dept, of Cultural Affairs Sta. 30, PO Box 490, Gainesville 32602; or tele­ phone (352) 334-5064. January 8, 1999, entry deadline Atlanta, Georgia “Sugarloaf Crafts Festival” (November 26-28, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $425. No com­ mission. For application, send 3 loose first-class stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain Works, Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; or telephone (800) 210-9900. Gaithersburg, Ma rylanda Sugarloaf Crafts Fes­ tival” (November 18-21,1999, or December 10- 12, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $450-$550. No commission. For application, send 3 loose first-class stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain Works, Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg 20878; or telephone (800) 210-9900. Continued

76 CERAMICS MONTHLY

Works, Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaith­ Rd., Chambersburg, PA 17201; telephone (717) Call for Entries ersburg, MD 20878; telephone (800) 210-9900. 369-4810, fax (717) 369-5001 or e-mail January 10, 1999, entry deadline [email protected] Dauphin Island, Alabama “Tricentennial Art March 1, 1999, entry deadline Timonium, Maryland“Sugarloaf Crafts Festi­ and Craft Show” (March 6-7, 1999). Juried from Salina, Kansas “Smoky Hill River Festival: val” (October 8-10, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, slides. Booth fee: $50. Contact Dauphin Island Fine Art/Fine Craft Show” (June 12-13, 1999). including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $495. No com­ Art Guild, PO Box 1422, Dauphin Island 36528; Juried from 6 slides. Entry fee: $15. Booth fee: mission. For application, send 3 loose first-class telephone or fax (334) 861-5760. $175 for a 10x10-foot space. No commission. stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain Works, January 31, 1999, entry deadline Awards: $5800 in merit and purchase; $55,000 Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, Frederick, Maryland*Frederick Festival of the art patron program. For further information, con­ MD 20878; or telephone (800) 210-9900. Arts” (June 5-6, 1999). Juried from slides. Cash tact Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina Arts and Novi, Michigan “Sugarloaf Art Fair” (October awards. For application, send SASE to the Frederick Humanities Commission, PO Box 2181, Salina 22-24, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, including 1 of Festival of the Arts, PO Box 3080, Frederick 67402-2181; telephone (785) 826-7410 or fax booth. Booth fee: $425. No commission. For 21701; or telephone (301) 694-9632. (785) 826-7444. application, send 3 loose first-class stamps for February 1, 1999, entry deadline Salina, Kansas “Smoky Hill River Festival: postage to Sugarloaf Mountain Works, Inc., 200 Baltimore, Maryland“2n& Harbor Lights Fes­ Four Rivers Craft Market” (June 11-13, 1999). Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, MD tival of the Arts” (December 10-12, 1999). Juried Juried from 6 slides. Entry fee: $15. Booth fee: 20878; or telephone (800) 210-9900. from 5 slides of work and 1 of display, plus resume $100 for a 10x10-foot space or 10% of earnings, Somerset, New Jersey “Sugarloaf Crafts Festi­ for new exhibitors. Entry fee: $10. Booth fee: whichever is greater. Awards: $1300 in merit val” (October 1-3, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, $450-$675. No commission. Contact National awards. Contact Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $425. No com­ Crafts Ltd., 4845 Rumler Rd., Chambersburg, Arts and Humanities Commission, PO Box 2181, mission. For application, send 3 loose first-class PA 17201; telephone (717) 369-4810, fax (717) Salina 67402-2181; telephone (785) 826-7410 or stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain Works, 369-5001 or e-mail [email protected] fax (785) 826-7444. Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, Frederick, Maryland “25th Annual Frederick March 5, 1999, entry deadline MD 20878; or telephone (800) 210-9900. Art and Craft Festival” (May 7-9, 1999). Juried Winnetka, Illinois “American Craft Exposi­ Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania “Sugarloaf Crafts from 5 slides of work and 1 of display, plus resume tion” (August 26-29, 1999). Juried from 5 slides. Festival” (October 29-31, 1999). Juried from 5for new exhibitors. Entry fee: $10. Booth fee: For further information, contact American Craft slides, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $450. No $300-$400. No commission. Contact National Exposition, PO Box 25, Winnetka 60093-0025; commission. For application, send 3 loose first- Crafts Ltd., 4845 Rumler Rd., Chambersburg, or telephone (847) 570-5096. class stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain PA 17201; telephone (717) 369-4810, fax (717) April 5, 1999, entry deadline Works, Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaith­ 369-5001 or e-mail [email protected] Chautauqua, New York “Crafts Festivals ’99” ersburg, MD 20878; telephone (800) 210-9900. Gaithersburg, Maryland “24th Annual Na­ (July 9-11 and August 13-15,1999). Juried from Manassas, Virginia “Sugarloaf Crafts Festival” tional Art and Craft Festival” (October 15-17, 3 slides of work plus 1 of booth. Jury fee: $10 per (September 17-19, 1999). Juried from 5 slides, 1999). Juried from 5 slides of work and 1 of show. Entry fee: $175 per show. For prospectus, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $395-$475. No display, plus resume for new exhibitors. Entry send business-sizeSASE to Devon Taylor, Festivals commission. For application, send 3 loose first- fee: $10. Booth fee: $340-$425. No commis­ Director, Chautauqua Crafts Alliance, PO Box class stamps for postage to Sugarloaf Mountain sion. Contact National Crafts Ltd., 4845 Rumler 89, Mayville, New York 14757-0089.

78 CERAMICS MONTHLY

We tend to raku mostly in spring and fall, Suggestions except for a few brave souls who endure the From Readers elements of the New York winter, so we have to keep the reduction buckets downwind from the door or any windows to avoid Raku-All-A-Cart setting off* smoke alarms in the art building. They say you shouldn’t raku with a top- (This has happened two times, and in New loading electric kiln, but at Queens College, where there’s a will...there’s a way. The deci­ sion to buy a top-loading electric kiln was by cost (as most of you know, art material bud­ gets are a thing of the past). Yes, when you open the top, all the heat escapes—but hey, it works. We do 6-10 pieces at a time and use a buddy system. One person loads or unloads with the tongs; the other person has two jobs: Make

With a buddy system, 6-10 pots can be raku fired at a time. One person makes sure the kiln is unplugged, then opens and closes the lid, while the other removes the pots. York City, once the firetrucks leave the sta­ tion they can’t turn back.) At times like this, I am glad I have tenure.— Jolyon Hofs ted, Shady, N.Y.

Wax and Glo The kiln is mounted on a cart, while another nearby cart has water, wood Try this method in your studio the next chips, leaves and other necessary items. time you run out of wax resist and your local supplier is closed for the day. Pick up some sure the 220V kiln has been unplugged be­ liquid floor wax, such as Mop & Glo, at your fore the first person sticks metal tongs into it!local supermarket and continue to wax in the And open and close the lid (don’t slam!) withsame way you would with wax resist.—-Joshua each pot to preserve the heat. Horn, New York City The ldln is mounted on a cart; another cart has water, wood chips, leaves and the Storage Bottles for Small Glaze Batches like. We wheel these out the service entrance When I have a small amount of glaze left near the clay shop, and back in after class. from a multigallon batch, I like to store it in But the fun doesn’t stop there. We have an empty laundry detergent bottle. By simply no power outlets there; in fact, the nearest removing the center insert from the bottle, 220V is in the wood shop on the floor above.you are left with a wide-mouth receptacle and We have a very long 220V extension cord, a tight-fitting lid. The bottle can be shaken to which we plug in the wood shop outlet and mix glaze, and a small amount can be poured throw out the window to the kiln below. into the cap for brushwork.—Robert Graebner, Elkins Park, Pa. Share your ideas with others. Ceramics Monthly will pay $10 for each one published. Polishing Pit-Fired Work Suggestions are welcome individually or in To aid in polishing your pit-fired pieces, quantity. Include a drawing or photograph to use a shoe-shining brush; it will save ever so illustrate your idea and we will add $10 to the much time. You can even “spit shine,” then payment. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box add a small amount of alcohol to finish it off. 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail By the way, I use Minwax to polish. I tried [email protected] or fax to tung oil, but found it to be too shiny.—Mary (614) 891-8960. jean Yancy, Daly City, Calif.

80 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 81 (before December 15): US$295/Dfl 540; after Calendar December 15: US$395/Dfl 720. For further in­ formation, contact the Ceramic Arts Foundation, Events to Attend—Conferences, 666 Fifth Ave., Ste. 309, New York, NY 10103; Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs fax (212) 489-5168 or e-mail [email protected] Solo Exhibitions California, Davis November3-2 ^Esther Shimazu; Conferences at John Natsoulas Gallery, 140 F St. California, San Francisco December 1—January 2, Alabama, Florence February 16-19, 1999“ 14th 1999 Robert Brady; at Braunstein/Quay Gallery, Alabama Clay Conference,” featuring David 250 Sutter St. Gamble, Patrick Horsley and Pete Pinnell, will California, Santa Monica through November 7 include demonstrations, slide presentations, some Tony Marsh. Harrison McIntosh; at Frank Lloyd hands-on, plus exhibitions. Contact M. C. Jer­ Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave. B5b. kins, 1809N. Wood Ave., Florence 35630; e-mail D. C., Washington through January3,1999“ The [email protected] Stonewares of Charles Fergus Binns: Father of telephone (256) 766-4455 (Tues.-Sat., 10 am-5 American Studio Ceramics”; at the Renwick Gal­ PM CST). lery, National Museum of American Art, Smith­ Florida, Tallahassee January 22—24, 1999 “46th sonian Institution. Florida Craftsmen Statewide Conference” will Florida, Boca Raton through November 7 Peter include slide lectures, clay workshops with Ron Powning, mixed-media clay, glass, bronze and Meyers and Deborah Groover, and exhibitions. steel; at Habatat Gallery, 608 Banyan Trail. Contact Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central Ave., St. Florida, Deland November 6—December 11 “Close Petersburg, FL 33701; telephone (813) 821 -7391. Relations,” figurative sculpture by Cheryl Tall; at Iowa, Iowa City September 29—October 2, 1999 the Duncan Gallery of Art, Foyer Gallery, Stetson “Different Stokes,” international wood-fire con­ University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8252. ference. Contact Chuck Hindes, School of Art, Florida, Tallahassee November 13—February 5, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242; fax (319) 1999 Barbara Sorensen, sculpture; at the Florida 335-1774 or e-mail [email protected] State Capitol. New York, New York November 20 “Craft at the Illinois, Chicago November 20-December 30 Border: Issues in Canadian and American Craft Beverly Mayeri, figurative ceramics; at Perimeter Today” will include keynote speeches by Alan Gallery, 210 W. Superior St. Elder, curator of a recent exhibition at the mu­ Massachusetts, Boston through November 30 seum, and Sandra Flood, historian and catalog Judith E. Motzkin, clay and mixed media; at the essayist; plus four panel discussions with Cana­ Grohe Gallery, Dock Sq., 24 North St. dian and American artists, collectors, critics and Massachusetts, Cambridge through November 21 curators. Fee: $45; ACM members, $35; includes Warren Mather, “al fresco”; at Fresh Pond Clay lunch and postconference reception. Preregistra­ Works, 368 Huron Ave. tion required. Contact the American Craft Mu­ Michigan, Sault Ste. Marie November 3—28 seum, 40 W. 53rd St., New York 10019-6112; or Bonnie Staffel retrospective; at the Alberta House, telephone (212) 956-3535. 217 Ferris St. Ohio, Columbus March 17-20, 1999 “Passion New York, East Setauket through November 16 and Process,” National Council on Education for John C. Casper, sculpture; at the Gallery at Hands the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference, will in­ on Clay, 128 Old Town Rd. clude demonstrations, slide presentations, panel New York, New York through November James discussions, exhibitions. Contact Regina Brown, Jansma, “Figures and Fired Remains”; at Beatrice Executive Secretary, NCECA, PO Box 1677, Conde Gallery, 529 W. 20th St, 6th FL, W. Bandon, OR 97411; telephone (800) 99-NCECA. through December 72Kukuli Velarde, “Isichapuitu,” Vermont, Bennington College February 3-7, 35 ceramic variations of a 2000-year-old figure. 1999 “North Country Studio Conference” will December 19—February 13, 1999 Arnold Zimmer­ include workshops on “Dinnerware as Sculpture” man sculpture; at John Elder Gallery, 529 W. 20th St. by Eddie Dominguez and “Single-fired Func­ November 3—28 Ah Leon. Ron Nagle. December 1— tional Stoneware” by Steven Hill. Fee: $275. 31 Anthony Caro; at Garth Clark Gallery, 24 W. Living accommodations available. Registration 57th St. deadline: December 1. For application, telephone November 21-January2,1999S teven Montgomery; (802) 387-5986. at OK Harris Gallery, 383 W. Broadway. China, Tongchuan (Xian) May 25-June 17,1999 North Carolina, Asheville through November 7 “First Yao Ware Ceramic Art Conference” will Roddy Brownlee Reed; at Blue Spiral 1, 38 include lectures, workshops on topics relating to Biltmore Ave. the history of Yao Ware and its current produc­ North Carolina, Carrboro November 2—30 tion. Also includes tours of various cultural sites. Cynthia Aldrich clay goddess figures, “Within our Contact China Ceramic Cultural Exchange: In­ bodies lie the stories of our lives”; at North Caro­ ternational Office, Zhou Ying, 14 Courtwright lina Crafts Gallery, 212 W. Main St. Rd., Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5L North Carolina, Charlotte through May 2, 1999 4B4; telephone (416) 695-3607 or e-mail “William Littler: An 18th-Century English Earth [email protected] Potter”; at the Mint Museum of Art, 2730 England, London November 11—13 “The China Randolph Rd. Circle—The Export of Chinese Porcelain Round Ohio, Cleveland through November 7John Glick; the World.” Contact Sotheby’s Institute, 30 Ox­ at Avante Gallery, 2094 Murray Hill Rd. ford St., London WIN 9FL; telephone Caroline Oregon, Portland November 3-28 Ruri, anaga- Bloch, (171) 462-3232. ma-fired white stoneware; at Attic Gallery, 206 Netherlands, Amsterdam July 13-17, 1999“Ce- S.W. First Ave. ramic Millennium,” the 8th international ceram­ Pennsylvania, Doylestown through January 17, ics symposium of the Ceramic Arts Foundation, 1999 “‘Machinery Can’t Make Art’: The Pottery will include over 50 papers presented by educa­ and Tiles of Henry Chapman Mercer”; at James tors, artists, critics, writers and historians; ceram­ A. Michener Art Museum, 138 S. Pine St. ics resources fair, film festival and exhibitions. Fee Pennsylvania, Philadelphia November 6—2i?Mark

82 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 83 Menconi, “Fur, Feathers and Figures”; at Arch­ Delaware, Winterthur through July 1, 1999 “Ce­ Calendar way Gallery, 2013 W. Gray. ramics in Bloom,” porcelain, earthenware and November 6-December3 Peter Beasecker; at North stoneware from the late 17th century to the early Harris College, 2700 W. W. Thorne Dr. 20th century; at the Society of Winterthur Fel­ Lueders. Janice Strawder; at the Clay Studio, 139 Texas, Lancaster through November 21 Rebecca lows Gallery. N. Second St. Harvey, recent work. November 22-December 19 D.C., Washington through January 18, 1999 November 6-30Nicholas Kripal, adobe and mixed Elmer Taylor, “Pots”; at Cedar Valley College “Bernini’s Rome: Italian Baroque Terra Cottas media; at Snyderman Gallery, 303 Cherry St. Ceramics Gallery, 3030 N. Dallas Ave. from the State Hermitage Museum, St. Peters­ November 6-30 Mary Roehm; at the Works Gal­ burg”; at the National Gallery of Art, Sixth St. and lery, 303 Cherry St. Group Ceramics Exhibitions Constitution Ave., NW. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh through December 9 Illinois, Chicago through November 7^“TheNude Kirk Mangus functional pottery; at the Clay Place, California, Del Mar November 13-January 31, in Clay II,” figurative ceramics; at Perimeter Gal­ 5416 Walnut St. 1999 Works by members of Ceramic Artists of lery, 210 W. Superior St. South Carolina, Columbia through December 19 San Diego; at Signature Gallery, 1110 Camino. November 13—December 31 “Kentucky Clay,” func­ ‘“I made this jar...’ The Life and Works of the California, Los Angeles December 10-January tional and sculptural work; at Gallery 1021: Lill Enslaved African-American Potter, Dave”; at the 14, 1999 “A Quintessential Vessel Competition Street, 1021 W. Lill. McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina. of Function, Ritual and Metaphorical Works”; at Indiana, Lafayette through November 5 “Tea Bowl: Texas, Houston through November 21 Chris Earthen Art Works, 7960 Melrose Ave. Imperfect Harmony”; at the Greater Lafayette Museum of Art, 101 S. Ninth St. Iowa, Iowa City through November 14 “Tea or Poetry: Artists and the Teapot,” functional tea­ pots by 21 ceramists; at Iowa Artisans Gallery, 117 E. College St. Maryland, Baltimore through November 7“Boxes, Barriers and Intimate Spaces,” by Mary Kay Botkins, Ron Kovatch, Jill Oberman, Jennifer Reed, Sang Roberson, Michael Simon and Paula Winokur. November 14-December 2^“Winterfest ’98,” works by 20 artists; at Baltimore Clayworks, 5706 Smith Ave. Maryland, Frederick November 1-29 “On the Wall • Off the Wall,” works by artist-potters; at Hodson Gallery, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave. Massachusetts, Ipswich November 14—December 31 “Holiday Traditions”; at Ocmulgee Pottery and Gallery, 317 High St. Massachusetts, Northampton through November 15 “A Wealth of Wood Firings.” November 21— January3,1999“All Decked Out,” holiday decora­ tions and ornaments; at Ferrin Gallery, 179 Main. Minnesota, Minneapolis through November 8 “ 1997-98 Regis Master Series—The Exhibition,” with ceramics by Rudy Autio, William Daley, Ruth Duckworth, Ken Ferguson, Karen Karnes, Warren MacKenzie and James Melchert; at the Northern Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave., E. New York, Albany November 20—September 13, 2000“From the Collections: The Weitsman Stone­ ware Collection”; at the New York State Museum, Empire State Plaza. New York, Alfred through February 4, 1999“Pre­ meditated Function: The Corsaw Collection of American Ceramics”; at the International Mu­ seum of Ceramic Art at Alfred, Ceramic Corridor Innovation Center, Rte. 244. New York, Port Chester November 1—28 “On Fire: Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture,” with works by Ann Christenson, Eva Melas, Sana Musasama, Sylvia Netzer, Cheryl Tall and Martha Winston; at the Clay Art Center, 40 Beech St. North Carolina, Asheville through November 21 “Spinning Tales,” narrative ceramics; at Odyssey Gallery, 242 Clingman Ave. North Carolina, Charlotte through February 14, 1999 “Earth, Fire and Spirit: African Pottery and Sculpture”; at the Mint Museum of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd. November3-28“ CLAY/Curated by Byron Temple,” works by Rob Barnard, Andrew Huddleston, Jim Makins, Scott Shafer, Sandy Simon, Byron Temple and Bill Van Gilder; at gallery W. D. O., Ste. 610 at Atherton Mill, 2000 South Blvd. Ohio, Zanesville through November 29 “1998 International Ceramists Invitational Biennial”; at Zanesville Art Center, 620 Military Rd. Pennsylvania, Cheltenham through November 20 “Tile Show”; at the Cheltenham Center for the Arts, 439 Ashbourne Rd. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh November 6—December

84 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 85 Florida, Belleair through November 15 “Florida Calendar Gulf Coast Art Center Biennial III”; at the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center, 222 Ponce de Leon Blvd. Florida, Venice December 14—January 25, 1999 30 Catharine Hiersoux and Jack Troy. December “Spotlight ’98,” American Craft Council South­ 11-January 13, 1999 Karen Karnes and Ann east Juried Exhibition; at the Venice Art Center. Stannard; at the Clay Place, 5416 Walnut St. Georgia, Athens through January 3, 1999 “Ele­ Texas, Austin November 19-December 2 Exhibi­ ments of Style: The Legacy of Arnocroft,” decora­ tion of ceramics by Dorothy Carroll, Cindy Phillips tive arts; at Martha and Eugene Odum Gallery of and Mary Wolcott; at Artists’ Coalition of Austin Decorative Arts, Georgia Museum of Art, Univer­ at Artplex, 1705 Guadalupe. sity of Georgia, 90 Carlton St. Vermont, Waterbury Center through November Georgia, Atlanta through January 10, 15?^ “Sha­ 30 “Vermont Clay Studio Faculty: Past, Present mans, Gods and Mythic Beasts: Colombian Gold and Upcoming Instructors.” through December31 and Ceramics in Antiquity”; at Michael C. Carlos “Masterful Mugs and Holiday Ornaments”; at the Museum, Emory University, 571 S. Kilgo St. Vermont Clay Studio, 2802 Waterbury-Stowe Illinois, Peoria December 1—31 “Handmade Na­ Rd. (Rte. 100). tivity Sets”; at Wonders of Wildlife Gallery, 4700 Virginia, Alexandria through November 17 N. University. “Christy’s Wild Bunch,” works by Christy Cole’s Kansas, Topeka November 20—January 3, 1999 intermediate wheel students; at the Gallery at “Topeka Competition 22”; at the Mulvane Art Potters’ Row, 5704D General Washington Dr. Museum, Washburn University, 1700 Jewell. through November 29 “Gallery Showcase,” works Massachusetts, Boston November 7—January 3, by Kiln Club members; at Scope Gallery, Tor­ 1999 “Toys and Gadgets”; at the Society of Arts pedo Factory, 105 N. Union St. and Crafts, 175 Newbury St. Wisconsin, Green Bay through November 6“Put November 10-December 31 “Toys and Gadgets”; a Lid on It”; at the Lawton Gallery, University of at the Society of Arts and Crafts, 101 Arch St. Wisconsin, Green Bay. November 15-December 31 “Memories ’98,” Christmas ornaments and Hanukah Menorahs; at Ceramics in Signature, Dock Sq., 24 North St. Multimedia Exhibitions Massachusetts, Chestnut Hill November 15-De­ cember 31 “Memories ’98,” invitational exhibition Alabama, Huntsville November 21—February 7, of Christmas ornaments and Hanukah Menorahs; 1999“ATaste for Splendor: Russian Imperial and at Signature, the Mall at Chestnut Hill. European Treasures from the Hillwood Museum”; Massachusetts, Mashpee November 15—Decem­ at the Huntsville Museum of Art, 700 Monroe ber 31 “Memories ’98,” invitational exhibition of St., SW. Christmas ornaments and Hanukah Menorahs; at Arizona, Tempe through November 22 “Art with Signature, Mashpee Commons, 10 Steeple St. Lights”; at Gallery 1020/The Mat Corner, 1020 Mississippi, Vicksburg through November 14 S. Mill Ave. “Wild Women in the Attic!” with pottery by Ann California, La Jolla through November 8 “Festival Baker; at the Attic Gallery, 1101 Washington St. of Lights,” annual Menorah exhibition; at Gallery Nevada, Reno through January 10,1999“A Com­ Alexander, 7850 Girard Ave. mon Thread,” craftworks by over 30 artists from California, Los Angeles through November 14 Nevada and the Great Basin; at the Nevada Mu­ “California Dreaming,” with ceramics by Susan seum of Art, 160 W. Liberty St. Garson, Tom Pakele, Kevin Stafford and Cheryl New Jersey, Layton through January 10, 1999 Williams; at Freehand Gallery, 8413 W. Third St. “Wild Things”; at Sally D. Francisco Gallery, California, San Francisco through November 15 Peters Valley Craft Center, 19 Kuhn Rd. “Third Annual Best in America: Invitational Ex­ New York, Albany November 20-September 13, hibition,” with ceramics by Judith Duff and 2000“From the Collections: Treasures from the Hiroshi Nakayama; at the Stones Gallery, 55 Wunsch Americana Foundation”; at the New Third St. York State Museum, Empire State Plaza. California, San Pedro through November 1 “Ves­ New York, Rochester November 22—January 17, sels for the Journey.” November 6—December 17 1999“\AVmg with Art: Rochester Collects”; at the “You Are What You Eat With”; at Angels Gate Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Roch­ Cultural Center, Gate Gallery, 3061 S. Gaffey St. ester, 500 University Ave. Colorado, Denver through October3, 7 5W“White North Carolina, Asheville through November 8 on White: Chinese Jades and Ceramics from the “Annual Members’ Exhibition: The Cubic Foot: Tang through Qing Dynasties.” through January An Exhibition of Miniatures.” through November 24, 1999 “Inventing the Southwest: The Fred 30 Two-person exhibition including ceramics by Harvey Company and Native American Art”; at Dane Burr; at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382, the Denver Art Museum, 100W. 14th Ave. Pkwy. Blue Ridge Pkwy. Connecticut, Brookfield November 14—December Ohio, Athens through November 8 “Art on View 31 “The 22nd Annual Brookfield Craft Center ’98”; at the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center. Holiday Exhibition and Sale”; at the Brookfield Ohio, Columbus through November 6 “New Craft Center, 286 Whisconier Rd. Works: Part Two” includes ceramics by Steven Connecticut, New Haven November 6-December Thurston; at Hopkins Hall Gallery, the Ohio 24 “The Celebration of American Crafts”; at the State University. Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon St. through November 8 “Tell Me a Story: Makers Connecticut, Westport November 15-December from Appalachia.” November22-January24,1999 31 “Memories ’98,” invitational exhibition of “Head, Heart and Hands: Native American Craft Christmas ornaments and Hanukah Menorahs; at Traditions in a Contemporary World”; at the Signature, 48 Post Rd., E, at Main St. Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. D. C., Washington through April 11, 1999 “Be­ Oklahoma, Tulsa through November 1 “A Taste yond the Legacy: Anniversary Acquisitions for the for Splendor: Russian Imperial and European Freer Gallery of Art”; at Freer Gallery of Art, Smith­ Treasures from the Hillwood Museum”; at sonian Institution, Jefferson Dr. at 12th St., SW. Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford Rd. November 15—February 15, 1999 “Edo: Art in Oregon, Eugene November 3—December 24 “La Japan 1615-1868”; at the National Gallery of Petite VI”; at Alder Gallery, 55 W. Broadway. Art, Fourth St. at Constitution Ave., NW. Pennsylvania, New Castle through November 7

86 CERAMICS MONTHLY

“1998-99 Sculpture Garden Exhibit”; at Riverat the Statehouse Convention Center, downtown. Calendar Gallery, 400 E. Second St. California, Berkeley November 28-29, December Texas, Houston through January 10, 1999 “A 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20 “1998 Holiday Open Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Studios,” self-guided tour of over 100 artists’ “The 17th Annual Hoyt National Art Show”; at Museum”; at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, studios. For map, send SASE to Artisans Map, Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, 124 E. Leasure Ave. 1001 Bissonnet. 1250 Addison St. #214, Berkeley 94702. Maps Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh November 13—February Texas, San Antonio through December30* Trans­ can be picked up at the same address; for other 13, 1999 “Stop Asking/We Exist: 25 Contempo­ formation: Grand Opening Exhibition”; at the distribution points, telephone (510) 845-2612. rary African-American Craft Artists”; at the Soci­ Southwest School of Art and Craft, 300 Augusta. California, San Francisco December 5-6and 12- ety for Contemporary Crafts, 2100 Smallman St. Washington, Seattle through January 10, 1999 13 “1998 Celebration of Craftswomen”; at Fort Pennsylvania, University Park November 20—22 “Gift of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archi­ Mason Center’s Herbst Pavilion, Buchanan St. “Holiday Ornament Juried Sale and Exhibition”; tecture from the University of Pennsylvania Mu­ and Marina Blvd. at Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State seum”; at Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St. California, San Rafael November 21—22 “Marin University. Clay and Glass Festival”; at the Marin Civic Pennsylvania, Wayne December 5-January 22, Fairs, Festivals and Sales Center, Avenue of the Flags. 1999 “Craft Forms ’98,” juried national; at the California, Santa Monica November 6-8 “Con­ Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave. Arkansas, Little Rock December 4-6 “Arkansas temporary Crafts Market”; at the Santa Monica Tennessee, Chattanoogathrough May 1999 Craft Guild’s 20th Annual Christmas Showcase”; Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St. November 13—15 “Arts of Pacific Asia”; at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St. California, Stockton November 20—21 “Seventh Annual San Joaquin Potters’ Guild Sale”; at Cen­ tral United Methodist Church, 3700 Pacific Ave. Colorado, Boulder November 5—8 “Boulder Pot­ ters’ Guild 29th Annual Fall Sale”; at the Shining Mountain Waldorf School’s Festival Hall, 10th and Violet. Connecticut, Guilford November 1—December 24 “Artistry: The 20th Annual Holiday Festival of Craft”; at the Guilford Handcraft Center, 411 Church St./Rte. 77. D. C., Washington November 20-2211 Washing­ ton Craft Show”; at the Washington Convention Center, 900 Ninth St., NW. Florida, Gainesville November 7—8 “ 17th Annual Downtown Festival and Art Show”; downtown. Florida, Tampa December 4— 6*ACC Craft Show Tampa Bay”; at the Tampa Convention Center. Georgia, Atlanta November 27-29 “Sugarloaf Crafts Festival”; at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Hawaii, Honolulu December 5—6 “Christmas Festival” of the Pacific Handcrafters Guild; at Thomas Square Park, across from the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Hawaii, Maui, Makawao November 20—22 “Christmas in the Country.” November 28 “Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center Annual Ceramics First and Seconds Sale”; at the Hui No’eau Visual Arts Center, 2841 Baldwin Ave. Illinois, Evanston November 13—15 “Midwest Clay Guild’s 26th Annual Exhibition and Sale”; at the Midwest Clay Guild, 1236 Sherman Ave. Indiana, Bloomington November 7^“Local Clay,” holiday show and sale of pottery by Bloomington area artists; at Harmony School, 909 E. Second St. Indiana, Indianapolis November 21—22 “Best of the Season”; at the Exposition Hall, Indiana State Fairgrounds. Iowa, Sioux Center December 5 “Centre Mall Arts Festival”; at the Centre Mall. Maryland, Gaithersburg November 19-22 and December 11-13 “Sugarloaf Crafts Festival”; at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Massachusetts, Boston December 2—6*Crafts at the Castle”; at Family Service of Greater Boston, 34½ Beacon St. Massachusetts, Worcester November27-29* 16th Annual Festival of Crafts.” November 30—Decem­ ber 6 “Art for AIDS”; at Worcester Center for Crafts, 25 Sagamore Rd. Michigan, East Lansing November 12—14* Greater Lansing Potters’ Guild Annual Fall Sale”; at All Saints Church, 800 Abbott Rd. Montana, Helena November 13—January 3, 1999 “Winter Showcase Exhibition and Sale”; at the Holter Museum of Art, Sherman Gallery, 12 E. Lawrence St. New Hampshire, Hampton November / “Rock­ ingham Craftsmen Fair”; at Hampton Junior High. New Jersey, DemarestDecember 4-6* 24th An-

88 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 89 ized functional stoneware, single-fire oxidation, Calendar fast-fire wood, and business as an art form. Fee: $425. Limited to four participants. Contact George Griffin Pottery, (850) 962-9311. nual Pottery Show and Sale,” curated by Karen Georgia, St. Simons Island November 14-15 Karnes; at the Old Church Cultural Center School Demonstration and slide lecture on throwing and of Art, 561 Piermont Rd. altering functional pottery with Ron Meyers. Fee: New Mexico, Dixon November 7—5“Studio Tour” $200; GAA members, $175. Preregistration re­ of about 40 artists’ studios; for information about quired. Contact Debbie Craig, Glynn Art Asso­ maps, telephone Shel Neymark, (505) 579-4432. ciation, PO Box 20673, St. Simons Island New York, New York December 3-6 “Made in 31522; telephone (912) 638-8770 or e-mail Clay,” benefit sale of functional pottery; at Green­ [email protected] wich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. Louisiana, Thibodaux November 21-22 Demon­ New York, Syracuse December 4-6“ Holiday ’98 stration and workshop with Ron Meyers. Fee: Art and Craft Spectacular”; at the New York State $30; students, $ 15. Location: Nicholls State Uni­ Fairgrounds. versity. Contact Southern Pottery (504) 752- North Carolina, Charlotte December 11—13 “ACC 7687, or NSU (504) 448-4598. Craft Show Charlotte”; at the Charlotte Conven­ Maine, Portland November 14 “Throwing Large tion Center. and Copper Reds” with Peter Jones. Fee: $35. North Carolina, Marion December 5 “Appala­ Contact Portland Pottery, 118 Washington Ave., chian Potters Market”; at the McDowell High Portland 04101; or telephone (207) 772-4334. School cafeteria. Maryland, Frederick November 6-7and21 “Play­ North Carolina, Winston-Salem November 20— ing with Words—Painting with Fire,” slide lec­ 22“35th Annual Piedmont Crafts Fair”; at M. C. ture and raku workshop with Patrick Timothy Benton Convention Center, Fifth and Cherry sts. Caughy. Slide lecture: $5; workshop: $135, in­ Ohio, Cincinnati November27—29 “Crafts Affair”; cludes 25 lbs. of raku clay and firing. November 13 at the Cincinnati Convention Center, downtown. “Distilling the Landscape,” lecture with Catherine Pennsylvania, King of Prussia November 21-22 White. Fee: $5. Contact Hood College Ceramics “Valley Forge Crafts Festival”; at the Sheraton/ Program, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick 21701; Valley Forge Convention Center. telephone Joyce Michaud (301) 696-3456, 696- Tennessee, Knoxville November 13-15 “32nd 3526 or (301) 698-0929. Annual Foothills Craft Guild Fall Show and Sale”; Massachusetts, Somerville November 8 “Holi­ at the Knoxville Convention Center. day Objects Workshop,” parent and child ses­ Virginia, Richmond November 13-15 “34th An­ sion with Jennifer Thayer. Fee: $25. Contact nual Hand Workshop Art Center’s Craft and Mudflat, 149 Broadway, Somerville 02145; or Design Show”; at the Richmond Centre for Con­ telephone (617) 628-0589. ventions and Exhibitions, downtown. Massachusetts, Worcester November 14—15“The West Virginia, Jefferson County November 14— Provocative Cup” with David Wright. January 15 “Over the Mountain Studio Tour” of artists’ 23-24, 1999 “Thrown, Altered and Decorated” studios throughout the county. For map, contact with Suze Lindsay. Contact Worcester Center for OTMST, 38 Paynes Ford Rd., Kearneysville, WV Crafts, 25 Sagamore Rd., Worcester 01605; or 25430; for information, telephone (304) 725- telephone (508) 753-8183. 0567 or 725-4251. New York, New York November 7and21 “Multi- Media Tile Workshop” with David Packer, using Workshops clay with found objects or other media. Fee: $165; members, $150. Contact the Craft Students Arizona, Mesa November 14-15“Contrasts” with League, YWCA/NYC, 610 Lexington Ave., New David Bradley and Susan Filley, demonstrating York 10022. various techniques and work. Fee: $55; Arizona New York, White Plains November 13 “Basketry Clay members, $45. Contact Michelle Lowe, Techniques for Potters” with Nancy Moore Bess. 25037 N. 17 Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027; telephone Contact Westchester Art Workshop, Westchester (602) 516-2209 or e-mail [email protected] County Center, White Plains 10606; or tele­ Connecticut, Brookfield November 7“Paper Clay” phone (914) 684-0094. with Rebecca Peck Jones. November 8 “Glazing” North Carolina, Durham January 8-10, 1999 with Angela Fina. Contact Brookfield Craft Cen­ “Innovative Handbuilding Techniques,” slide lec­ ter, PO Box 122, Rte. 25, Brookfield 06804, ture and workshop with Lana Wilson. Fee: $110. telephone (203) 775-4526or fax (203) 740-7815. Contact Pam Wardell, 9810 Gallop Ln., Bahama, Florida, Orlando November J£T Throwing dem­ NC 27503; or telephone (919) 471-4300. onstration with Samantha Andrews. November 17 Oklahoma, Norman December 12-13 Slab-build- Combining throwing and handbuilding tech­ ing techniques with John Gill. Fee: $79, includes niques with Vince Sansone. November 18—19 registration fee. Contact the Firehouse Art Cen­ Demonstration of various Japanese pottery tech­ ter, (405) 329-4523. niques with Steve Fasen. November 19 Slide pre­ Oregon, Portland November 7-8 “Brush Mak­ sentation with Steve Fasen and George Timock. ing” with Glen Grishkoff. Fee: $148, includes November 20 Raku workshop with George studio fee. Contact Oregon College of Art and Timock; participants should bring bisqueware. Craft, 8245 S. W. Barnes Rd., Portland 97225; or Presentation with Darcy Deal on the Kansas City telephone (503) 297-5544. Art Institute. February 11-12, 1999 A session Texas, Beaumont November 6-7 Demonstration with Don Davis. Fee: $35. Limited to 30 partici­ of slip-casting and handbuilding techniques with pants. Contact Mike Lalone, Dr. Phillips High Verne Funk and Victor Spinski. For further infor­ Ceramics Studio, (407) 352-4040, ext. 380. mation, contact the Art Studio, (409) 838-5393, Florida, Panama City November 19-20 Demon­ e-mail [email protected] or see website at stration with Lee Rexrode. Fee: $80. Contact www.artstudio.org Kimberly Hudson, Visual Arts Center of North­ Texas, Houston November 6—7 A session with west Florida, 19 E. Fourth St., Panama City Peter Beasecker. Fee: $30. Contact Roy Hanscom, 32401; or telephone (850) 769-4451, fax (850) Art Dept., North Harris College, 2700 W. W. 785-9248. Thorne Dr., Houston 77073; or telephone (281) Florida, Sopchoppy January 10-16, 1999A ses­ 618-5609. sion with George Griffin, focusing on individual­ Texas, Ingram November 6—8 “Functional Stone-

90 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 91 Calendar

ware in the ’90s: Single Firing,” slide lecture and workshop with Steven Hill. Limited to 30 partici­ pants. Fee: $200. Contact Hill Country Arts Foundation, Duncan-McAshan Visual Arts Cen­ ter, PO Box 1169, Ingram 78025; telephone (800) 459-HCAFor (830) 362-5120. Texas, San Antonio November 13 “The Artist’s Pilgrimage and Personal Work,” lecture with Beth Thomas. Free. Contact the Southwest School of Art and Craft, (210) 224-1848. Vermont, Waterbury Center November 6T >ottery demonstration. Fee: $6; members, $4. Contact the Vermont Clay Studio, (802) 244-1126. Virginia, Alexandria November 6—8 “Mosaic Workshop” with Susan Maye. December 11—13 “Handbuilding Techniques” with Lisa Naples. Contact Creative Clay Studios, 5704D General Washington Dr., Alexandria 22312; or telephone (703) 750-9480. Washington, Tacoma November27—28Slide pre­ sentation and demonstration of surface decora­ tion with Pat Colyer and Dick Luster. Fee: $80. Contact 747 Fawcett Studio and Gallery, 747 S. Fawcett St., Tacoma 98402; or telephone (253) 404-1130.

International Events Argentina, Buenos Aires November 23—December 9 “Candelabrums/2,” juried international exhibition; at the Cultural Center General San Martin. Belgium, Brasschaat November 3-6“ PrintingTech- niques on Ceramics” with Paul Scott. Fee: 6000 Bf (approximately US$ 165). November 2 7-22“Throw- ing Large Pots” with Jan Winkels. Fee: 3200 Bf (approximately US$85). Contact Atelier Cirkel, Miksebaan 272,2930 Brasschaat; telephone (32) 36 33 05 89, fax (32) 36 63 05 89 or e-mail atcirkel@mail. dma. be Brazil, Sao Paulo November 26—December 10 “Abrindo o Forno,” exhibition of sculptures, ves­ sels and masks by Eliana Begara, Georgia Bruder, Calliopi, CmtiaTrigo and Jo Zaragoza; at Planeta das Artes Galeria, Rua Lourenco de Almeida, 275 Vila Nova Concei^ao. Canada, Ontario, Toronto through November 21 Two-person exhibition including ceramics by Bruce Cochrane. November 26—December 23 “Holiday Collection.” “Tea Party II”; at Prime Gallery, 52 McCaul St. November 19—22“Sixteenth Annual Winter Show and Sale”; at Woodlawn Pottery Studio, 80 Woodlawn Ave., E. Canada, Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown through January 10, 1999 “S.O.S.: Sources of Support,” ceramics by Alexandra McCurdy; at the Confederation Centre for the Arts. England, Cambridge November 17-December 20 Bob Washington retrospective; at Fitzwilliam Museum. England, Chichester November 13—15 “Throw­ ing and Turning” with Alison Sandeman. No­ vember 15-19 “Making and Decorating Tiles” with John Hinchcliffe and Wendy Barber. Janu­ ary 8—10, 1999 “Throwing and Turning, with Handle Making” with Alison Sandeman. Janu­ ary 24—26, 1999“Raku and Low-fired Ceram­ ics” with John Dunn. Contact College Office, West Dean College, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0QZ; or telephone (243) 811301. England, Essex November 21—February 7, 1999 Bob Washington retrospective; at the Chelmsford Museum. England, London through November 21 Richard Slee. November 27-January 9, 1999 Sara Rad-

92 CERAMICS MONTHLY stone; at Barrett Marsden Gallery, 17-18 Great Sutton St., Clerkenwell. November 12 or 26 Auction of Oriental ceramics and other artworks. November 17 Auction of “Mintons’ Marvelous Majolica”; at Christie’s South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Rd. November 15—Spring 1999 Reconstruction of William and Mary’s porcelain gallery with dis­ plays of Japanese Kakiemon and Chinese ceram­ ics; at State Apartments, Kensington Palace. November 16 Auction of art from the Ming dy­ nasty. Auction of fine Chinese ceramics, export porcelain, paintings, etc. November 18 Auction of a private collection of Kakiemon porcelain; at Christie’s, 8 King St., St. James. November 16-December 31 Bob Washington ret­ rospective; at the Victoria and Albert Museum. November 17 Auction of Chinese works of art. November 18 Auction of fine Chinese ceramics, etc. Auction of Chinese export porcelain and other artworks. November 19 Auction of Japanese artworks; at Sotheby’s, 34135 New Bond St. November 17-December 20 “100 Masterpieces of Imperial Chinese Ceramics from the Au Bak Ling Collection, 12th to 18th Centuries”; at the Royal Academy of Arts, Piccadilly. November 18 Auction of Chinese and Japanese ceramics and other works of art; at Phillips, 101 New Bond St. November 18—19 “Masterpieces of Ceramics in the Percival David Foundation,” a special session examining the collection. Contact Percival David Foundation, 53 Gordon Sq., London WC1H OPD; telephone Elizabeth Jackson, (171) 387-3909. November 19-May 31, 1999 “Rare Marks on Chinese Porcelain” exhibition; at Percival David Foundation, 53 Gordon Sq. November 20 Auction of Far Eastern ceramics and other artworks; at Bonhams, Montpelier Galler­ ies, Montpelier St. England, Middlesbrough November2—January 4 y 1999 Bob Washington retrospective; at the Cleveland Museum. England, Nottingham November 1—30 Bob Wash­ ington retrospective; at Rufford Crafts Centre. England, Stoke-on-Trent November 16-March 31, 1999 Bob Washington retrospective. Winchcome Pottery; at the Potteries Museum. France, Dieulefit through January 5, 1999 “Ceramiques Architecturales”; at Maison de la Terre, Parc de la Beaume. France, Nancay through December /^Exhibition of ceramics by Christine Fabre; at Galerie Capazza, Grenier de Villatre. France, Sevres through December 21 Gilbert Portanier, “Un magicien des couleurs”; at Musee national de Ceramique, Place de la Manufacture. December 1 “Le motif a la Berain en ceramique” lecture with Vincent l’herrou. For further infor­ mation, contact Societe des Amis du Musee Na­ tional de Ceramique, Place de la Manufacture, 92310 Sevres; telephone (41) 14 04 20. Germany, Braunschweig through November 19 “Shodai-Yaki Mizuhogama,” exhibition depict­ ing the 400-year history of Shodai pottery of Kyushu, Japan; at Stadtisches Museum, Form- sammlung, Lowenwall 16. India January 8-28, 1999 “South India Arts and Culture” with Judith Chase, James Danisch, Ray Meeker and Deborah Smith. All skill levels. Fee: $3500, includes materials, firing, lodging and meals. Contact Anderson Ranch Arts Center, PO Box 5598, Snowmass Village, CO 81615; tele­ phone (970) 923-3181, fax (970) 923-3871 or e-mail [email protected] India, Nepal February 5-26, 1999 “Exploring with the Potters of Nepal” with Doug Casebeer, Judith Chase, James Danisch and Santa Kumar Prajapati. All skill levels. Fee: $3500, includes

November 1998 93 Calendar

materials, firing, lodging and meals. Contact Anderson Ranch Arts Center, PO Box 5598, Snowmass Village, CO 81615; telephone (970) 923-3181, fax (970) 923-3871 or e-mail artranch@rof. net Italy, Deruta through November 7 “Deruta Ce­ ramics 1920-1950”; at Museo Regionale della Ceramica. through November 7 “The Ancient Ceramics of Deruta.” “Ceramic Art/New Generations”; at Ex- Fabbrica “Maioliche Deruta.” Italy, GualdoTadino through November 6“ phis: A Heterodox Experience.” “The Historical Forms of Gualdo Ceramics”; at Centro Promo- zionale della Ceramica. Italy, Gubbio through November 7“Mastro Giorgio of Gubbio: A Dazzling Career”; at Palazzo dei Consoli. through November 7 “The Gubbio Luster in the Historicist Culture of the 19th Century”; at Pa­ lazzo Ducale. Italy, Rome December 1-20 Two-person exhibi­ tion with ceramics by Irene “Niki” Martinelli; at La Bottega d’Arte di Umberto D’Arceto, via dei Cappellari, I 25. Japan, Mashiko through November 29 “The Sec­ ond Mashiko Ceramics Competition ’98”; at Pot­ tery Messe. Japan, Tajimi City through November 3 “Fifth International Ceramics Competition ’98 Mino Japan”; at Tajimi City Special Exhibition Hall, Tajimi City Gymnasium. Mexico, Oaxaca November 30—December 7 or January 25-February 1, 1999 “Six Villages Study Tour,” overview of indigenous Oaxacan pottery. Limited to 6 participants. Fee: $670, includes materials, lodging and most meals. December 14— 19 or January 11-16, 1999 “Oaxacan Pottery Workshop” focusing on the San Marcos, Zapotec handbuilding techniques. Includes visits to Coyotepec and Atzompa. Limited to 6 partici­ pants. Fee: $540, includes materials, lodging and most meals. For further information, contact Eric Mindling, Manos de Oaxaca, fax (952) 141-86 or e-mail [email protected] Netherlands, Amsterdam through November 7 “Millennia,” ceramics by Joseph Roschar; at JBK(gallery), Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 159-157. through November 18 Saturo Hoshino and Masayuki Inoue. November 21-December 16 Setsuko Nagasawa; at Galerie de Witte Voet, Kerkstraat 135. Netherlands, Arnhem November 14—January 31, 1999“Theepotten Steengoed”; at the Historisch Museum het Burgerweeshuis, Bovenbeekstraat 21. Netherlands, Deventer through November 7W%x\&- built ceramics by David Roberts and Tina Vlassopulos. November 15-December 19 Wood- fired stoneware by Claude Champy; at Loes and Reinier, Korte Assenstraat 15. Netherlands, Leeuwarden through January 10, 1999“ The Incas: Rulers of the Andes,” exhibition of over 200 ceramic objects plus some gold and silver; at Keramiekmuseum het Princessehof, Grote Kerkstraat 11. Netherlands, Oosterbeek through November 8 Porcelain by Arne Ase and Paula Bastiaansen. Teapots by 12 ceramists. November22—December 21 Porcelain by Judith deVries and Henk Wolvers; at Galerie Amphora, van Oudenallenstraat 3. Spain, Agost June 3-26, 1999 Workshop with Marcia Selsor, includes raku, soda, wood and electric kilns, plus visits to Barcelona, Granada and Cordoba. Fee: $2000; deposits due in De­ cember. Contact Marcia Selsor, (406) 259-7244 or e-mail [email protected]

94 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 95 2. Should the bottom of the saggar have a foot I will address your last few questions first: Questions ring, as well as a lid? Saggar firing can be done in an electric kiln, but there are several things that have to be Answered by the CM Technical Staff 3. How big should the saggar be (I can accom­ modate a 15-inch-diameter piece inside the considered. Usually, saggar firing is done in kiln)? fuel-fired kilns because they are already Q I have been working with burnished terra configured to exhaust the resultant gas and sigillata on earthenware, sawdust fired in a 4. How far from the elements should the walls smoke. In an electric kiln, you will likely have trash-can kiln. However, I would like to hand- of the saggar be? some smoke because the saggar will not be build a saggar with coils andfire the pieces in my 5. What temperature is needed in order to burn sealed perfectly. electric kiln. To make the saggar, I would like the sawdust? In fact, it is wot advised to seal the saggar, to use a local commercial stoneware body to as there is an atmospheric expansion on heat­ which I will add grog. Can you provide some 6. Will there be lots of smoke or any at all? ing it, and the saggar will crack open anyway. guidance on the following: 7. Would this damage the kiln in any way? Therefore, fire the kiln out-of-doors or have 1. Thickness of the walls of the saggar? Anything else I should know?—L.R. an exhaust system that is capable of removing the resultant smoke. Reduction atmospheres will damage and shorten the life of electric elements unless you take the proper precautions to protect them. I coat all unheated metal, including elements and thermocouples, with a zirco­ nium silicate product (ITC 213).This pro­ tects the alumina oxides on elements from the reducing effects of CO (carbon monox­ ide) and extends their life significantly. If you plan to saggar fire (or reduce) in your electric kiln, I would advise that you coat the ele­ ments with this or a similar product. It is important to remember that the heat produced in an electric kiln is primarily by radiation. There is little convection (heated air movement), and conduction will be by the saggar heating to a temperature high enough to ignite the sawdust inside. There­ fore, the saggar walls should not be too thick— ½ inch (8 millimeters) is as thick as you should make it. I would construct the saggar in three parts: a platelike bottom with a flange that allows lifting, a cylinder and a lid. With a lid and separate bottom, the caked sawdust can be easily removed. The space between the elements and the saggar should be no closer than 2½ inches (5 centimeters); this should allow enough room for both of your hands to position the saggar properly. The tempera­ ture you reach is not critical, except that you want the sawdust (dry) to ignite and smolder, so at least Cone 010—1650°F (900°C). Higher shouldn’t make a big difference. Nils Lou Linfield College McMinnville, Oregon

Q I am using a commercially prepared stone­ ware clay body with a firing range of Cone 4 to Cone 10. Most of my glazes are Cone 6, but sometimes I fire to Cone 5 to get the best color for certain glazes. When I fire the following glaze to Cone 5, it looks mature, with no apparent defects. How­ ever, if I allow water to remain in a fired vessel overnight, I notice some migration will occur, resulting in the unglazed bottom of the pot being damp. This does not occur if Ifire to one cone higher, but the color changes in a way I don’tparticularly like.

96 CERAMICS MONTHLY Floating Blue the abuse a dishwasher can give. The dish­ customers to not put this ware in the dish­ (Cone 5—6) washer may be the parent’s friend, but it’s a washer, though they might question the wis­ Gerstley Borate...... 27.0 % glaze’s worst nightmare. There are few worsedom of buying tableware that has to be Nepheline Syenite...... 47.3 things we can do to a glaze than subject it to washed by hand. Kaolin...... 5.4 dishwasher detergent on a daily basis. The Having said all this, there are a couple of Flint ...... 20.3 most durable glazes will remain unchanged glaze adj ustments you can try. The first would 100.0% over the years, but high-alkali, high-boron, be to add more silica to the glaze. This will Add: Cobalt Carbonate...... 1.5% low-silica glazes, such as this one, usually do both lower the thermal expansion (that is, Red Iron Oxide...... 2.0% not last as long. make the glaze more craze resistant) and Powdered Rutile...... 4.0% The answer may not be to change the might raise the maturing temperature enough glaze or clay body, but to change the way in that it will still look the way you want at Cone Is there any long-range problem associated which you now use Floating Blue. You could6 or 7. with using Floating Blue-glazed tablewarefired attempt using the glaze only on the outside of Here is your recipe with the silica adj usted to Cone 5 as described?—V.M. your pots, while using a more durable glaze upward to a 9 to 1 Si02 to A1203 ratio (on a Crazing is not always apparent, especially on the inside. You could also try asking yourunity basis): Continued with glazes that have such high-color density like this one. You may be better able to see the crazing in very bright light; another trick is to place a little food coloring on the pot to stain the crazing. I’m almost certain that this glaze is crazing, and there are several reasons why it’s doing that. The first problem that leaps out is the “range” of your clay. While most clay bodies do work over a range, I’m skeptical of one working well from Cone 4 to 10. From your description of the problem, it sounds as if the clay is immature at Cone 5. One of the problems of an immature clay body is that it will exhibit excessive moisture expansion. What this means is that the pot will swell a little from water that it absorbs from the air or from washing (the same way that a dry sponge will expand when it is placed in water). The result of this swelling is that a glaze that might otherwise fit will tend to develop crazing because it is “stretched” by the clay itself. You may not be seeing any crazing on the pieces that are fired to Cone 6 because the body is mature enough at the slightly higher temperature. On the other hand, the glaze may still be crazed, but the body may be mature enough to prevent water from leaking through. My guess is that the glaze is crazed at this temperature as well and that it would craze on most clay bodies also, regardless of the temperature to which it is fired. This glaze is high in alkali (sodium and potassium) and low in silica—both charac­ teristics that would contribute to crazing. It’s also pretty high in boron for a Cone 5-6 glaze, which can have a negative effect on both durability and glaze fit. We could change the glaze formula to fix these “flaws,” but you would probably find that the glaze would no longer look the way you want it to. Most potters like glazes that “do things,” and in order to get these interest­ ing effects, we tend to push the envelope of what a glaze chemist might consider the practical limits. What we gain by this practice is much more visually interesting surfaces; what we lose are things like durability and glaze fit. I seriously doubt that this glaze would hold up well over the long term, especially to November 1998 97 Questions in progress. Often, areas are reworked several Your work can be placed on these plaster times. I am told these are the reasons the pieces shelves and kept workable for indefinite peri­ break in firing. They do not explode; various ods of time, with careful monitoring. Floating Blue parts simply make a clean break. They can be I suspect from your description of the way (Cone 6?) glued, filled, stained and waxed, but never your work breaks, the problem could also be Gerstley Borate...... 22.9% glazed, nor conscionably sold. the way you dry the work. You might con­ Nepheline Syenite...... 40.1 Since I make molds of the pieces for repro­ sider building a second damp box, complete Kaolin...... 4.6 duction, it makes sense to me to eliminate a lot with plaster shelves, to help add moisture to Flint ...... 32.4 of hassle by making a matrix ofPlastilina, and the air, to dry the work very slowly. Drying of 100.0% forgetting firing an original. thick work can take as much as a month. Add: Cobalt Carbonate...... 1.5% I have heard that plasticine can be made by Remember, as the work dries, it will shrink. Red Iron Oxide...... 2.0% mixing dry clay with oil. There must be more to You might want to place the piece on 1 xlA- Powdered Rutile...... 4.0% it than that. Words can V describe my experi­ inch dowel rods to allow shrinkage move­ mental messes! Td like to know the ingredients ment when drying. As an aside, this glaze doesn’t need any and process for making plasticine, if there is a I have made plasticine for my beginning bentonite (because of the Gerstley borate), practical way.—C.B. sculpture students here at the University of but it might apply more easily if it were Working clay over a long period of time Alabama. We used the following recipe, sup­ flocculated with a little Epsom salts—0.25% often allows the surface to dry, which will plied by Sloss Furnace, a National Historic or so. cause the cracking problems you have de­ Iron Foundry in Birmingham, Alabama: The other thing that you might want to scribed. Let me make a few suggestions be­ Melt 8 pounds microcrystalline sculpture try is a more mature clay body. Look for one fore I give you the information on plasticine. wax (medium hardness) in a small barrel set that the manufacturer says is good for Cone From your description of the work, and the on bricks and heated with a small propane 4 to 7. That lower limit would usually indi­ fact that you are firing the originals, you burner, being careful to keep it below the cate it really is reaching maturity in the might want to consider using a damp box. point of smoking. Add 1 pint nondetergent middle cone range. An old refrigerator makes an excellent motor oil and 2h pound lithium grease, then Peter Pinnell damp box. You can also build a damp box toslowly stir in 5 pounds ball clay and 5 pounds Assistant Professor of Art your specifications with marine plywood kaolin. Once the clay is totally blended, add University of Nebraska, Lincoln painted with a high-quality waterproof paint. 10-20 pounds portland cement, until mix­ Plaster shelves are often used in damp boxes. ture is the proper consistency. Remove small Q I do detailed, time-consuming sculpture. They can be soaked in water and placed in thesamples and allow it to cool to test for the This necessitates many rehydrations of the work box to add moisture to the air. desired plasticity. When the mix is to your

98 CERAMICS MONTHLY liking, dump the batch onto a thick plastic sheet to cool. Easily stored in plastic buckets (available at most hardware or paint stores), this plasticine mix can be reused over and over again. If the mix becomes too sticky, you can wedge in more clay to make it firmer; if it becomes too hard, you can heat the mixture to make it more pliable or re-cook the mix­ ture to add more oil. I think you will find it easy to use, and good for making originals from which to make molds. Be careful to clean your hands thoroughly before handling bisqued ware. Any oil deposited on clay surfaces will cause glazes to crawl. W. Lowell Baker University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Q Td like to know more about the possible toxicity of black copper oxide in glazes. The following are two glaze recipes that especially interest me: Black Matt Glaze (Cone 9—10, reduction) Whiting...... 21.0% Nepheline Syenite...... 43.0 Kaolin...... 12.0 Flint...... 24.0 100.0% Add: Bentonite...... 1.5% Copper Carbonate...... 0.5% Copper Oxide...... 2.5%

Green Glaze (Cone 04) High-alkali Frit...... 75.0% Kaolin...... 15.0 Flint...... 10.0 100.0% Add: Copper Oxide...... 1.5% Red Iron Oxide...... 6.0%

One of my supply catalogs states that black copper oxide “should not be used on food or beverage containers. ” I know that copper oxide and copper carbonate are considered toxic when in the raw state, but this is the first time I have encountered a warning about toxicity in a fired glaze. Can you clarify this for me?—A.J. First, all copper in glazes winds up in the same state—CuO. There is some sense to using the carbonate because of the finer par­ ticle size it has. Using copper oxide can also result in specks of color. The carbonate is less strong than the oxide, so you would need to use a greater amount to get the color you are trying to achieve. To convert the amount of copper oxide to copper carbonate (to get the same amount of CuO), you need to multiply by 1.55. There is always a limit to the amount of a coloring oxide that can be held in solution as a glaze cools. When that limit is exceeded,

November 1998 99 Questions

then the oxide will condense on the surface of the glaze, where it will be easily dissolved by some foods. What you are asking has to do with the amount of copper in the glaze and how “durable” the glaze is. The durability of the glaze is a crucial factor. If the glaze is not a “good” glass, then no matter how little cop­ per is present, it is liable to leach out under certain conditions. The other side of this coin is that no matter how durable the glaze is, if you put in too much of a coloring oxide, it will end up on the surface of the piece and combine with some foods. Metallic oxides: we need small amounts of many, but an oversupply can be harmful. The question is, how much is too much? As a potter who makes some functional work (see Ceramics Monthly, JunelJulylAugust 1994), I am concerned about this aspect of producing ware that will be in contact with many foods under many conditions. My philosophy is be careful. There is so much disagreement about toxicity, I usually come to the conclusion that I just don’t have enough information to be sure, so I err on the safe side. I certainly do not think that it is my job to be prescribing trace elements for any person’s diet. The Cone 10 glaze looks like a durable glaze to me; however, the black is probably pure copper oxide. This is certainly not the kind of glaze I want to eat off of, because the copper cannot be held in solution (some­ times you can rub it off). At any rate, it will react with acids and may even discolor in use. My advice is to lower the copper content as much as possible. When I calculate the Cone 04 glaze using Ferro Frit 3110 and Edgar Plastic Kaolin (EPK), I see that it is an unbalanced glaze— high in sodium and silica. Sodium often makes glazes soluble; cop­ per has the same reputation. That, combined with the fact that low-fire glazes are more difficult to make durable, makes me think that lowering the copper oxide as much as you possibly can would be the best course here, too. Ron Roy Ceramics Consultant Scarborough, Ontario

Have a problem? Subscribers’ questions are welcome, and those of interest to the ceramics community in general will be an­ swered in this column. Due to volume, letters may not be answered personally. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail to [email protected] or fax to (614) 891-8960.

100 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 101 Letters engineering field, the phases are designated and 240, 220 or 208 volts will be derived by the letters and colors: A or LI (black), B between any two hot legs, depending on Continued from page 8 or L2 (red) and C or L3 (blue). A six-elementwhat the utility company transformer out in three-phase kiln should be wired as follows: the street is supplying. There is no system kiln, motor or any other type of equipment elements 1 and 2 will have phase A (Lll that provides 240 volts from one hot leg can be wired with three wires, three hot legs black) and B (L21red) connected; elements 3 referenced to neutral or ground except a 277/ and the metal conduit acting as a groundl and 4 will have phase B (L2!red) and C (L3/ 480 volt system, which is found only in neutral; four wires, three hot legs and the blue) connected; and elements 5 and 6 will modern industrial plant use. In that particu­ metal conduit acting as a ground; or five have A (LUblack) and C (L3/blue) con­ lar system, each hot leg is 277 volts refer­ wires, three hot legs, a neutral and a dedi­ nected. Elements 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and enced to neutral or ground and 480 volts cated ground wire. The color coding for a 6 can be wired either in series or parallel, between any two hot legs. three-, four- or five-wire system is: the three depending on their specifications. Finally, the utility company charges by hot legs are black, red and blue; neutral is In a three-phase configuration, each leg the kilowatt, $0.09 to $0.13 per kilowatt white; and green is ground. In the electricalreferenced to neutral or ground is 120 volts, hour, depending on location, so three-phase and one-phase equipment with the same wattage cost the same to run. Joseph Catanzaro, Kiln-Ray Services Warwick, New York

Individual Style As a ceramics student, I have found this magazine most helpful for information and ideas. However, in the Letters section I find that people want more information on the how-to process. I see CM as a source for ideas in all areas. I do not expect the magazine to be a how-to publication. Each person needs to seek his or her own individual style, and from this comes many abstract and diverse ideas that reflect the experiences of the artist’s reaction to the clay. In Ceramics Monthly, I see a variety in style and composition that gives my creativity a spark of enthusiasm. It is good to see func­ tional, nonfunctional and abstract works in the same magazine. Sometimes I think people want ideas handed to them, but that is not the magazine’s job. Don’t worry about the mis­ takes that are sometimes made. It’s okay to lose a pot or two in the kiln. Alford Wayman, Scranton, Pa.

New Tricks For years I have been enjoying Ceramics Monthly, so much so that I decided to try my hand at ceramics. I registered at a small university here called Nicholls State Univer­ sity. My intention was to just try it for one semester, but I got hooked. I have just completed my third semester and am planning to register again in the fall. It feels so good that at my age I can get ex­ cited about a new career—never did believe you could not teach an old dog new tricks. Come December, I will be 74 years young. I feel so good about this that I wanted to let CM know it is largely responsible. Please accept my sincere thanks. Floyd Toups, Thibodaux, La.

Fueling the Dream Machine I just came in from playing “let’s pretend I’m a pug mill.” So believe me when I tell people I work in clay, I have complete affir­ mation in what I do! Half a decade ago, I

102 CERAMICS MONTHLY encountered my first Ceramics Monthly in an backgrounds are now working together to resources in a cooperative way that benefits out-of-town library. I pulled the subscriptioncollect the clay from every country of the not only themselves, but also future genera­ card and waited. I am the emaciated of the world, and the project has an official associa­tions, other cultures and the planet at large. starving artists, so I knew I would have to tion with the United Nations. In 2000, this “world clay” will be used to wait to subscribe. I also felt (at the time) I This is an excellent opportunity for the create a sculpture at the United Nations would be too easily influenced by others, readers of CM to help advance the field of Headquarters in New York City. Through work and could not allow the bright colors ceramics in the eyes of the world. This globalinternational communication and joint and mesmerizing shapes to “trip me up” in effort will put clay in a public context, free effort, a world mandala will be created, sym­ my work. Then last summer I ordered CM asfrom the old craft-versus-art dilemma. All of bolizing the cooperation and respect for the a birthday gift for myself. us who work in clay will benefit from this environment that is possible among the This magazine is like super octane fuel to collective effort. diverse people of the world. keep my dream machine movin’! I have read The United Nations will use CGWP to All potters interested in collecting clay for every word of every issue countless times. My focus attention on the concept of sustainablethis project should contact CGWP to register. pitiful summer issue is hanging by a thread development: the idea that the diverse people You will be sent forms to be returned with since it must survive three times the use and of the world must share the earth’s finite the clay. Write to Clay Collection, CGWP, adoration. I have renewed my “gift” subscrip­ tion and have learned some things do get better with age. Older and wiser, I know now not to limit my influences. Because in our art, when we are true to our work, our souls show a little. CM is such a fascinating and beautiful window for artists willing to share a peek at their souls. Thanks a gazillion! Jenn I. West, Decatur, Ala.

Positive and Progressive CM strikes a great balance between the pragmatic side of ceramics and aesthetic theory. Each issue is a lifeline for me! Thanks for the positive and progressive vision. Anne L. Bullock, Walla Walla, Wash.

Diverse Viewpoint Even though there are some issues of the magazine when there’s very little of what I see that I like, I’m tired of all the letters from people grumping and groaning “too much of this, not enough of that.” Get over it! Diver­ sity is what makes the clay world go ’round. Judi Tordo, Guilford, Conn.

Congratulations Just a quick message to congratulate the Ceramics Monthly team for the consistently great quality of the magazine. I am only an enthusiastic beginner in the world of pottery, but I find the CM articles extremely interest­ ing, particularly the ones more on the techni­ cal side (I am keeping out of the form/ function debate) and potters reminiscing about their lives/experiences. Roberta Capogna Bateman, Cambridge, U.K.

Common Ground Several years ago, I wrote the following in my journal: “It would be fascinating to take clay from every country of the world and create a ‘world clay body,’ make a symbol, a meta­ phor, of the world as we know it....” This recurring idea seemed to be just another wild fantasy, far too complicated and costly to actualize. However, a year ago, the Common Ground World Project (CGWP) was born. People of diverse cultures, ages and

November 1998 103 Letters

432 West 19th Street, New York, New York 10011; e-mail [email protected] or telephone (212) 266-1850. For further information, visit the website at http://www.petroglyph.com/CG WP.html Neil Tetkowski, New York City

More Tricks of the Trade I would like to see more on potters’ triclcs of the trade in lieu of the far-out, kind of weird things that fill so many pages now. I suspect CM has a fair percentage of readers who don’t have the time or skill to make similar examples of the far-outs. Put another way, potters who sit down for three hours weeldy want to produce five or six pots, not just one-quarter of one pot. Richard De Grey, Flintridge, Calif.

Treasure Trove I used to read Ceramics Monthly infre­ quently in the ’70s, as a hobbyist, and now that I am a self-employed commercial artist with more time to devote to volume sales from some slab work and stoneware sculp­ ture, it’s an inspiration. CM has evolved into a trove of information and delights. Hooray! Maurea Sleesman, Weeki Wachee, Fla.

Motivation CM is my MM (main motivator). When I have artist’s block and can’t get myself going, all I have to do is pick up my CM and get excited about something. I read every issue from cover to cover and never fail to learn something new. Rachel Bates, Ft. Worth, Tex.

Thrilled As a recent subscriber to your publication, I want to say how thrilled I am with the issues I have received so far. The variety of topics, the quality of the paper and photo­ graphs, the information about workshops, exhibits, sales, etc., and even the advertise­ ments provide such a wealth of information. I read each issue from cover to cover and revisit them often. Thanks for providing such a high-quality resource. Judith Brunell, North Dartmouth, Mass.

Yum Ceramics Monthly is my soul food! Pege Cogswell, Folsom, La.

Source for Inspiration CM is a great source for inspiration. I soak up the juicy photos of pots and use the technical information every day. I’d like to see an article on using recycled materials, i.e., ground glass and other ways to make clayworking more “earth friendly.” Chris Moench, Bellingham, Wash.

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In the Coil: The Collectors Urge by Delia Robinson

On the window sill, glowing in the morn­ After courtship by a number of other ing light, sat a long row of miniature, institutions, the family sent the bulk of unglazed, red clay pitchers. They were all the collection to the George R. Gardiner identical, each with a perky little spout Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, and a strap handle. “Aren’t they charm­ Canada. They felt this museum was ex­ ing?” my friend said with enthusiasm. emplary. Willing to display (not just store) “They’re water whistles! I got them in the porcelain, the museum is also de­ Cordova.” She had just returned from voted to teaching. A lobby full of clay- vacationing in Spain, first escaping, but smeared children attending a workshop then returning to deep snow and inces­ was highly influential on the decision. sant storms. Such enthusiasm, the family believed, While enjoying the novelty of bright meshed with Syzs vision. Using his col­ sun and a vivid landscape, she had lection as a teaching tool had always been searched for me­ a driving force mentos to bring in the acquisi­ friends and neigh­ Most of us prefer picturing ourselves as tion of new bors. Discovering a world-wise and not easily fooled. works, and had potter, she bought increasingly di­ a small clay water But show us the object we collect> and rected his pur­ whistle. Thrown we grow weak and pliable. chases as he on a wheel, it cost sought to reveal about $2. Later, in relationships in her hotel room, she realized this was the elements of ceramic style, manufacture perfect gift for everyone on her list— and technical development. endearing, inexpensive, handmade, liter­ Why had Syz collected so much? He ally singing of the sun-baked land and was a man of broad interests who could shaped from actual Spanish earth. She be described as a “Grand Scheme” collec­ went back and bought 20. Once home, tor. If a piece revealed some feature that she wished she had gotten more. She was fit his overall design, in it came. But what finding it hard to let go of them. had converted him from a person with Owning more than one of something an eye for beauty into a collector with an can get to you. It can flip an unsuspect­ acquisitional zeal analogous to that of a ing person into a “collector” mode. This little boy scooping up baseball cards? can lead to insatiable yearnings. Ulti­ He had been hooked by a misfortune mately, judgment and caution are thrown of war. Exquisite examples of European away in the lust to acquire more, more, ceramics reached the marketplace at rea­ more of the desired item. When asked sonable prices. In rescuing these lovely how much money was enough, a great pieces—often not appreciated for their tycoon (who could be considered a col­ historical and artistic interest—Syz be­ lector of money), replied, “Just a little came a collector with an unquenchable more than you already have.” thirst for porcelain. Collectors of pottery feel the same way. When people are bitten by the collect­ The best find is the next find. The late ing bug, there is not much they can do Hans Syz had amassed hundreds of ex­ about it. Though some are propelled by amples of 18th-century porcelain, yet compulsion and others by the pleasure of never lost his passion for the quest. On the chase, the collecting urge is a de­ his death, his children, not collectors manding one. One voracious collector themselves, were left with the task of find­ says he is a “self-appointed keeper of the ing a place to display his immense, now past,” yet he admits the elation he feels priceless, survey of fine porcelain. The when he adds to his collection is more Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Mu­ compelling than the archival satisfaction. seum of Art took portions of this monu­ Unlike Hans Syz, who maintained in­ mental assemblage. tellectual control over his selections, this

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“self-appointed keeper” has an insatiable yen for all kinds of things, including piles of clay marbles, doorknobs and pottery oddments. His major interest is in quan­ tity not quality; he wants lots of these things. One clay marble is just one clay marble. A bagful is gratifying. A box full is thrilling. Whatever the idiosyncratic fixation, it often represents the window out which judgment flies. Most of us prefer pictur­ ing ourselves as world-wise and not easily fooled. But show us the object we collect, and we grow weak and pliable. We have all seen people struggle under collecting compulsions. A frog egg cup? “I collect frogs and by gum, there’s not a frog egg cup in the lot!” one might say, and out comes the wallet as if pulled from a pocket by strings. Friends will groan and roll their eyes, but nothing can be done. This mysterious urge can sweep a per­ son into somewhat dangerous territory. Craving pottery by famous potters, a friend of mine will nearly bankrupt him­ self when the compulsion strikes. He has a small collection of pots carrying power­ ful names like Leach and Hamada, but he cannot rest. These pots seem to re­ quire further companionship. He help­ lessly gets clobbered by the bills this little collection engenders. Happily, his starvation for “Pots of the Great” solved a problem I had. If I hadn’t myself experienced the hunger a collector feels (I will trample and grab to get any­ thing that is made of clay that whistles), I might not have acted as I did. I had been given an unusually homely little pot made by Beatrice Wood, a pot­ ter whose work I generally adore. This was not one of her celestial golden chal­ ices, just a small vase with a dull glaze that had failed to bloom. The faintest shadows of violet and blue lurked in the dry surface, hinting at the loveliness the potter had dreamed of. Every time I looked at it, I would feel sad. “Anyone can make a mistake” the sorrowful little pot seemed to say, and hearing that, I would feel ashamed and guilty. I felt I should love this little pot, but I couldn’t. Finally, I packed it up and sent it to my friend with the famous-name collec­ tion. Others scolded me. “That was a valuable pot! How could you just give it

110 CERAMICS MONTHLY November 1998 111 Comment place, with handling by others discour­ Compton has begun decorously collect­ aged, they are usually encircled by the ing examples of work by other potters hope that the collection will never be and has them attractively displayed away?” But it could never approach its broken up. Your work could not find around his house. As of yet, there is no highest value until it was in the right better homes. Plus, they might submit to suggestion of a grand scheme or of hoard­ hands. In my hands, it was sorry and further cravings and come rushing back ing, rather, a thoughtful process of choos­ apologetic. In my friends hands, it is a for more. ing a piece of work that represents radiant and lovely work, glowing with The collectors’ temerity in seeking “it” someone he wants to remember. On re­ the wonder of “The Name.” can be remarkable. In a showroom, their cent trips, he has returned with wonder­ The late Beatrice Wood was a remark­ excitement can be contagious, sparking ful pieces by potters he visited. Even better able woman, who at mid-life (when many sales frenzies in their effort to secure the than snapshots, they hold the memory of of us start thinking of fold­ the potter’s hands, the in­ ing our tents) embarked on If you are lucky enough to have customers who are collec­ tention of his or her mind, a stellar pottery career. For and the clay of the place. my friend, the little pot tors, treat them tenderly and sell them your best pieces. As a novice collector, he signed “Beato” says “cour­ is happily gathering new age!” and other brave words. Whatever enhances their collection, they must have. You pieces, unaware that even the It is a perfect adjunct to his get the unusual assurance that your work will be treated most polite collection might collection. I wished I could someday rear up and throw have seen it as he does, but I with reverential care, as if placed in a shrine. its clay coils around him. He just wanted it to whistle. will be insatiably squeezed, If you are lucky enough to have cus­ desired object. For those not up to the pressed to “round out” the collection in tomers who are collectors, treat them ten­ tussle, there are other options. One some way. Then decorum will end. He derly and sell them your best pieces. woman has a website for the sole purpose will have no choice but to submit, to Whatever enhances their collection, they of locating a ceramic Donald Duck pie become a procuring agent for his ambi­ must have. You get the unusual assurance bird, without which her collection is in­ tious collection. The good part is he will that your work will be treated with rever­ complete and her life unfulfilled. have the time of his life. ential care, as if placed in a shrine. Of course, the impulse isn’t always To collectors, the items amassed are desperate or frenetic. Many of us are quite The author A frequent contributor to CM, sacred in some curious way. Carefully dignified in our collecting (I can’t hon­ Delia Robinson maintains a studio in Mont­ documented and kept in a protected estly include myself). Vermont potter Bob pelier, Vermont.

Index to Advertisers

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