focus MONTHLY pots and function and pots Tina Gebhart and other potters discuss the design, production, use, and terminology of pots. focus pots and function DECEMBER 2009 $7.50 (Can$9) www.ceramicsmonthly.org America’s Most Trusted Glazes™ Celebration18 Colors Cone 5-6 Dinnerware by Tracy Gamble amaco.com/celebration-cone-5-6-glazes-for-dinnerware Ceramics Monthly December 2009 1 MONTHLY Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial Craft is a Verb [email protected] telephone: (614) 895-4213 23rd Annual North Carolina fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall assistant editor Holly Goring Potters Conference assistant editor Jessica Knapp editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Asheboro, NC Advertising/Classifieds [email protected] March 5 - 7, 2010 telephone: (614) 794-5834 fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] Featured Presenters: telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel Lorna Meaden Bruce Cochrane advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing Sarah Jeager Jeff Zamek telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Ayumi Horie Elaine Olafson Henry Subscriptions/Circulation Artist: Lorna Meaden customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Registration, including all meals: $175 Design/Production production editor Cynthia Griffith (Space limited to 175) design Paula John Editorial and advertising offices 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Register online at Westerville, Ohio 43082 Editorial Advisory Board www.randolphartsguild.com Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Sponsored by the Randolph Arts Guild Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada (336) 629-0399 Bernard Pucker; Director, Pucker Gallery, Boston Phil Rogers; Potter and Author, Wales Jan Schachter; Potter, California Mark Shapiro; Worthington, Massachusetts Susan York; Santa Fe, New Mexico Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July and August, by Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082; www.ceramics.org. 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This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, or for advertising or promotional purposes, or to republishing items in whole or in part in any work in any format. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Publisher, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2009, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org Ceramics Monthly December 2009 2 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 3 “L&L kilns keep looking new for decades. - Lisa Orr” discovered L&L when I bought a beautiful used L&L kiln in the 1980’s that had been built in the 1960’s. I used it for I years. These kilns keep looking new for decades because of the element holders. Now with the zone control, they fire absolutely evenly from top to bottom. All of this excellent engineering, along with their reasonable prices, make L&L the best electric kiln on the market. ” - Lisa Orr, Austin TX Lisa Orr has been a professional potter and student of ceramics for 25 years. She completed an MFA at the NYSCC at Alfred University in 1992 and later received grants including a Fulbright and a MAAA/NEA. Her work is in numerous public and private collections including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Currently she teaches, lectures and shows nationally. Find out more at www.lisaorr.com L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element holders protect your kiln. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 Toll Free: 877.468.5456 Fax: 856.294.0070 Ceramics [email protected] Monthly December 2009 4 DECEMBER 2009 / Volume 57 Number 10 “L&L kilns keep looking new MONTHLY for decades. - Lisa Orr focus pots and function ” 31 Function, Utility, and Balance at the Strictly Functional Pottery National Several potters included in the 2009 Strictly Functional Pottery National discuss their pieces in the exhibition—from teapots to egg trays, from the kitchen to the living room, from concept to execution—and the qualities necessary to make those pieces successful. Function can mean different things to different people, and these potters all bring something insightful to the table. 54 Perfection, Repair, and Use by Megan Fizzell In attempts to deepen the communication between maker and user, four artists take a sideways glance at what accepted definitions of function and use can mean. features 45 Nuala Creed by Diane Chin Lui Current political and social commentary crosses paths with seemingly innocent figurative sculpture in a combination that is both accessible and disturbing. 48 MFA Factor: Syracuse University A well-established institution encourages tradition as well as curiosity. 52 Roxanne Jackson: We Believe in Something by Christopher Atkins A sculptor explores the similarities and differences between humans and animals, instinct and reason, through such diverse sources as religion and the monster lore discovered L&L when I bought a beautiful used L&L kiln of horror films. monthly methods Fierce Fangs and Furry Flocking in the 1980’s that had been built in the 1960’s. I used it for I 54 years. These kilns keep looking new for decades because of the element holders. Now with the zone control, they fire absolutely cover: Lobed teapot, 6 in. (15 cm) in height, porcelain, salt fired to cone 10, by Tina Gebhart, Berea, evenly from top to bottom. All of this excellent engineering, Kentucky; page 43. along with their reasonable prices, make L&L the best electric kiln on the market. ” - Lisa Orr, Austin TX Lisa Orr has been a professional potter and student of ceramics for 25 years. She completed an MFA at the NYSCC at Alfred University in 1992 and later received grants including a Fulbright and a MAAA/NEA. Her work is in numerous public and private collections including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. Currently she teaches, lectures and shows nationally. Find out more at www.lisaorr.com L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element 35 holders protect your kiln. 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 Toll Free: 877.468.5456 Fax: 856.294.0070 [email protected] Ceramics Monthly December 2009 5 departments 8 from the editor 10 letters from readers 12 answers from the CM technical staff 14 suggestions from readers 14 Tip of the Month: the scrapper keeper 16 upfront reviews, news, and exhibitions 58 call for entries 58 International Exhibitions 58 United States Exhibitions 60 Regional Exhibitions 60 Fairs and Festivals 62 book review Unpacking the Collection: Selections from the Museum of Contemporary Craft by Namita Gupta Wiggers 64 calendar 64 Conferences 64 Solo Exhibitions 66 Group Ceramics Exhibitions 70 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions 72 Fairs, Festivals and Sales 72 Workshops 78 classified advertising 79 index to advertisers 80 comment The Akal Exchange: From Our Hands to Yours 17 by Linda Hillman online www.ceramicartsdaily.org information and inspiration from inside the artist’s studio Features Tips, techniques, profiles, and more—delivered to your inbox. Education Listings of colleges, classes, guilds, workshops, and residencies. Galleries Artist gallery pages, plus our comprehensive listing of museums and galleries that showcase ceramic art. Bookstore Complete line of ceramic art books to inspire, inform, and instruct. Free Gifts Handy downloadable resources for the studio, including projects, recipes, our annual Buyer’s Guide, and more! Magazines Current and archived features, exhibition reviews, article index. 22 19 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 6 Ceramics Monthly December 2009 7 from the editor by Sherman Hall Who remembers the beginning of this year? readers. The change in logo is meant, in part, More specifically, who remembers their New to signal those changes (particularly to those emerging artist Year’s resolutions? Ours here at CM was to who haven’t seen us for a while).