Everyone loves a potluck.

“From January 10 through February 6 (closing reception – Friday, February 6 7:00!!), Red Deer’s bilton contemporary art will host Service: Dinner for Strangers, a gallery installation that at its most basic, a series of potlucks held in the gallery over the course of one month.

This exhibition is the latest of artist Robin Lambert’s continuing research into the crossing of contemporary visual arts, craft culture, the handmade object, and art as service. At the heart of the exhibition, Lambert is sharing a diversity of visual and cultural ideas through the hosting of a potluck. Eating together and sharing food is an intimate experience through which people can learn about each other, about new ideas, and, in this case, about art, craft and the community in which we live.

The gallery exhibition includes a simple display of 21 ceramic dinner sets made by three different ceramic artists – Robin Dupont, Maggie Finlayson and Candice Ring. Over the course of the exhibition the gallery will host three potluck dinners for seven strangers from Red Deer and area and each dinner will be eaten off a different set of dishes from the gallery display.”

For more information contact the Bilton Contemporary Art Space or Robin Lambert


My sincerest best wishes to you and your loved ones for the holidays. May there be peace, happiness and health in your life.
All the best for the new year!

Upcoming NCECA Deadline

Call for 2009 Topical Discussions and NCECA Connections Proposals
DEADLINE December 22, 2008

The Call for 2009 Topical Discussion and NCECA Connections Proposals opened in early November. NCECA would like to hear from members attending the NCECA 2009 conference who are interested in participating as group leaders. Group leaders are needed for Topical Discussions and NCECA Connections.

This is an opportunity to lead a breakout session in an area about which you have particular interest. This is also time to lead your group to network and share information.

Check out the NCECA website for more info.

Call for Papers – Cross cultural exchanges in craft and design

The Craft Australia Research Centre is seeking contributions for 2009 on the theme – Cross cultural exchanges in craft and design. We invite papers that interrogate cross-cultural practices, communicate the breadth of activity across cultural exchanges, and establish a dialogue between practice and policy for a rich and sustainable culture. We particularly welcome articles from authors who are involved in inter or trans-disciplinary research as it relates to the broad fields of contemporary craft and design practice.

Areas for consideration in this theme include:

* Tourism and museums as a driver for innovative cross cultural practice
* The role of design and manufacture in cross cultural engagement
* Innovation for social and cultural sustainability
* The impact of government policies on cultural sustainability
* Mentoring between communities
* The internet and the global market for Indigenous craft and design

Deadline for submissions: 30 June 2009.

Email papers to [email protected]
See website for more info and authors guidelines.

Floral explorations (yet all I see is snow outside my window…)

Lately i’ve been coveting the work of Molly Hatch ( check out her etsy shop here) and just ran across this upcoming exhibition of her work and the work of Megan Bogonovich, Kim Dickey, Maria Dondero, Kristen Kieffer, and Tim Ludwig. Looks to be a fantastic show.

Floral Explorations runs December 19 – January 17, 2009

Check out more on the Sante Fe Clay website.

(Their following show looks fantastic too – “What the Future May Hold: Artists Consider the Post-Bush World”)