by Carole Epp | Jan 9, 2013 | Uncategorized
david gamble
roberta massuch
julia galloway & andy brayman
andy shaw
martina lantin
shawn o’connor
roberta massuch
adams puryear
richard nickel
adams puryear
Elisa N. Di Feo
richard nickel
sandi pierantozzi
Rachel Garceau
kelly o’briant
david eichelberger
ben carter
tracey payne gamble
elizabeth kandall
alex irvine
emily reason
nate prouty
alex irvine
jason burnett
kelly o’briant
natalie tornatore
by Carole Epp | Jan 7, 2013 | Uncategorized
As anyone whose every attended a residency can attest to it’s beyond all else overwhelming. This is not a bad thing by any means, but it does result in the inability to verbalize adequately all of the amazing conversations, sights, sounds, and artworks that surrounds you. My intentions were to blog everyday and share all the details of my trip to Arrowmont, yet now that i’m finally siting at the computer i’m lost, not sure where to begin, and more than slightly aware of the magnitude of information that has been packed into my brain over the last few days.
As many of you might know this is my first real venture away from my littlest babe so it’s been a time for re-awakening the dormant parts of my creative brain after a long sleep. This alone has made the transition back into a communal studio where academic and creative language abounds a bit stressful for me. The theoretical mind is a muscle that if not stretched dies off and not much short of shock therapy is needed to get it working again.
So i began my travels with a day of flights from the cold north of
Saskatchewan down into the Southern United States and the great state of
Tennessee. I’ve never been this far south in the USA and quite honestly
had no idea what to expect. There is as always with Americans a
generosity and kindness, humor and sincerity that always brings me back
to the USA happily. Tennessee has a wealth of beautiful scenery to
behold and the drive from Knoxville to Gatlinburg (where Arrowmont is
located) was a road trip to burn into memory. The Smoky Mountain
National Park was lovely this time of year and I predict would be even
more breathtaking in the summer or fall months.
A little on why I’m here: Early last year I received one of those emails that makes you giddy and uncontrollably dance happily around your kitchen (hopefully only for you to see). Jason Burnett, one of my current favorite contemporary potters contacted me regarding The Ceramic Surface Forum, which is a week long forum in it’s second year. Its an initiative that Jason pitched to Arrowmont and which Arrowmont eagerly supported, and somehow, just somehow I got on the ceramic gods good side and was invited to participate this year. I’ll be posting images of the other artists work over the next few days and will get around to posting links to all of their websites right away as well. For me this was the perfect way to start off my year. Last year was a blur, a baby, some sales, a move, who knows what else. And at the end of it all i was shocked to realize that a year had gone by without me having made even one new figurative sculpture. What?! I know. Embarrassing. That part of my brain had given itself up to the survival mode of parenting and craft sales. But in the fall I had applied for a grant with the Saskatchewan Arts Board which I recently found out I had received. This grant would financially support this residency as well as a research based trip to Los Angeles later this spring (more on that another time) and the production of a new body of figurative work.
So i looked that this week away at Arrowmont as the perfect way to start sketching ideas and content development for this new project. Plus on top of it all I would be surrounded by artists with a wealth of knowledge, particularly regarding ceramic surface techniques which I could learn from, test and possibly incorporate into new surface treatments for my figurative work.
Urgh glaze testing. How I hate thee. But with only a week and the inability to really bring anything back with me there was no point in making any sculptures – even if the idea of a weeks worth of uninterrupted days could have resulted in more physical work than what i created all last year. So instead i’m spending a lot of time peering over shoulders and learning, engaging in conversations about clay, craft, academia, life, you name it, and basically easing my way back into a making mode. Needless to say it’s been lovely, truly exactly what i needed and more.
For now I’ll leave you with some eye candy from around the studio as i’m eager to get away from this computer and back to the studio. I promise to fill you in more about Arrowmont, Gatlinburg and all of the artists i have the pleasure and honor to be working beside as soon as i have a spare minute. Until then enjoy!
by Carole Epp | Jan 3, 2013 | Uncategorized
I can hardly wait…tomorrow morning i’ll be flying to Tennesse for a week away at a residency at Arrowmont. Jason Burnett, a current artist in residence at Arrowmont has invited a very cool looking list of artists out for a week long residency : the Ceramic Surface Forum 2013.
Not only am i excited about all of the creative shoulders i’ll be able to peak over and learn from, but for me it’s a perfect way to get my brain back into a head space for creating figurative sculptures. This last year, with it’s added sleepless nights and baby/toddler scheduling has had an impact on my time for getting sculptural work accomplished. Functional work for sales took over, and although it was fun and some interesting new directions were developed, i’ve been craving getting my hands and mind dirty again with the dark world of my kitsch sculptures. So this next week for me will be a week of glaze testing, surface development, and thinking and sketching and thinking and sketching some more, maybe walking, maybe some blank staring off into space enjoying the quiet of a child free environment, but mostly sketching for the upcoming year’s worth of sculptural work. I can’t tell you how much fun this is going to be. And productive i’m sure. The first full night of sleep in over a year….yah i’ll be super productive!!!
So stay tuned for more as I blog from Arrowmont!
by Carole Epp | Apr 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
Sep. 19, 2012 – Sep. 22, 2012
Held every four years since 1992, Arrowmont’s utilitarian clay symposium enjoys an international audience in celebrating and demonstrating the limitless interpretations of the utilitarian clay object. The symposium attracts those who are interested in not only the practical concerns with making functional objects, but also in the more theoretical issues related to the field. The Symposium—limited to 200 attendees—provides an intimate atmosphere for meaningful dialogue, discussion and social activities.
Program:
• Keynote Address by Wesley McNair, poet laureate of Maine
• Rotating studio demonstrations and presentations (42 sessions)
• Evening panels moderated by Andrew Glasgow
• Studio to Market: Complexities and Challenges
• Where do we go from here: what are our questions, who are our leaders, how do we remain responsible?
• Afternoon historical pottery lectures by Peter Pinnell
• The Art of Drinking, Parts 1 & 2: The lectures will discuss the artistic and aesthetic potential of drinking, drinking customs and drinking vessels
• Round table conversation by all 17 presenters discussing and exhibiting their “Favorite Pots” brought from home and on exhibit at Arrowmont
• Exhibitions Opening Reception
• Tasty meals served in the Arrowmont dining room
• Live Bluegrass Music BBQ and dancing under the stars
• Symposium participant cup exchange. Each participant is asked to bring a cup. A system for cup exchange will be initiated on Thursday morning before breakfast.
Exhibitions:
• Presenters Exhibition: 85 objects by 17 national presenters
• Mentors Exhibition: 32 objects by the national presenters invited “mentors”
• Past Presenters Exhibition: Works from past symposium presenters (1992 – 2008)
• Potters Favorite Pots Exhibition: 17 pots from the personal collections of the 17 presenters
• Pottery Selections From the Arrowmont Permanent Collection
Presenters: Jen Allen · Nicholas Bivins · Blair Clemo · Sunshine Cobb · Molly Hatch · Bryan Hopkins · Brian Jones · Lindsay Oesterritter · Doug Peltzman · Peter Pinnell · Monica Ripley · Emily Schroeder Willis · Deborah Schwartzkopf · Kevin Snipes · Shawn Spangler · Shoko Teruyama · gwendolyn yoppolo
Keynote Speaker: Wesley McNair
Panel Moderator: Andrew Glasgow
Symposium Coordinators: Bill Griffith & Peter Beasecker
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration (by fax, phone, or mail only) begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, April 23.
Space is limited to 200 participants—first come, first served.
PHONE: 865-436-5860
FAX: 865-430-4101
MAIL: P.O. Box 567 (556 Parkway), Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Symposium Fee: $455
Includes programs, events, gallery reception, all meals from Thursday-Saturday, and the Saturday night dinner & dance.
Housing Fee: $100 to $280 total for four nights—Wednesday through Saturday—depending on selection and availability of on-campus, dormitory style facilities. See the application form for options.
Refunds/Cancellations/Disclaimer:
All cancellations must be made in writing by mail, fax or email (no phone calls please). A cancellation fee of $100 will be charged on cancellations received more than 45 days prior to the start of the symposium. Cancellations received 45 days or less prior to the symposium receive no refund. No refunds will be given to those who must leave the symposium early. In the event that Arrowmont cancels the symposium, registered participants will receive a full refund. Arrowmont cannot be responsible for airline tickets or other travel costs in the event of cancellation.
Want more info? Visit their website.
