We may be in the house, but it’s time we think outside the box. This FREE three-part online series is meant to be an inspiring, refreshing, pragmatic, and safe conversation space. We’ll explore innovations in our craft communities in the face of adversities and challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak. We want to hear from you about ways artists, writers, and organizations are creating unique solutions in a time of crisis.
Part 1: Vulnerabilities, Disruptions, and Opportunities in the Marketplace
April 3, 2020, 2 – 3:15 p.m. CDT
Americans for the Arts is reporting a $3.6 billion impact on the arts sector due to the effect of the outbreak on operations through canceled events, lost wages, and other expenses. The business of craft has been disrupted at every level – from marketplace events to supply chains to retail and gallery outlets to small manufacturing production. What solutions are we seeing? How are artists and businesses adapting? What alternatives might we consider? Can we use craft thinking to design our way out of this?
Moderated Q&A: Where have we been and what have we experienced in the past and how did we overcome it?
What’s new about this scenario and what does innovation look like?
Guest:Ayumi Horie, founder of Pots In Action lauded for her pioneering use of digital marketing and social media within contemporary ceramics @ayumihorie
Moderated Q&A: Who else is innovating, changing, refocusing?
Moderated Q&A: How else can we take care of one another, ourselves, our community during this time?
Part 2: Understanding the Impact and Pursuing Relief
April 10, 2020, 2 – 3:15 p.m. CDT
The nation’s arts and culture industry is experiencing devastating economic losses with closed venues and cancelled performances, exhibitions, and events as a result of the pandemic. With the passing of the $2 trillion emergency stimulus package that includes important provisions supporting the arts sector and creative workforce, there is still a lot to sort out for independent artists, entrepreneurs, and organization leaders. This series of online forums continues with this session devoted to helping you navigate what all this means for the craft sector and practical advice for pursuing relief.
Program Outline
What are we finding and why is this work important?
Guest:Ruby Lopez Harper, Mexican, mother, wife, dancer, photographer, poet, and social justice warrior. Ruby is also the senior director of local arts advancement for Americans for the Arts @americans4arts
Moderated Q&A: What other studies should we be staying focused on?
How has the craft field specifically been impacted and what sources of relief are out there – for artists, for businesses, for organizations?
Guest:Carrie Cleveland, artists advocate and assistant extraordinaire and education and outreach coordinator at CERF+ The Artists Safety Net @cerfplus
Moderated Q&A: What other needs should we be focussed on getting relief for?
How can we take care of one another, ourselves and our community?
Guest: Carl Atiya Swanson, manager of Springboard for the Arts’ Creative Exchange program, a national platform sharing stories of artists with impact and toolkits for change @springboardarts
Moderated Q&A: How else can we take care of one another, ourselves, our community during this time?
Part 3: Education Disruptions and Opportunities
April 17, 2020, 2 – 3:15 p.m. CDT
Our series continues by turning to the impacts COVID-19 has had on the education field. From residencies to education centers to higher education, the way we learn, teach, and educate has been turned on its head. We close our first round of the American Craft Forum by hearing from the education field – students, educators, and administrators – about new directions the field is turning to and what we’ve learned from this most recent disruption.
Program Outline
What impasses, roadblocks and challenges have our craft education systems faced in the past and how have we responded?
Moderated Q&A: Other examples?
How are education systems innovating and changing and moving forward with this?
The NCECA Gallery Expo provides the opportunity to engage with the artwork of so many wonderful ceramic artists. We may not be able to gather and enjoy the objects and artists in person, but some participating artists will give live talks via Instagram and Facebook on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
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During this challenging and isolating time we can come together as interdependent communities to create continuity of care and mutual aid to support one another. Please join the conversation, ask questions, and listen in. Check the schedule for the artist’s talks and times.
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To view talks, log into instagram on your mobile device and go to the scheduled profile. When their profile picture says “LIVE” you can tap to watch!
“Ayumi Horie reflects on the groundbreaking Instagram project, Pots in Action—why she started it and why she has decided to finish it.”
“@potsinaction has run its course; I’ve changed and so has Instagram. After 2,400 posts covering a vast range of clay and ceramics globally, @potsinaction will be archived as a website so it can remain a functional resource for the field. @potsinaction expanded a liminal space between pop culture and academia. It turned on people outside the field of ceramics to ceramics by introducing them to a world beyond Paint Your Own Pottery and stuffy museum cases. It became a staple resource for students doing research and for professionals in the field, it dug deeply into what we thought we knew well. For four years, this collaborative project consistently created new content and tried to show not only the best work, but also the unexpected and ubiquitous ways that clay touches lives.”
Read more and DONATE to the archiving of this incredible resource HERE.
In the wake of #metoo in ceramics, @potsinaction encourages every ceramics and craft organization to adopt and establish clear and unambiguous policies regarding inclusivity, diversity, and safety. It’s high time that leaders and educators in our field commit to more actively creating environments that are welcoming and safe to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, culture, disabilities, religion, age and socioeconomic status. While we have made progress, more work is needed. Ceramic machismo and its perniciousness within clay culture has been tolerated for far too long.
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Don’t assume that your programming is without bias or that you’ve done all you can do. Instead, be active in the education of your trustees, staff, and writers about the damage done from bias, prejudice, microaggressions, harassment, and assault. Hire staff and elect trustees who mirror the breadth of diversity in this country. We understand that organizations are slow-moving ships and that it takes time to craft statements that reflect the core values and uniqueness of organizations. Much of the important work done by art orgs happen outside the realm of social media, but posting publicly on this issue matters deeply. While an overnight response is not expected, this is a call to action to get the ship turning on all platforms.
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If you are part of an organization, institution, or school, speak up! Demand transparency and clarity about what steps they are taking to be more inclusive, diverse, and safe for those who don’t have equal privileges. Victims and survivors need practical tools and support for where to go when an incidence takes place. For those of you who have reposted about #metoo in ceramics – thank you! Now take the next step to compose your own statement or tell your #metoo story as a way to crack open the field and let in the light. If you have been part of this field, support survivors of sexual harassment by believing them and speaking out to change institutional policies.
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Image of Viola Frey, a powerhouse woman who worked within the male-dominated California expressionist ceramics movement of the 1960s. Viola Frey (1933 – 2004) is not defined by her obstacles. She was internationally known and revered during her lifetime and her monumental figures have made a profound mark on the art world internationally. However, in her 1995 @archivesamerart oral history transcript, she recounts the many ways she worked at a “double disadvantage.” She faced obstacles her male counterparts were unburdened by, including securing studio space, having her work dismissed or derided, and feeling isolated as a woman operating outside the “macho thing.” In the classroom, she says, “The feminist-type art had no chance at all.” Excerpts from her oral history:
VIOLA FREY: Yeah. And it sort of did dominate. Sometimes the faculty even would just attack in such a gross way that the student would be weeping, they’d be so upset at the way they were treated. It was pretty ugly.
PAUL KARLSTROM: This is male faculty?
VIOLA FREY: Yes. They could not. . . . They would just say, “I cannot critique or look at a work like this.” A #metoo message from the past. Photo by Michael Macor. — @ayumihorie and @tessmattern
AYUMI HORIE SEEKS NEW POTTERY/CERAMICS ASSISTANT
FLEXIBLE START DATE IN LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL 2018
Who Should Apply I’m seeking an assistant who cares about quality in all aspects and forms. The applicant should be curious, a hard worker, direct communicator, self-motivated, respectful, be able to hustle, and be detail oriented. Applicants with academic degrees outside of the fine arts are encouraged. Someone with experience in 3D modeling and mold-making would be a plus, but not necessary. The relationship between potter and assistant is an intimate one and needs to be the right fit personality-wise. A sense of humor and ability to learn from mistakes with humility are a must. I’ve had many different assistants with a variety of skill sets, I can meet people where they’re at. I do require a positive, can-do attitude and love it when assistants are open and honest about their opinions.
Time and Timing 1-3 days of work a week with flexible daytime hours. No studio space or board is provided, and pay depends on experience. I value my quiet work time and find that having space apart makes for a better relationship for both parties. There are studio spaces in town that can be rented. Flexible start date between August 15 and September 15, with a two week trial period to make sure we have a good fit. One-year commitment.
Responsibilities Responsibilities include all aspects of studio maintenance- preparing clay (applicant should be able to occasionally wedge 25 pound of clay), production using a RAM press, glazing, mixing slips and glazes, decaling, loading and unloading kilns, photographing and videographing, data entry, packing and shipping, research and copy writing. If you have 3D modeling and mold making skills, we’d be utilizing these as well. If you don’t know some of these things, it’s alright as long as you’re a fast learner and detail-oriented. Possibly some marketing as well, depending on skill level. Having a car is highly recommended, but not necessary as I’m on a bus route ten minutes from downtown Portland.
What You’ll Learn You’ll be part of all aspects of the making process from start to finish and learn how a small business operates. I always have multiple side projects that I need help with. I’m very open about all the marketing and the strategy behind it. Depending on your interest, we can go further into social media and online presence.
How to Apply Apply here. Rolling application until August 1. Please take your time answering questions to the best of your ability. I value thoroughness and will review the applications as they come in. If you need an answer back within a certain time frame, please let me know. If you are a selected candidate, I will set up a Google Hangout interview with you. Please feel free to contact me with questions. Thanks and good luck!
