A national juried exhibition of functional & Decorative works
by clay artists who play with fire
juried by Mark Shapiro
March 13 – April 24, 2021
Deadline for Entry: December 4, 2020
CALL FOR ENTRY Saratoga Clay Arts Center seeks submissions of functional and decorative works by clay artists who play with fire. These works are plucked from altered atmospheres – those changed by wood, smoke, salt or the like. Juror and Massachusetts potter Mark Shapiro writes, “The extent to which firing demands and engages the potter varies broadly, depending on type of kiln, its design, how it is loaded, fired, and even cooled. The continuum from computer-programmed electric top-loaders to gas kilns (in their heating and cooling and reduction cycles), and the many configurations of wood kilns from small “fast-fire” to subway-car length anagamas that fire for a week or more, demand increasing preparation and commitment. Before pots even go into the kiln, there is wood to split, stack, and season, as well as teams of stokers to recruit and organize.
“In physically building the fire and manipulating it as it unfolds—adjusting burners and dampers, varying stoking rhythms and wood types, and playing with the atmosphere—we come closer to the impossible: we stand at the mouth of the forbidden chamber of the glowing kiln and actively alter the surface of our hardening wares. Physically engaging the firing at its source (the burner and stoke ports that make the heat), at the primary and secondary air vents that mix the combustion, and at its exit (manipulating passive and active dampers that control the flow), not to mention introducing sodium or building charcoal, we become palpably connected to the un-survivable interior of the kiln. Our fiddling, stoking, adjusting, and throwing stuff into the fire touches something transgressive, elemental, and essential. These firings perhaps enact the universal myth—Promethean and global—of stealing fire from the gods. We potters are really trying to get away with something.”
Those of you are trying to get away with something, playing with fire, or embracing the unknown gifts of the kiln gods, this exhibition is for you.
Mark
Shapiro gave a presentation about the life and work of ceramic artist
Karen Karnes at the 2012 American Craft Council Baltimore Show. http://www.craftcouncil.org
Massachusetts-based arts organization raising funds to create mobile clay gallery & learning center Pots On Wheels (POW!) represents the collaboration of one hundred potters to launch a KickStarter online fundraising effort. The fundraiser began Nov. 4 and runs to Dec. 1.
11.05.14 Massachusetts — Pots On Wheels (going by its acronym, POW!) is initiating a fundraising campaign through the website KickStarter to purchase a commercial-size van that will enable local ceramic artists to bring the hand-made experience of pottery to under-served communities. The KickStarter campaign is remarkable for the fact that over 100 potters have donated work to help raise support. Individuals who pledge to the POW! KickStarter will have the choice to receive an original work of ceramic art from among hundreds of donated pieces, or other pledge incentives. The POW! KickStarter campaign begins November 4 and runs until December 1.
Hayne Bayless, one of the founding artists behind POW!, said, “Having a hundred artists supporting the success of our KickStarter is very exciting. From emerging artists to some who are internationally known, their participation speaks to the spirit of collaboration that is at the heart of our mobile gallery and clay learning project.”
POW! will use the funds it raises to purchase and modify a commercial-sized van to create a flexible space for collaborative community clay projects. This van will reach under-served neighborhoods and settings where art studio and display space is at a premium or otherwise unavailable. POW! is a collaboration between several Massachusetts-based artists: Hannah Niswonger, Adero Willard, Sam Taylor, Mark Shapiro, Arthur Halvorsen, Kathy King, and Hayne Bayless (of CT) in partnership with area arts institutions including the Society of Arts & Crafts (Boston), the Ceramics Program at Harvard University (Cambridge), and Mudflat Studio (Somerville).
“The name ‘Pots On Wheels’ describes what our program will provide to communities throughout our area, but the name ‘POW!’ describes the kind of impact that we believe the arts can have in people’s lives.” said Hannah Niswonger. “In this day and age when the arts are being stripped from schools, we and our partner organizations like the Society of Arts & Crafts see an incredible need to deliver the experience of fine craft. The KickStarter campaign is the first step.”
KickStarter is an established fund-raising website on which individuals pledge donation amounts to organizations or businesses, each of which has its own page within the KickStarter site. The POW! KickStarter page ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1405237878/pots-on-wheels ) has more information about the project; photographs of many of the donated works of original art can be found at the POW! website: www.PotsOnWheels.com.
The POW! KickStarter campaign will run from November 4 to December 1.
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Media Contact: Hannah Niswonger PHONE: 781-729-4398 EMAIL: [email protected]
Clay Art Center is pleased to present Lineage: The Art of Mentorship,
curated by artist and educator Gail Kendall, this exhibition showcases
artist-educators and their chosen protégés, exhibiting the importance
and impact of the tutelage of the artists of our future. Lineage: The
Art of Mentorship highlights work by Artists from both in and out of
academia as both have had a profound impact on clay culture.
Mentorship,
while similar to teaching, is a closer relationship than that of the
classic student/ teacher connection. The protégé is more than a student;
the mentor is more than a teacher. Mentors experience value or,
MUTUALITY, when they interact with their partners. The relationship
demands boundary crossings, thus: counselor, coach, leader, and friend.
*check out our website to find out more about these accomplished artists and their mentor/protégé relationship
Selected
Artists were chosen because of their mastery in the field of ceramics-
not only in objects and ideas, but in the generation of other artists.
Each artist in turn invited an artist with whom they feel this strong
connection.
In conjunction with the exhibition Lineage: The Art of Mentorship, Clay Art Center would like for you to tell us about your mentorship relationships. We will post video, audio and written submissions on our blog. Selected submissions can also be viewed in our gallery in an evolving compilation.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Clay Art Center wants to know:
• 1) Who is your mentor?
• 2) What did you learn from you mentor?
• 3) How did you take it into your future?
• 4) How was this significant to you?
• 5) Are you a mentor now?
Submit:
• Instagram: short videos and images. Tag clayartcenter and use hashtags #lineagetheartofmentorship #clayartcenter, #lineage
• Facebook: comment on Clay Art Center’s page with images and text using hashtags #lineagetheartofmentorship #clayartcenter #lineage
• Blog: leave comments here
• Email: [email protected]
• In person in the Gallery: in writing or using our iPad to record video
Lineage: The Art of Mentorship opens in Clay Art Center’s Gallery on September 27 and runs through November 15, 2014.
The North Carolina Potters Conference is a premier ceramics
conference. Through its history the conference has featured the some of
the best ceramics artists from around the world. This conference
centers on simultaneous demonstrations cultivating a dialogue of
techniques, concepts, and experiences between the artists and the
audience. Unlike other conferences, you do not have to pick and choose
with workshops to attend. All the demonstrations and presentations are
scheduled for the entire group. Potters at any skill level will come
away with new ideas and inspiration to improve their work. Even
non-potters have found the weekend a worthwhile introduction into the
world of ceramics.
