WOODSTOKE – Woodfiring Conference in New Zealand

March 16th to 18th 2012
Whangamata, Coromandel, New Zealand

For the first time in New Zealand a conference is happening dedicated to the art of wood firing. This will be the start of the renaissance for the wood firing fraternity and the best possible introduction for potters and ceramicists that have wanted to have a go with wood firing. The weekend is full of kiln building, kilns firing and an exploration of all things related to the wood fired pot. International guests will lead the charge into the frantic pace of kiln construction, with participants expected to lend a hand and feel the clay under their fingernails. A variety of kilns, from small salt kilns through to large temporary kiln installations will be erected on site, pots made to fill them and then the fires are lit. A pyromania of heat and flame will ensure the weekend is an impression burnt into the memory of all. There will be the sort of feasting and company that legends are made of and with camping on-site the partying and all night stoking vigils can last until dawn.
Invited Artists:Marshall Maude
Don Bendel
Robert Sanderson and Coll Minogue
Maureen Allison
Janet Smith
Duncan Shearer
Louis Kittleson
Darryl Frost
Mike O’Donnell
Chester Nealie
Yuri Wiedenhofer
and Janet Mansfield

For all the details please visit the website here.

CALL FOR PAPERS – The Big Smoke (New Zealand)

THE BIG SMOKE

The Big Smoke conference will be held in Auckland from 1st April to 3rd April 2011. The Ceramic Conference is hosted by the New Zealand Society of Potters in conjunction with Auckland Studio Potters (ASP) and Unitec, and will take place at the Mt Albert Campus of Unitec. The conference intends to benefit NZ artists, craftspeople and designers, and aims to promote ceramics in the wider community. There will be demonstrations by international guest artists Michael Doolan, Gustavo Perez, Linda Christianson and Brian Adams, and New Zealand artists Paul Maseyk, Carla Ruka, Mike O’Donnell , Peter Lange, as well as keynote addresses and panel discussions, trade fair and exhibition opportunities during the 3 day-event.
(see website: www.thebigsmoke.unitec.ac.nz). Themes
The themes of The Big Smoke Conference 2011 are centred on Tradition and Identity, and Looking Into the Future. These themes are broad but intrinsic to ceramics and will provide many opportunities to encourage discussion and provoke thought. We would like to invite artists, academics and supporters of the arts to take part by submitting a paper relating to the sub-themes that are listed below.
Traditions and Identity

  • The relevance of tradition and identity to current ceramic practices.
  • Ceramic practice and its acceptance and importance in a range of visual arts.
  • The context in which a national or individual ceramic identity is formed.

Facing the Future

  • Global trends and the role of information technology in studio practice.
  • The impact of new technologies and materials on studio practice.
  • Sustainability and environmental concerns.

Submissions
All submissions will be reviewed by a panel comprised of Unitec and ASP staff. Authors will be notified about acceptance of their abstract by 11th February 2011 and will be invited to submit the full paper and/or Powerpoint presentation by March 2011. Successful applicants will receive complimentary registration to the conference.
Deadlines
Abstract deadline: December 6, 2010
Notification of abstract acceptance: February 11, 2011
Full paper deadline: March 14, 2011 Specifications
Abstracts should be limited to 250 words and should be structured to summarise the background, aims, significance and focus of the question addressed, as well as conclusions.
Papers should be limited to 4500 words (excluding references) and follow the APA 5th referencing style for in-text citation and reference list. All papers should be written in English.
Format: RTF and Word formats are required for both abstracts and papers. Please keep files less than 3MB (including your illustrations).
Copyright: By submitting papers for publication in the conference proceedings, authors are assigning copyright of the submitted paper to the conference host. Authors’ traditional rights will not be jeopardised by assigning copyright in this manner, as they will retain the right to re-use the content of the paper. To submit abstracts and papers email: [email protected] , subject line: “conference paper”.Artists/ Speakers at the conference:
Brian Adams
Linda Christianson
Michael Doolan
Peter Lange
Paul Maseyk
Mike O’Donnell
Gustavo Pérez
Carla Ruka