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Reid Ozaki's work will be shown in September at The Island Gallery in Bainbridge Island, Washington.
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August 27, 2008
The Month in Clay - September 2008
by Jennifer Harnetty | Read Comments (3)
In preparing the Month in Clay feature for September, I noticed that there were a few hotbeds of ceramic activity showing up on my radar. The Pacific Northwest was brimming with great ceramic events so I decided to include several of those. Perhaps folks in that area can coordinate some ceramics excursions and hit them all. Minneapolis, Minnesota, a notoriously clay friendly town, also had lots to do this month. Plus, I have gathered a selection of events and exhibitions, featuring ceramic sculpture, ceramic tile and functional pottery, from various points all around the country. But of course, there is simply too much going on out there to highlight in this feature, so if you don't find anything happening in your area below, click over to the Ceramics Monthly Calendar for a more comprehensive listing. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
Karin Clarke Gallery in Eugene, Oregon, will host "The Fabric in Clay," its second solo show for Eugene ceramic tile artist Faye Nakamura, September 2 - October 11. It will be Faye's first gallery show since 2004. Her large tile paintings combine both glazed and oil-painted tiles which are grouted together and then framed. Many incorporate vintage obi fabrics into the design. A reception for this exhibition, at which the artist will be present, will be held Friday, September 5.
For more information, see
www.karinclarkegallery.com
"South Sound Fire," an exhibition of wood-fired ceramic art from the
Benn/Gallagher Harstine Island Kilns, will be on display September 5 -
September 28 at The Island Gallery, Bainbridge Island, Washington.
The
exhibition will include work by John Benn and Colleen Gallagher (whose work is show at left) of Harstine Island, Washington; John Harris and Susan Lochner of Auburn, Washington;
Chris Knapp of Seattle, Washington; Andrew Lewis-Lechner and Reid Ozaki (whose work is show above) of Tacoma,
Washington.
For more
information, see
www.theislandgallery.net.
"The Ceramics of Gertrud and Otto Natzler" will be on view through January 25, 2009 at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon. "The Ceramics of Gertrud and Otto Natzler marks what would have been the 100th anniversary of the birth of Gertud (d. 1971) and Otto (d. 2007)," said Namita Gupta Wiggers, curator at the museum. "It is an opportunity to reacquaint those familiar with the work of the Natzlers, and to introduce new audiences to this pair of artists who continue to play a critical role in the history of craft. Drawn from local collections and several West Coast museums, the nearly 100 objects on view survey the range of forms produced over a period of several decades by this prolific couple.
For more information, visit
www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org.
Works by Sergei Isupov and Estonian sculptor Kadri Parnamets, including
several collaborative pieces by the two artists, are on view through
October 4 at the Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. During
the summer of 2008, Parnamets was a resident artist at Project Art, in
Cummington, Massachusetts, a pilot project for international artist
residencies in cooperation with Storefront Artist Project. Parnamets, a
ceramic sculptor from Tallinn, Estonia, lived and worked in the
renovated Mill building for three months. The work she produced, and
nine collaborative pieces with Isupov, will be presented at Ferrin
Gallery in conjunction with Isupov's solo show "Androgyny." The
collaborations combine her forms with Isupov's painted imagery.
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Collaborative piece by Sergei Isupov and Kadri Parnamets
| Isupov's new work with detail of painted bottom
| A piece Parnamets created during her residency
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To see
more images of both artists' work, visit
www.ferringallery.com.
It's not too late to register for "Surface, Form and Substance," a Potters Council regional workshop, which takes place September 19-21 at AMACO/Brent in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are a limited number of seats left and if you
register before September 15, you can save $50 on registration fees. So act fast!
If you can't make it to the workshop, the AMACO/Brent Contemporary Clay Gallery is also hosting an exhibition of the presenting artists' work from September 25 - October 31. The presenting artists are Debra Fritts, Ovidio Giberga, Susan Kemenyffy, Eva Kwong, Jeffrey Nichols and Lana Wilson. Jeffrey Nichols was featured on Ceramic Arts Daily a couple of weeks ago and discussed techniques he will be presenting at the workshop.
Check out the article in the Ceramic Arts Daily Features Archives.
Click here for more information about "Surface, Form and Substance."
"Mythologies: Propaganda and Commerce," an exhibition of work by ceramist Steve Hansen, will be on display September 5 - October 18 at Function + Art in Chicago, Illinois. The exhibition features works from his popular "Gods of Commerce" series, re-combinations of mythological icons, which have been appropriated by marketers in their attempts to sell various products. Added to this, his new "Propaganda" series has widened the net - from products to ideology and the 'permeable nature of truth' -continuing the theme but focusing on the selling of "truth" rather than products. While the connection to Pop Art in this new work remains strong, Hansen has revisited the consumerist vs. capitalist argument and enlarged it to bring into focus the irony of polemic truths living side-by-side on the same object.
For more information, visit
www.functionart.com.
There is a lot to do involving clay in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area in September. Northern Clay Center will hold the 2008 American Pottery Festival, September 5 - 7. If you make pots, use pots, like to look at pots, like potters, want to learn more about pots and potters, this is the event for you! This three-day event brings together collectors and artists (such as Brenda Quinn, whose work is pictured at left), providing the perfect opportunity to share their love of clay, while providing much needed revenue for NCC and the artists.
For more information, visit
www.northernclaycenter.org.
The Handmade Tile Association's 7th annual Tile Festival will be held on September 20th, from 10 am to 5 pm at the Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, in Minneapolis. Admission is $5, and the Swedish Institute has ample free parking. New this year, the Tile Antique Road show. Visitors can bring tiles (or images of installations) to be researched and appraised by local tile experts. The festival will also include an exhibit of historic tile drawn from the collections of Twin Cities tile enthusiasts. Award winning tile and mosaic artists (including B.A. Schmidt Arts, work shown at left) will be selling their work. The festival includes up to forty tile and mosaic artists from the Upper Midwest. The Handmade Tile Association's Tile Festival is the only tile festival in the Upper Midwest and one of only three tile festivals in the country.
For more information, visit
www.handmadetileassociation.org/MNTileFestival.htm.
"Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of an American Potter" (in the large gallery) and "Inspired: Students of Warren MacKenzie" (in the small gallery), will be on view August 30 - November 30 at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Houston, Texas. Warren MacKenzie: Legacy of an American Potter presents a comprehensive retrospective of seminal works by Warren MacKenzie, a true master of 20th Century ceramic art. Inspired: Students of Warren MacKenzie showcases the work of seven contemporary artists who have studied with, and been inspired by, master ceramist Warren MacKenzie. More than 35 pots, vases, bowls and teapots by artists Wayne Branum, Tim Crane, Jan McKeachie-Johnston, Randy Johnston, Mark Pharis, Michael Simon and Sandy Simon reveal contemporary pottery at its best. "A Conversation with Warren MacKenzie and Joe Havel," (director of the Glassell School of Art) will be held Saturday, August 30, at 2:00 p.m. at the Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium, University of Houston-Downtown, One Main Street. The event is free and open to the public.
For further information, visit
www.crafthouston.org.
"Just Desserts," a group exhibition of sweet, dessert-inspired tableware, is on view through September 21 at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The exhibition featured work by Victoria Christen, Naomi Cleary, Silvie Granatelli, Hiroe Hanazono, Kristin Pavelka, Hide Sadohara, Karin Solberg and Shoko Teruyama.
"I create highly refined work that consists of simple lines and neutral colors - a minimal aesthetic that harmonizes with the domestic surrounding," said Hiroe Hanazono, whose work is shown at left. "My desire as an artist is to create pots that serve not only as a vehicle for the finer taste of food but also transcend visual pleasure and to stimulate appetite. The work I make is a pedestal for food. My intention is to highlight the act of eating as a vital component of everyday life, enriching our appreciation of the food and the ambiance of the space."
For more information, visit
www.theclaystudio.org.
New work by Marla Ziegler will be on view through October 11 at Craighead-Green Gallery in Dallas, Texas.
"In the last several years, I have almost exclusively made works and installations for vertical surfaces," said Ziegler. "In this current body of work, many pieces have surprisingly gravitated from the wall back to the pedestal and even to the floor. Form and a strong surface vocabulary remain foremost in all of my new work. I consider the 'skin' of each piece from inception. I may carve into a surface or press repetitive marks into the slabs of clay using everyday stuff around my house-things like string, spaghetti, toys, bubble wrap, cuttings from my broom-anything that is handy."
For further information, visit
www.craigheadgreen.com.