job posting: Baltimore Clayworks

Baltimore Clayworks is hiring a Studio and Programs Director.  Deadline September 1st.

This position is responsible for overseeing the development and
management of Baltimore Clayworks studio and artist programs. This is
both a management and administrative position. The position is
responsible for supervising the Education Coordinator, Springboard,
Residency and Wood Kiln programs and developing and managing onsite
programs and classes for adults, and for administering evaluation for
such programs, and hiring and managing of teaching artists. The position
requires demonstrated abilities to work effectively with a wide variety
of people, excellent time and detail management skills, communication
skills, and extensive knowledge of and interest in ceramic arts and
artist services. This position will ensure Baltimore Clayworks’ studio
is functioning at optimal capacity and efficiency.

About the Organization:

As Maryland’s only 501(c)3 non-profit cultural organization dedicated
to the ceramic arts, Baltimore Clayworks provides essential programs
and services to local, national and international artists, both from its
campus in northwest Baltimore and in the community sites throughout the
metropolitan area. Currently it operates four essential program areas:
education, exhibitions, community arts and artist residency program.
Clayworks’ stated core values are artist-centeredness, inclusivity,
excellence, integrity and joy. Clayworks’ mission is to develop, promote
and sustain an artist-centered community, which provides exceptional
artistic, educational and collaborative programs in the ceramic art.

Reporting: Reports to Executive Director, works in collaboration with Facilities Manager

Essential Functions:

Studio Program

  • Oversee Baltimore Clayworks’ Artists program, including designing,
    developing and supervising the operations of the resident artist and
    associate artist programs in accordance to the long-term strategic plans
    in collaboration with Baltimore Clayworks’ Director and the Board of
    Trustees.
  • Make recommendations for advancement and growth of said program.
  • Provide administrative support to the Studio Program, including
    overseeing studio and education advertising and rentals, kiln rentals,
    studio clean up, communication with artists and conflict resolution.
  • Maintain a maximum occupancy in studios at all times in accordance with appropriate review, jury or enrollment procedures.
  • Work with the Executive Director on improving and strengthening jury
    process, including brainstorming guest jurors, reviewing application
    process and facilitating jury.
  • In collaboration with Education Coordinator and Facilities Manager,
    provide thorough orientation to facility, equipment and Baltimore for
    new resident, fellowship, and teaching artists.
  • Manage Education Coordinator and studio intern.
  • Develop and coordinate (in collaboration with the shop, and
    exhibition coordinator) visiting artist and other special workshops in
    conjunction with the adult education program, community arts,
    exhibitions, and events.
  • Orient artists to Baltimore Clayworks procedures regarding firing kilns, mixing clay, using raw materials, building access, etc.
  • Run annual trainings and refresher for all artists and staff.
  • Work with Facilities Manager to anticipate and oversee all repairs,
    maintenance, and capital improvements to major equipment and facilities
    in the education and studio program areas, including electrical,
    plumbing, structural, etc., with advisement from Executive and Finance
    Directors, and technical staff.
  • As needed assist with artist recruitment and wood kiln program.
  • Design, develop, manage (in collaboration with community arts and
    education staff) special education convenings, collaborations and
    partnerships, conducted both internally and externally.

Education:

  • Provide overall vision and pedagogy for adult education and artist
    programs. Design adult classes and workshops quarterly
    (winter/spring/summer/fall sessions).
    Develop recommendations for and oversee actual long-term strategic plans
    for onsite adult education programs for Baltimore Clayworks, in
    consultation with Executive Director and Board of Directors.
  • Create annual goals for onsite classes and workshops. Provide reports to director on progress of goals on a quarterly basis.
  • With Baltimore Clayworks Leadership team develop cross-program initiatives and classes.
  • Design, develop and supervise the operations of regular education programs in the Mt. Washington Studio.
  • Supervise Work Exchange Program.
  • In collaboration with Executive Director supervise Education
    Coordinator and Wood Kiln Manager and meet with staff to set annual
    goals and facilitate performance reviews.
  • Work with Facilities Manager to upkeep equipment and ensure fully functional studio.
  • Communicate with students and teachers.
  • Program professional development opportunities for students and teachers.
  • Represent Baltimore Clayworks as necessary at conferences, workshops and public events
  • Enforce procedures for student and studio artist access.
  • Coordinate with other Baltimore Clayworks program staff on special
    events and use of classroom space; maintain schedule for classrooms in
    coordination with Children’s Program Coordinator and Education
    Coordinator.
  • Other: Assist with exhibition openings and events; organize and
    implement workshops and volunteer recruitment for studio clean up and
    open studio, maintain inventory of tools and clay for re-sale; other
    duties as assigned.

Qualifications, Attributes and Skills:

  • Strong knowledge and experience in arts education.
  • MFA in ceramic arts or equivalent work experience.
  • Demonstrated leadership capacity.
  • Experience managing the teaching of craft and background in ceramic arts.
  • Excellent communication skills – verbal as well as written
  • Computer knowledge- Microsoft Excel and Word. Prior receipt software and database experience is a plus.
  • Knowledge of 501(c)3 organizations is a plus but not required.
  • Problem solving.
  • Time management.
  • Team player.
  • Demonstrated excellent people skills
  • Must be able to lift and move up to 50lbs.
  • Flexible schedule, some nights and weekends required.

www.baltimoreclayworks.org

call for submissions: Centre Materia

Deadline: October 15, 2016

This call for proposals is open to professional artists/craftspersons
from the province of Quebec, from Canada and from abroad, whose
practice is tied to fine crafts through the techniques or material they
use. Their works must emerge from significant research and go beyond the
traditional functions of the objects. Materia also invites exhibition
curators and organisations to submit innovating projects devoted to the
advancement of fine crafts.

> About Materia

Content of the proposal for Artists/Craftspersons

  • Project description (500 words max.)
  • Artistic approach (250 words max.)
  • Recent resume (3 pages max.)
  • A visual file including 5 to 10 good-quality recent images (2300-pixel wide min.)
  • A descriptive list of the images (title, date, material, dimensions, photo credit for each piece)
  • Any other relevant document (examples: sketch, technical specifications, press review)

Content of the proposal for Exhibition curators/Organisations

  • Project description (500 words max.)
  • Resume of the curator or the organisation (3 pages max.)
  • Resume of the artists/craftspersons (3 pages max.)
  • A visual file including about 3 images of recent works by each participating artist (2300-pixel wide min.)
  • A descriptive list of the images (title, date, material, dimensions, photo credit for each piece)
  • Any other relevant document (examples: sketch, technical specifications, press review)

General Information 
Clearly identify the category in which you belong: emerging artist,
mid-career artist, established artist, exhibition curator or
organisation.

Send your proposal by email no later than October 15, 2016, 11:59 p.m., at [email protected].
You will receive an email confirming that your proposal has been
successfully submitted. Incomplete proposals or submissions after the
deadline will be discarded.

Virtual tour of the exhibition space
Plan of the exhibition space

Selection criteria

  • Technical mastery
  • Innovation
  • Artistic approach
  • Project originality
  • Project relevance

Information: Ève Préfontaine, Coordinator, 418 524-0354 ext. 249

emerging artist: Brian McNamara

Artist Statement:
My current body of work entitled Seven-Sevenfold, focuses on the rocky relationship I’ve built with religion as a means of identity. In constructing a narrative of my life in the Catholic Church as a bleak landscape, I have situated isolated ceramic pieces with desolate ink drawings. My use of clay references the convention of creation myths, such as God creating man from dirt in Genesis 2:7. In this way I act as creator to my own abominations.

My whole life has revolved around storytelling. My favorite stories were alwaysthe ones that were about society and the leaders of society. Stories that have a utopian society broken by a character revealing it as dystopia: such as Ayn Rand’s Anthem and Lois Lowry’s The Giver, even The Bible. I look to these books with a critical eye and place them in the context of my own life to inspire my art, my aesthetics, and my morality. Through these books I’ve learned what it means to find the idea of ‘self’, what it means to experience, and what it means to love.

In the same way storytelling is rooted in folk tradition, I approach my artwork as an adaptation of traditional folk ceramics. I create figures in a gestural way, leaving the mark of my hand and using a loose-hand built method of construction. When thinking of a composition I pull influence from the Muromachi period of Japanese Suibokuga. The loose and gestural scroll drawings provide a much-needed harmony to the rough material and surfaces of the ceramic pieces.

For guidance in the creation of Seven-Sevenfold, I investigated the number seven and its prominence in The Bible. This body of work features seven landscapes to represent a dystopian viewing of the utopia given to the Israelites after the 40 years of wandering mentioned in Deuteronomy; mirrored in this relationship between the abominations and the alien desert landscapes that I created.

Through the lens of the Catholic Church I am that abomination; set out on my journey through the desert to find my utopia, whether or not it exists.