last day to see Earthlings plus Exhibition Tour by Pierre Aupilardjuk

Saturday, January 27
Exhibition Tour by Pierre Aupilardjuk
12 – 12:30 pm
Free shuttle bus departs OCAD U (100 McCaul Street) at 11 am, first come, first served

We’re marking the last day of Earthlings with a casual exhibition tour by Pierre Aupilardjuk — he will speak to his work and the collaborative process that runs through so much of the exhibition. Get on the bus and don’t miss this remarkable show!

Earthlings
November 1, 2017 – January 27, 2018

Works by Roger Aksadjuak, Shuvinai Ashoona, Pierre Aupilardjuk, Shary Boyle, Jessie Kenalogak, John Kurok and Leo Napayok

Curated by Shary Boyle in collaboration with Shauna Thompson
Organized and circulated by Esker Foundation

Doris McCarthy Gallery
University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail
Toronto, Ontario M1C 1A4
Canada

t/ 416.287.7007

www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~dmg/html/exhibitions/earthlings.html

We are of the earth and from the stars, cooked mud and pigmented wax, soot and soda, ink, wood, tobacco, fur, fire, bronze, and acrylic nails – mortal inhabitants of the earth dreaming of our spiritual or extraterrestrial foil. Drawn from this framework of earthly conditions, the visionary ceramics and works on paper of Earthlings, produced both individually and collaboratively by seven contemporary artists, are at once transformative and otherworldly – and profoundly human.

Though making work from distinct cultural and geographical positions – from Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet, Kinngait/Cape Dorset, Qamani’tuaq/Baker Lake, and Toronto – the artists in Earthlings share an intuitive and labour-intensive approach to materials and narrative imagery. In these works, detailed figures are subject to transformations and transmogrifications, hybrid blendings of animal and human, reality and myth, and actual and imagined spaces. These pieces seem to emerge from phantasmagorical worlds, simultaneously fleshly and physical, sensual and spiritual, alien and familiar.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Roger Aksadjuak’s work is complex, inventive, and embraces multiple forms and playful imagery while respecting traditional narratives. It can be found in many public and private collections across North America, including the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He passed away in 2014.

Shuvinai Ashoona is a contemporary Cape Dorset artist whose work often combines reality and the imaginative. Ashoona’s work is in numerous collections of major art institutions, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; and Winnipeg Art Gallery, among others.

Pierre Aupilardjuk’s style of work represents his strong roots in a traditional aesthetic and are included in the ceramics collection of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center, Yellowknife; the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; as well as in private collections throughout North America. He lives and works in Rankin Inlet.

Shary Boyle lives in Toronto and works across diverse media, including sculpture, drawing, installation and performance. Collected and exhibited internationally, Boyle represented Canada with her project Music for Silence at the Venice Biennale in 2013. In 2017 her sculptures were featured at South Korea’s Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, and in the Phaidon, UK publication Vitamin C: Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art. Boyle’s first public art commission will be installed Spring 2018 on the front grounds of the Gardiner Ceramic Museum in Toronto.

Jessie Kenalogak
was born in Back River in the early 1950s and currently lives and works in Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake). Working primarily in drawing, her most meaningful artistic influences came from her grandfather Angushadluk, one of the most important and respected artists ever to work in Baker Lake, and her aunt, Mary Singaqti, another highly respected Baker Lake artist.

John Kurok began working full-time as a Rankin Inlet ceramist in 1996 and is one of a new group of younger ceramicists who also work as printmakers. Kurok’s work is included in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, and the Museum of Inuit Art, Toronto.

Born in the early sixties, Leo Napayok spent most of his time growing up in the towns of Salliq (Coral Harbour) and Kangiqliniq (Rankin Inlet). He works as a carver in soapstone, ivory, and antler and has long been established as one of the region’s most talented carvers. His collaborative works have since become a part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

 

job posting: ACAD Visiting Faculty, Ceramics

The School of Craft + Emerging Media at ACAD welcomes applications for the following limited term faculty appointment commencing end of August 2018 until April 30, 2019: Visiting Faculty, Ceramics

The Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD), founded in 1926, is one of Canada’s most distinguished training grounds in art, craft, and design.  ACAD offers a broad and dynamic spectrum of study at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Its 14 academic departments offer courses in diverse disciplines including art history, theory, and criticism; ceramics; fibre; glass; jewellery and metals; painting and drawing; performance; photography; printmaking; sculpture; sound; media arts; graphic design; advertising; character design and illustration. In addition to studio-based education and training, a strong program in liberal studies emphasizes the critical role that the humanities and social sciences can play in students’ development.

Innovation and renewal in our curriculum is an ongoing process that responds to cultural and technological shifts in arts, crafts and design practice on students’ curricular needs. Our faculty comprises renowned professionals who are first-class instructors as well as active practitioners. As leaders in their fields, they are committed to building a diverse, stimulating environment for the exchange of ideas and the acquisition of technical skills and crafts.

ACAD is located in Calgary, Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Calgary is a cosmopolitan urban centre, with a diverse population of over 1.2 million people. This vibrant city has outstanding post-secondary and cultural institutions as well many varied recreational opportunities.

About the School of Craft + Emerging Media, Ceramics Program

ACAD’s Ceramics faculty is a diverse, engaged group of notable teachers and practitioners connected to the field at home and abroad. Each year, a new visiting artist complements the energy and expertise of ceramics faculty, teaching and working alongside students in the studio. The visiting artist contributes a fresh and diverse perspective, enhancing the learning experience and serving as a catalyst for critical dialogue within the college.

In the Ceramics program students explore the role of function, sculptural approaches, emerging technologies, historical precedents, and contemporary practice within a comprehensive, studio-based and theoretical program of study.

>>Click here to find out more about SCEM, Ceramics Program

The Opportunity

(Competition # 1718-JA-FT-20)

To complement existing instructional resources, this position will instruct four (4) 4.5 hour-long studio courses at all levels of the undergraduate BFA in Ceramics program. Salary will be commensurate with experience and education. In addition, the successful candidate will be provided with two (2) course releases towards research and studio practice. They will be required to report and present on research activities as well as mount an exhibition of their studio practice and research at the College while in residence at the College.

The successful candidate will be capable of teaching all forms of Ceramic practice through core courses and studio supervision, including vessel, sculptural, figurative, installation and performance.  The candidate will possess an active studio practice that will contribute to the breadth of the program and demonstrate a critical and creative engagement with contemporary discourse on Craft and Ceramics.  In combination with a collaborative spirit and professional commitment to the field, experience in academic service, curricular innovation, and Ceramics studio management will be considered an asset.

Responsibilities include:

  • Teaching four (4) x 4.5 hour long studio courses at all levels of ACAD’s Ceramics program
  • Maintaining a research/studio practice, and contributing to research and scholarship in the field of contemporary Craft, specifically Ceramics
  • Creating and exhibiting a new body of work
  • Reporting and presenting on research activities in the form of artist talks and/or workshops
  • Demonstrating a commitment to pedagogical and academic excellence
  • Participating in academic service, curricular program development, and the management of the Ceramics studio environment (as appropriate)
  •  

The successful candidate will have:

  • An MFA or an equivalent degree or combination of education and professional experience in Ceramics
  • Previous post-secondary teaching experience
  • A professional exhibition record as a Ceramist
  • Excellent technical skills, and a wide knowledge of all aspects of the discipline, with a particular regard for international practice in Ceramics
  • Be community-oriented; comfortable interacting with students, faculty, artists, and the public; and able to balance between research, practice, and pedagogy

Preference will be given to applicants with a strong studio practice in experimental or sculptural ceramics.

Full details and application process can be found here.

call for entry: Fire sculpture

Guldagergaard – International Ceramic Research Center is surrounded by a public park in which over the 20 years of its lifetime artists from all over the world have created sculptures for. Ceramic artists from Denmark, Australia, Mexico, UK, China, Sweden, Estonia and USA amongst others have contributed to the unique collection of this beautiful park. In continuation of celebrating Guldagergaard’s birthday on 8th of July 2018, we are inviting you to apply to become part of this very group of artists by coming and building a new outdoor sculpture.

This open call is for professional artists who are working with large-scale ceramic sculptures. The sculpture will be built on site, in the Guldagergaard sculpture park, and fired with gas and wood in the same location.

The dimensions of the work are set to H 220 cm x W 110 cm max , determined by the kiln size that was built for the fire sculpture of 2017.

The last day and mainly evening of the firing will become a public event with 100+ visitors attracted by the fire sculpture process. The event gets published in national and international publications.

Last years Fire Sculture was made by Sergei Isupov
In the pictures below, you can see a slideshow of the fire sculpture made by Sergei Isupov with help from Andres Allik and a team of Fire Sculpture assistants from Estonia. They where here to build a the fire sculpture to mark the 20th anniversary of Guldagergaard on 8th July 2017.

Pictures are taken by photographer Sylvain Deleu who captured the special and magical days at Guldagergaard.

what to include in your application

  • Artist Proposal with Concept drawings
  • Artist Statement (max 200 words)
  • Short Portfolio which includes relevant work
  • Budget proposal (including material and travel costs)
  • Draft for expected schedule from day 1 here, at Guldagergaard – ICRC
  • Any other requirements or notes you may find necessary to include (eg. do you have a team or will you be needing help).

Note: if you’re applying as a team of multiple artists, each author is expected to send his or her own Artist Statement and Portfoli

Guldagergaard – ICRC will cover part of the budget. The process and the work will be photographed by a professional photographer. The center also organises press releases for publicity and a public event celebrating the anniversary and showcasing the last stages of the firing on 7th of July 2018.

If any questions please contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +45 5819 0016

More info here on their website.