Cahiers métiers d’art * Craft Journal is a non-profit organisation that encourages and publishes critical, historical and technical research on local and international craft.
They are looking for essays, reviews and artist profiles. The first issue to be out in July 2007. Their site details all the submission info and how to sign up to receive the online mag.
craftjournal.ca
NeoCraft Conference is going to be held at NSCAD in Nova Scotia next November.
An International Conference on the Crafts and Modernity.
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University is pleased to be hosting the NeoCraft conference, 23 – 25 November, 2007, as part of the Canadian Crafts Federation’s Craft Year 2007/Année des métiers d’art.
The NeoCraft conference has been designed with the objective of further developing critical thinking, theory and history in relation to the crafts. It is the intention of NeoCraft to not only acknowledge the vital role the crafts play in our culture and economy, but to challenge the position of craft by creating a forum for lively exchange and debate.
Check out their site at neocraft.ca to see a full list of speakers and papers to be presented.
Well I guess that’s what you get for trying to set up a blog site right in the midst of a move to a new home and studio, i’ve neglected the site already for about a month, sigh, but things will change as the dust settles and boxes get unpacked and I need to procrastinate and avoid all the renovations that still need to be done. A few things have come up in the last little bit so I thought i’d post some upcoming events and sites to check out.
Come to the Invisible/Visible Crafts Conference
June 10-12!
Alberta College of Art+ Design
This event gives craftspeople unprecedented exposure to exhibitions,
demonstrations and presentations in different media, to meaningful
professional information for crafts practice. Superb speakers and
information of note. This symposium enlarges and enhances the Calgary public’s awareness and appreciation for Craft Practice, objects and Making.
The keynote speech by Peter Powning, the 30th Bronfman Award winner will be free and open to the public, as will the opening of exhibitions that evening. The city will have several national exhibitions and numerous smaller exhibitions for the symposium including the National Glass Exhibition at the Illingworth Kerr gallery along with a regional ceramics exhibition,
a furniture retrospective of the work of Henry Schlosser and the National Metal Arts exhibition (MAG). “All About Alberta” will be at the Nickel Arts Museum, fresh from its Washington DC and Edmonton success.
The Metalphoric Group will exhibit at ACAD, a Print exhibition and student exhibition ‘Base Elements’ with other works exhibited at ACAD and in window showcases. The exhibitions will be free and open to the public and can be viewed for several weeks. Many private galleries across the city are hosting craft relevant exhibitions to coincide with the events.
Information: http://www.acad.ab.ca/iv.html or
http://acadsa.ca/invisible.html
So at the same time that I began working on the porcelain functional work I was also beginning a new body of figurative sculptural work. In the past I had worked primarily in ceramic installation, creating pieces that were composed of numerous components, some mixed media, mostly clay. But this new work was a drastic re-thinking of scale and approach to sculpture. Obviously strickingly different than the functional work, I’ve often been told that it seems like 2 seperate people made the works, but in my mind they both originated from a similar place. As an artist what I wanted to do was have a conversation with the audience about things that were going on in the world, dialogues of a political and social nature. The sculptural work presents the content of the work in a more obvious manner, while the functional work is a bit more subtle.
I’ve been making functional work off and on since I first began in ceramics back during my undergrad degree. It’s always been the sort of work that I can get lost in, particularly in the process. This porcelain based series I started a few years back while I was doing my masters and i’ve been developing it since. The principle inspiration for the work is the creation of beautiful handmade objects that can act as a resistance to the disposability of mass consumerism. I like to belive that handmade objects are imbued with a value that can have am impact upon the lives of the users. To me the simple appreciation of the objects that I surround myself with, the rich layers of context, process and traditions that they present allows me to greater appreciate life in general.
