Tammie Rubin: Neverwhere & Nowhere April 8 – May 4, 2014

Opening Reception: 4:30 to 6:30pm, Thursday, April 10 with Gallery Talk at 5:30pm
The Gallery at Penn College

One College Avenue 3rd Floor, Madigan Library

17701 Williamsport, PA

United States
Dates: 
Apr 8, 2014 to May 4, 2014

 
“Neverwhere
and Nowhere” is an assemblage of collected objects; the primary
interest is transforming the familiar, disposable, and trivial into the
mythic and fantastical. Rubin explores the wonderment of magical
thinking and the charm of constructed forms and ornate contraptions. The
conical shapes of her ceramics allude to a function of channeling,
transmitting, or filtering, and reference conical forms that imply
communication: voice pipes, megaphones, dunce caps, gramophones,
steeples, and satellite dishes. Through process, she tries to satisfy
her curiosity for sumptuous fluid surfaces, and ideas of accumulation
and myth. Utilizing the amorphous properties of clay and exploring its
inherent materiality, she creates fanciful objects that feel both
familiar and alien. 
Tammie Rubin was born in Chicago, Illinois. She
completed her MFA in Ceramics at the University of Washington, and
received a BFA in Ceramics and Art History from the University of
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she is now an Assistant Professor of
Ceramics & Foundations. Her work has appeared in Ceramics: Art &
Perception and Ceramics Monthly. 
There will be a “Meet the Artist”
Reception on Thursday, April 10, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. with a gallery
talk at 5:30 p.m. The gallery will be closed from April 18 to 20. 

http://craftcouncil.org/event/tammie-rubin-neverwhere-nowhere
 

Rest in Peace John Chalke


“My interest has remained inconveniently multi-faceted in most things ceramic – from its misty prehistory, when only clay and gods mattered, to the subsequent historical offerings from many lands. Food and tea presentation, clay and glaze research, the art of throwing, the art of handbuilding, kilns, riverside shards, emissivity, the smell of old clay, on and on. The straight path to the studio from the house is necessarily most serpentine some days. Some months of the year, though, make it much simpler. When the days grow warmer I work much more outside, where pots dry more quickly. I become a potter and become familiar again with muscle and ache. From November on, when things are freezing solid outside, body activity slows down and more cerebral struggle takes its place. A farmer might go curling during this time. I suppose I go handbuilding. This sequence has been part of my making for well over 30 years. The only thing I can see that has changed is more honing, more reflection, more revisiting old and new places in my mind, and less guilt about the now petty.”

– John Chalke

a site 2 see friday: Sculpties

About Sculpties
One cold winter day, a piece in progress captured his very own studio selfie, and began a new trend: sculpties.

Hello! My name is Jocelyn Howard and I will graduate in May 2014 with an MFA in Ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Interested in themes dealing with gender identity, sexuality, public vs private image, duality, and jungian psychology, I enjoy exploring these themes when creating ceramic figures in hopes to create a personal mythology.

When documenting my studio practice and sculptural process, I noticed that the expressions, postures, and characteristics of each figure I created lent itself to being documented in the same way a person would take a selfie. What started out as a humorous documentation of my work has evolved into an exploration that applies the act of crafting self-image through taking selfie shots to literal crafted objects.

When I think about duality, specifically the difference between public and private personas, the first thing that comes to mind is the way in which social media asks two things of us. On one hand, we want to keep in touch with friends and family, let our hair down, and share things that are deeply meaningful in our lives through venues such as facebook, twitter, tumblr, and instagram. On the other hand, we want to curate a professional image that will help further a career. Websites are good for establishing a solidly professional boundary around our public image. But sometimes the line between public image and private image is blurred when an online presence becomes a cocktail of website plus instagram, twitter, tumblr, and facebook.

When I spend time to painstakingly document my work, I am crafting a professional public image for that work. I set it carefully on a grey graduated backdrop, arrange lights to capture every detail, and spend time adjusting each setting on the camera to compose the perfect shot. However, when I create and build my figures, I feel that they take on a life of their own in the studio. They let their hair down. And so, I invite you to join me on this journey of documenting my work behind the scenes. I hope you enjoy getting to know each character when they aren’t posing for my portfolio or getting gussied up for that next show application. And, please feel free to use the submit link to submit your own sculpties!

For each piece’s pro shots, please check out:  www.jocelynyhoward.com

sculpties.tumblr.com

Help Rebuild The Peters Valley Noborigama Kiln

March, 2014

Dear Friends,

We need your help. Our Noborigama Kiln has been damaged after the structure that shelters it collapsed due to the weight of this winter’s extreme snow. We are in critical need of funds to help rebuild the collapsed structure and repair the kiln damage.

We ask you to please consider making a donation towards this effort.

Time is of the essence as we use this kiln not only for our regular workshop season, but also for special firings that help bring in critical funds to the program in our off-season..

We are firmly committed to rebuilding and repairing the damage.

The Peters Valley Noborigama kiln was built by the famous duo of Will Ruggles and Douglass Rankin during a Wood Kiln Construction and Firing workshop that they taught on our campus in 1992. It was then featured in an article they published in Studio Potter, Volume 22, Number 1 titled ‘The Rock Creek Climbing Kiln Part II’ and has become a huge draw for our program.

We estimate that we need to raise $20,000 to properly rebuild and repair the damage.

“In the few weeks since the collapse of the roof over our two-chamber wood kiln I have received many phone calls and messages of support. Needless to say, I’ve been struck by the generosity shown toward the School and the Ceramics Department in particular. Please know that we truly appreciate whatever amount you’re able to give.” Bruce Dehnert, Ceramic Studio Department Head

Any donation of $75 or more will receive a Peters Valley T-shirt as a thank you.

Your donation will go a long way to helping us restore this critical piece of our ceramic studio. With your support, our unique kiln can continue to benefit a diverse and inspired group of people from students, to artist instructors, studio assistants, artist fellows, resident artists, and Peters Valley visitors.

With Sincere Gratitude,

Kristin Muller Executive Director
Peters Valley School of Craft,
19 Kuhn Rd.,
Layton, NJ 07851
(973)948-5200
www.petersvalley.org

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=HSQEFX8EMHLXQ