“For four decades, Canadian ceramic artist Steven Heinemann has been turning clay into mesmerizing works of art. Heinemann has been widely recognized around the world with several national and international awards and prestigious residencies under his belt, and he came by the q studio to speak with guest host Ali Hassan about the challenges of working with clay, and the life lessons he’s learned from his art form.”
I’m not sure why it is that I wake up every January 1st with some renewed optimism about how things might be if I could just get myself better organized and focused. “This will be the year I finally accomplish…. (fill in the blank with a number of personal and professional goals)”. What about the beginning of a year seems to clean the slate, make us start fresh?
Realistically I still have a massive amount of leftover work from last year that gets dragged into this fresh new year like a dirty sock no one wants to deal with, so it’s not like the option to start fresh exists. But yet here I am, all optimistic. Trying to sort out what my goals should be, trying to act like a grown up in control of things rather than just bobbing along in the waves letting the current take me where it pleases.
I’ve been really lucky in my professional life that great opportunities have come along and that I have had such generous support from this creative community that I love and advocate for. I’m always feverish for the next project, the next collaboration and new possibilities for growth and learning. I lie awake at night wondering how to make musing about mud better, how to build a better presence for make and do ceramics, and how to find the time to dream up more projects like National Clay Week’s The Crafted Dish. But I also often wonder if my visions are really what the community out there (yes I’m talking about you!) are needing and looking for. I’m realistic about how limited my time is, how stretched thin things can be, but I don’t begrudge that – I just want to be as efficient and effective as possible. So I’m curious what you as makers, as organizations, as creative partners in our lovely Clay world see as a void that needs to be addressed; something you wish there was more of, something you crave in your corner of the world. How can we all work together to address those needs? How might I as editor of Musing help contribute to that?
This year marks the 11th year of Musing About Mud. Eleven years is a long time. I’m in the mood to celebrate. I’m also in the mood to bring new energy into this blog. I’m not sure how to stop bobbing along with the tide. Perhaps you have some ideas you might want to share….
Hugs and love to all my friends.
May 2018 bring you happiness, health, peace, and safety, wherever you are in the world.
GrowlerFest at the Brew House Association Beer growlers, jugs, and other containers used for storing or serving beer.
GrowlerFest connects artists to the craft beer movement by showcasing the ties between local food, craft beer, and ceramics. It’s goal is to create a “cross current” link between the craft brewery movement and the vitality of handmade pottery.
Beer growlers, jugs, and other containers used for storing or serving beer. All work must be for sale.
Project Description
GrowlerFest connects artists to the craft beer movement by showcasing the ties between local food, craft beer, and ceramics. It’s goal is to create a “cross current” link between the craft brewery movement and the vitality of handmade pottery. Through the intersection of collaboration and individual aesthetic, we hope to spark investment in handmade objects among a group of people who share a common interest. The enjoyment of food and drink can be greatly enriched by the experience of using the beautiful work artists so thoughtfully produce.
The exhibition will be comprised of two components, one being juried growlers from artists who answer an open call for entry, and another being growlers made by an invited list of artists. We will pair these two components in order to create a multi-faceted exhibition which fosters a particular aesthetic while sparking interest in the growler as a form. Events will feature beer tastings and local food sampling and will be free and open to the public during the NCECA Conference in Pittsburgh, PA March 13-17, 2018. The public is invited to an exhibition and social gatherings centering on the beer growler.
Criteria/Application Requirements
1. Must be a growler or vessel pertaining to beer
2. Submit up to 5 images/3 different pieces
3. Applicant cost for entry – $30
4. Full Name
5. Email address
6. Phone Number
7. Full Address
8. Title of work
9. Dimensions – (HxWxD)
10. Description – method, materials, techniques
11. Date
12. Retail Price
Art Location Description
GrowlerFest is partnering with the Brew House Association (BHA), which provides a wide range collaborative spaces, programs, and people in order to encourage the pursuit of artistic excellence. The BHA has emerged as a place where code writers mix with sculptors, artists evolve into entrepreneurs, and citizens from Pittsburgh’s South Side, Hilltop, and Mon Valley come to be creative. A former brewery located near Pittsburgh’s cultural district, it presents the perfect location for an exhibition centering on its historical purpose and contemporary identity.
Site or Art Location Plans
The Brewhouse Association
711 South 21st Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
Artist Eligibility
Open to all US & international artists
Deadline
Deadline to submit applications is January 22, 2018.
Selection Process
Juried by Alexandra Jelleberg & Bradley Klem
Jurying is based on images of individual pieces
Project Timeline
January 22 – Deadline for application
January 24-31 – Jurying process
February 2 – Notification of Acceptance
February 9-23 – Window of shipping work to the gallery
March 2-29 – Exhibition Dates
March 31-April 7 – Return shipping of unsold work
Sources for Additional Information
Project Art 01026.com/GrowlerFest
BrewHouseArts.org
NCECA.com
For the past thirty-five years, acclaimed Canadian artist Steven Heinemann has transformed the medium of ceramics in Canada. Working in varying scale, Heinemann explores the paradoxes between culture and nature, deliberation and chance, interior and exterior surfaces.
This first major retrospective examines Heinemann’s fascinating and evolving process to reveal how he uses form, texture, pigment, and imagery to achieve his wondrously tactile bowls, pods, and other universal shapes that embody the polarities between life and nature.
Heinemann’s process can stretch over months or even years, firing a piece multiple times, and reworking the surface by sandblasting, scratching, polishing, and stenciling to evoke glyph-like imagery. His studio is evoked in the gallery through an installation of sketchbooks and source material, including original photographs and a wall of ceramic test tiles. A time-lapse video shot by the artist documents a treated clay surface as it dries, warps, and cracks according to chance and calculation.
Click here to see Steven Heinemann in his studio discussing one of the works in the exhibition.
Wednesday November 8, 6:30 – 8 pm Artist Lecture: Steven Heinemann Steven Heinemann reflects on his career as a Canadian contemporary ceramist and how philosophies of ecology, cosmology, and ancient artifacts have inspired his work.
$15 General / $10 Gardiner Friends Learn more
Saturday November 11, 2 – 4 pm Steven Heinemann: Culture and Nature Exhibition Walk-Through Join Steven Heinemann and contemporary ceramics collector Raphael Yu for a walk-through of Culture and Nature.
$30 General / $25 Gardiner Friends Learn more
Saturday November 18, 10 am – 4 pm Master Potter at Work: Steven Heinemann Steven Heinemann leads an intimate observation-based workshop in our Community Clay Studio for emerging, established, and curious ceramic makers, exploring key elements of his artistic process.
$30 General / $25 Gardiner Friends Learn more
Medalta’s Annual International Exhibition: Dish, Open to the Public
Medicine Hat, AB – November 2, 2017 – This year marks the fifth annual international exhibition at Medalta. Ceramic artists from around the world were invited to submit work around the theme of “dish”. For the first iteration of our international exhibition, we celebrated the cup, then spoons, tools, and drinking vessels. This year, it’s the dish.
Commenting on the theme, exhibition juror Julia Galloway remarks, “Ahh… a dish, it is not a cup, or a pitcher or a vase, a dish, large or small, is an object to serve from or contain in a way that is often celebratory! Now of course, we can serve out of a pitcher, or container in a vase, but we would not say–pass me that dishful of gladiolas! No, a dish is a dish.” Julia Galloway is renowned in the ceramics community and brought to the table her experience as an educator, ceramic artist, and community builder.
Dish showcases over 130 works from 70 artists representing Canada, the United States, Scotland, Singapore, and South Korea. “The work was wonderfully diverse, a great display of making and surface techniques as well as ideas and concepts,” says Galloway, “there was a great deal of humor and technical mastery in the entries”.
Along with selecting the works for this exhibition, Galloway will select and announce the Grand Prize winner of a one-month Medalta residency and accommodation. The artist receiving this award will be announced at the exhibition’s opening on Thursday, November 9th from 6 – 8 pm. Medalta is delighted to host Julia Galloway for an artist talk on her practice before the opening on Thursday, November 9th from 3:30 – 4:30 pm. There is no charge to attend both events and everyone is welcome.
Dish runs from October 19th until January 24th, 2018. All works in the exhibition are for sale and can be purchased online at medalta.org/dish or in person during regular business hours (Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am – 4 pm). Work purchased as a Christmas gift can be made available before the show closes. Dish features a variety of work to match your unique style and aesthetic with price points for all.
Running alongside Dish is an exhibition of sculptural works recently acquisitioned into Medalta’s contemporary collection. All works were created in the last three years and represent only a small selection of the artists who have lived and worked in Medicine Hat through the Medalta International Residency Program.
