a post about places that change your life (and a request to help out Medalta in their time of need)
This is me circa 2010 during a month long residency at Medalta in Medicine Hat. Little did I know that when the director Aaron Nelson called me and asked me to pull together a group of artists for a month that I would not only have a life changing experience, but that a piece of my heart would forever belong to Medalta Artist in Residence Program. I’m sure many of you out there have had similar experiences at different places around the world, colleagues that become friends, friends that become family; and precious time in a studio with other artists that invigorates and renews your creative practice. Medalta and it’s vibrant community have been so good to me. I’ve had the opportunity to return to Medalta on a number of occasions to visit with other artists, to teach and to jury exhibitions.
So it’s with their future sustainability in my heart and mind that I’m posting today about a fundraiser they are currently doing to upgrade their Soda and Salt Kilns. These kilns are over ten years old and have seen better days in their lifetime of producing beautiful pots for international artists. Here’s me back in 2010 firing the soda kiln during my residency there.
And here is the state of the kilns currently…
Medalta needs to raise $12,000 in the next month in order to rebuild these kilns and have them up and running for new residents and workshop attendees. If you have the ability to do so, I encourage you to donate today and help them out. Who knows you might find yourself there as a resident someday! Or did you know you can rent the kilns as well??? (well you can rent the new ones in the future that is!)
Here’s the link to DONATE to their campaign.
And here is Medalta’s website if you want to learn more about them or get in contact.
call for artists: 2019 International Juried Exhibition at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, New Jersey
EXHIBITION DATES: November 8 – December 21, 2019
Awards Ceremony and Opening Reception: Friday, November 8 from 6 – 8 p.m.
JUROR: Garth Johnson
ABOUT THE JUROR: Writer, curator, and educator Garth Johnson is the Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Johnson is known for his irreverent wit, which can be explored through his weblog, www.extremecraft.com. He has also exhibited his work and published his writing nationally and internationally, including contributions to the books Handmade Nation, Craftivity, Craft Corps, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Nation Building. His book, 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, was published by Quarry. He is a self-described craft activist who explores craft’s influence and relevance in the 21st century.
AWARDS:
Special Exhibitions Committee Award: Solo Exhibition at The Center for Contemporary Art
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $100
DATES & DEADLINES:
Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 15th at 11:59 p.m. MT
Artist Notification: Friday, October 11th (by email)
In Person Delivery: October 29 – November 2nd during office hours
Deadline to Receive Shipped Artwork: November 1st
Exhibit Opening Reception: Friday, November 8 from 6-8 p.m.
Pre-paid Artwork Return and In-Person Pick-Up: January 2 – 10 during office hours
ENTRY FEE:
$35 for up to three entries
$25 for Members of The Center and art educators
Entry fees are non-refundable
ELIGIBILITY:
The exhibition is open to artists age 18 and older
SPECIFICATIONS:
The exhibition will consist of three-dimensional ceramics work. Wall-mounted pieces must be prepared and ready for hanging and no larger than 36″ X 36″. Free-standing pieces may not exceed 32″ X 32″ X 48″ or weigh more than 75 lbs. including box or crate. Work across a variety of display solutions is encouraged including video or film related to clay. Accepted work cannot be substituted and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. Please contact The Center with questions about oversize pieces or other shipping concerns before you apply.
SUBMISSION:
Submit up to three JPEG/JPG digital images. Upload options for image files:
File format: JPEG or JPG only
File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
File size: 5 MB maximum
Information on how to resize your file can be found here.
VIDEO
File Type: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS.
File Size: Under 100 MB.
Currently, linked media from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. is not accepted.
HOW TO ENTER!
2019 entries should be submitted through CallforEntry.org starting June 1.
You must set up an account to enter.
If you run across a problem while applying or have questions, please contact CallforEntry.org at [email protected].
SHIPPING/DELIVERY OF ARTWORK:
The artist is responsible for the cost of shipping or mailing artwork to and from The Center for Contemporary Art using Fed-X or DHL. A return shipping label and return postage must be included with the artwork. Artwork may also be hand-delivered to and picked up from The Center for Contemporary Art on the appropriate dates during the scheduled times.
INSURANCE AND SALE OF ARTWORK:
All artwork is insured for its declared value from the time it is received through January 10, 2020 while it is on the premises. Artists are responsible for insuring artwork during transit.
The Center for Contemporary Art receives a 30% commission on all exhibition sales.
MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Center for Contemporary Art reserves the right to use digital images of exhibited artwork for media, website, PR and advertising.
movie day: BBC Beautiful Thing A Passion for Porcelain
Documentary in which Ros Savill, former director and curator at the Wallace Collection, tells the story of some incredible and misunderstood objects – the opulent, intricate, gold-crested and often much-maligned Sevres porcelain of the 18th century.
Ros brings us up close to a personal choice of Sevres masterpieces in the Wallace Collection, viewing them in intricate and intimate detail. She engages us with the beauty and brilliance in the designs, revelling in what is now often viewed as unfashionably pretty or ostentatious. These objects represent the unbelievable skills of 18th-century France, as well as the desires and demands of an autocratic regime that was heading for revolution.
As valuable now as they were when first produced, Sevres’ intricacies and opulence speak of wealth, sophistication and prestige and have always been sought after by collectors eager to associate themselves with Sevres’ power. Often the whims and capricious demands of monumentally rich patrons were the catalysts for these beautiful and incredible artistic innovations.
The film explores the stories of some of history’s most outrageous patrons – Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, as well as their foreign counterparts like Catherine the Great, who willingly copied the French court’s capricious ways. Ros tells how the French Revolutionaries actually preserved and adapted the Sevres tradition to their new order, and how the English aristocracy collected these huge dinner services out of nostalgia for the ancient regime. In fact, they are still used by the British Royal Family today.
call for entry: Material Hard + Soft
The Greater Denton Arts Council proudly presents the 33rd annual Materials: Hard + Soft International Contemporary Craft Competition and Exhibition. Recognized as one of the premier craft exhibitions in the country, Materials: Hard + Soft began in 1987 and was originally initiated by area artist Georgia Leach Gough. The exhibition celebrates the evolving field of contemporary craft and the remarkable creativity and innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media. Since 2017, the exhibition has expanded to include works by international artists.
2020 ENTRY GUIDELINES
HOW TO ENTER
Our entry deadline for the 2020 exhibition is September 29, 2019. Please review the upcoming schedule below for more information on the next steps in the competition. A downloadable 2020 Prospectus is available for entry guidelines and procedures questions. Entries can be submitted online or through the mail.
AWARDS
The Greater Denton Arts Council will provide Juror Awards in the amounts of $1,000, $750, $500 and $250. Winners will be determined by the juror and will be announced at the opening reception of the exhibition on February 7, 2020.
ELIGIBLE MEDIA
Works produced in any of the craft media: clay, fiber, glass, metal, paper, wood, or any combination of craft media, are acceptable. Entries must be the complete work of the submitting artist. Works can be a collaboration piece, all collaborators must be listed in the space provided on the entry form. Local, national, and international artists are encouraged to apply. Kits or commercially designed works will not be accepted. All work must have been completed within the past two years (2017-2019) and not previously exhibited at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center.
NUMBER OF ENTRIES + ENTRY FEE
Each artist is limited to three (3) entries. There is a $40 (USD) non-refundable fee, for up to three (3) entries. Payments must be submitted online at the time of application.
SIZE LIMITATIONS
All work must be ready for installation. Submissions are restricted to a weight limit of no more than 75 pounds. GDAC reserves the right to exclude any entry that presents complex installation or assembly problems.
SALES
A 30% commission will be retained from all work sold during the exhibition. Works which are not for sale must be clearly marked as such (NFS).
PUBLICITY
The exhibition will be publicized regionally, nationally and internationally. GDAC reserves the right to use photographs or digital images of any accepted work for the purpose of publicity.
DELIVERY + RETU RN OF WORK
Artists are responsible for pre-paying all shipping charges to and from the exhibition site upon selection by the juror. Accepted works must be hand-delivered or shipped according to the instructions provided in the Artist Contract. Entries will be insured by GDAC while in its custody. Insurance value for pieces NFS should reflect fair market value. No work may be withdrawn before the close of the exhibition. Sending an entry to this exhibition shall imply an agreement on the part of the sender to all conditions above.
DEADLINES AND EXHIBITION DATES
September 29, 2019 | Deadline for acceptance of online entry materials (by 11:59 PM)
November 15, 2019| Notification forms sent to all artists
December 6, 2019 | Artist contracts are due
January 5 – 11, 2020 | Shipped and hand-delivered artwork due at the Arts Center
February 7, 2020 | Opening Reception 6:00 – 8:00 PM. Award Ceremony 7:00 PM.
February 7 – May 9, 2020 | Exhibition on view at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center
May 11 – 23, 2020 | De-installation and return of artwork
For additional questions about the competition and exhibition, contact [email protected]
Find out more HERE plus view the previous years exhibitions.
technical tuesday: How to make a silicone mold of a clay sculpture.
n this tutorial we explain the basics of silicone mold making over a clay sculpture. We molded a simple Chavant clay sculpt using PlatSil FS-20 silicone. Along the way, we explain some tips on configuration, bubble entrapment, and mold design. You can find all of the products on our site: Chavant Clay: https://www.brickintheyard.com/produc… 2500 Mold Release: https://www.brickintheyard.com/produc… Mold Tube: https://www.brickintheyard.com/produc… PlatSil FS-20: https://www.brickintheyard.com/produc… EasyFlo 60 Resin: https://www.brickintheyard.com/produc…