I can barely wait till fall to get my hands on a copy of Utopic Impulses: Contemporary Ceramics Practice . It’s a collection of texts edited by Edited by Ruth Chambers, Amy Gogarty & Mireille Perron. And of all things, little ole me will have an image and a small blurb about my work in it. Mind you it’s of a piece that I made, oh let’s see, maybe in 2001! That was back when I made more installation based ceramic work. It’s been interesting to be involved and get a slight sense of exactly how long it takes for things to happen in the publishing world. One of my good old aussie/canadian girls Lia Tajcnar is also in it. I must definitely do a post about her soon as her work is spectacular (to the full extent of the word!) It’s looking to be a great read, and if the wealth of knowledge of the editors is any indication, it will be filled to the brim with amazing-thought-provoking ceramics.

Check out the publishers website here for more information and other great titles.

Here is the blurb from the website about the book:
Utopic Impulses: Contemporary Ceramics Practice brings together ten essays and twenty artist projects to explore ceramics as a socially responsible practice. By framing particular ceramics practices as “utopic impulses,” this anthology envisions new and stimulating conceptions of how studio ceramics contribute to the social and political fabric of their time. The ten essays by artists and theorists well-known in the field, including Paul Mathieu (2007 Saidye Bronfman Award winner) and Leopold Foulem, “make a case” for the importance and value of studio ceramics in the public sphere. The artist projects in Utopic Impulses reflect influences and contexts arising from both local and global concerns. Drawing from a full spectrum of examples, the projects include functional wares, design for industry, conceptual, community-based projects and large-scale installations by artists such as Greg Payce, Jeannie Mah, Sin-Ying Ho, Thérèse Chabot, Jamelie Hassan, Anne Ramsden, Diane Sullivan and Les Manning. Each artist project consists of generous visual documentation supported by an artist statement. While the majority of contributors are Canadian, several are from Australia, Ireland and the UK. Bringing together innovative and forward-thinking examples of theory, history and studio practice, this volume will appeal to students, practitioners and educators in the fields of contemporary visual arts, ceramics and craft culture in general.

As an artist I find it unsettling, yet intriguing when I run across work that reminds me of my own. It can sometimes make you question your own work, is it original enough? or is it simply derivative? What it seems to come down to, or at least this is what I tell myself so that I can keep on making, is that there is no original thought, rather there are new interpretations of the things of life. And in some sense, when confronted with similar work to my own, rather than feel discouraged I take some solace in the finding that there are others out there who see and interpret the world in a manner similar to my own.

Here are some of the pieces that I’ve found in the last few months that remind me of my own work, which is also portrayed.

This image is the work of Rebecca Wilson. I love this piece with the collection (wow even the idea of “collection” is in both works!) of small figures dressed in rabbit outfits.

In 2004 when I was beginning to work on my Collection of Small Miseries series I created a set of seven pieces in which the figurine character was dressed either entirely or partially (just the ears) as a rabbit, of which this image of the dead red bunny is one. This series to me addressed the dialogue of how humans are made a part of the testing process for new technologies, in particular genetically engineered technology through science’s and industry’s introduction of new, not always tested technology into our crops and food.

And this is the work of Barnaby Barford who also makes smart ass commentary on MacDonalds. His works uses found objects which he then cuts and pastes into new scenes.

This is my own piece of the worker crucified on the golden arches, titled He was Dying for a Hamburger. My own process is different in that I work from handmade molds and each piece is built referencing the traditional figurines such as Hummels, yet I don’t actually use the originals in the pieces.

Barford’s work is taking off in popularity, he was recently written up in the New York Times and will be showing at the Garth Clark Gallery in the exhibition Domestic Deities:The Figurine in Art. The show includes these other great artists: Marco Paulo Rolla (Brazil), Tony Hayward, Rachel Kneebone, Andrew Livingstone, Richard Slee (Great Britain), Louise Hindsgavl (Denmark), Laszlo Fekete (Hungary), and Ann Agee, Russell Biles, Linda Cordell, Justin Novak (US). Check out the whole show online at the Garth Clark Gallery.

Next weekend on June 16th you can catch me and my work at the Bazaart Festival in Regina, SK. It’s a one day arts sale featuring ceramics, jewelery, wood, felting, knits, you name it! It’s held at the Mackenzie Art Gallery and should be a great day rain or shine. See you there.

I recently attended an artist talk by Ana Rewakowicz and at the event she had a copy of a book I knew immediately I had to have. Now mind you to put it into perspective, I have to have most books I run across but this one was a particular must-have case. The book, Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crisis is edited by Architecture for Humanity and is filled to the brim with projects and prototypes from designers all around the world in response to the need to develop housing for displaced people as a result of war, famine or natural disaster.

While I’m still just beginning to make my way through the book, already I’m amazed at the ingenuity of these designers, their passion and their commitement to the needs of others.

I’ve pulled out 2 projects to mention which were chosen due to their material which is of course ceramic!

This first one is a housing project which was designed and developed by Nader Khalili and the organization Cal-Earth (calearth.com). The houses are 150sq foot buildings that can be built for approximately $625, plus as an additional bonus the communities themselves are involved in the construction due to the ease of building the structures. The book highlights all of the political, economic and technical chanllenges that were faced in trying to get this project on the ground in the communities that needed them.

This ceramic water filter project is by the organization Potters for Peace, who also have a sister organization here in Canada called Potters Without Borders. The primary community they serve is Managua, Nicaragua and they have a program for potters to travel to Nicaragua to do volunteer work in the area. The filters cost about $10-15 and can purify just under 2L of safe drinking water in an hour.

Lark Books is putting out yet another in their 500 series…

Deadline: July 16
Juror: Linda Arbuckle

Lark Books seeks images of contemporary handmade plates, platters, and chargers to publish in an international collection of studio ceramic work from around the globe. Diverse techniques and styles are desired. Slated for release in Spring 2008, 500 Plates, Platters, & Chargers is intended to inspire beginning and professional ceramic workers, as well as collectors, scholars, and enthusiasts. We accept high-quality transparencies, 35-mm slides, and high-resolution digital images. Artists whose work is selected for inclusion will receive full acknowledgement within the book, a complimentary copy, and discounts on the purchase of books. Artists retain copyright of their work, and there is no entry fee. Entries must be postmarked by July 16, 2007. To submit images of your work for consideration, please go to larkbooks.com and look under artist submissions.