Akar Yunomi opens this Friday!

AKAR Design Home page
Upcoming Show I 2014 Yunomi Invitational I
Opens April 25, 2014, 10:00 AM CST

April 25 – May 16
2014 Yunomi Invitational (Online Only!) 

Yunomi Invitational 2011
Yunomi (U-know-me)- A form of teacup, typically made of ceramic
material, being taller than wide, with a trimmed or turned foot. Unlike
the more formal chawan tea bowl which is used during the Japanese tea
ceremony, the Yunomi tea bowl is made for daily (or informal) tea
drinking. 

The Countdown Has Begun!

The Yunomi Invitational is now only a few days away! As
the web gallery puts the final touches on the 2014 Yunomi Invitational,
we want to make sure you feel prepared for the show, too. This is our
largest annual show; this year we have a total of 935 Yunomi. For the
sixth consecutive year, artists have elected to donate portions of their
sales to The Studio Potter, a non-profit organization dedicated to all
things clay. Of our 187 participating artists, this year 143 individuals
are donating profits from a total of 258 Yunomi! With a show of this
grand scale, we thought a few
tips
and hints might help to make your online Yunomi experience pleasant and
seamless. Please remember this is an online event only, therefore we
will not be taking any requests over the phone or by email on the
opening day. This Friday, April 25, at 10:00 AM Central Time all Yunomi
will be available at www.akardesign.com.
MENTION STUDIO POTTER & # donated

Tips for a Successful Yunomi Experience:

Make sure to follow AKAR’s Facebook Page
for “Sneak Peeks” of the Yunomi Invitational! We are posting daily
preview photos of the Yunomi that are in this upcoming show. We are even
taking requests for what photos to post next!

You will need to create an account at www.akardesign.com
if you want to be ready to make a request when the 2014 Yunomi appear
this Friday at 10:00 AM Central Time. If you have already registered on
our website, be sure your account information is current.

To register as a new customer visit your account login https://www.akardesign.com/account/login.asp page.
Submit your email and password, and then fill out your account
information. You will not need your credit card information to register.

After you’ve created your account, you can immediately
browse the site and pick products from our selection of artists and
designers. If you find an artist on the 2014 Yunomi list above whose
work you like, consider book marking his/her artist page. When the new
Yunomi appear, you’ll save precious moments as other customers race to
find and purchase their own favorites.

When you click a product on our website, a pop-up window
will appear with more photos and a more detailed description of the
item. To reserve a Yunomi or another product, simply click the BUY
button in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window. On the next
page, click the submit button to put in a purchase request for the item.
When a piece has been requested and submitted an orange dot will appear
by the product. If multiple requests come in for an item, the request
with the earliest timestamp will be honored.

After we approve your purchase request, you will receive
an email that confirms your order. At this time you will have 24 hours
to visit the site and purchase your item (now you will need credit card
information) before it is released. After your purchase is complete a
red dot will appear by each product indicating it has been sold.

If you have questions about the ordering process or the 2014 Yunomi Invitational, please call the gallery at (319)351-1227 or email [email protected]

List of Artists:

Ted
Adler, Dan Anderson, Andrew Argentina, Jeremy Ayers, Noel Bailey,
Mariana Baquero, Mary Barringer, Ben Bates, Hayne Bayless, Nicholas
Bernard, Birdie Boone, Karl Borgeson, Catherine Boswell, Cynthia
Bringle, Robert Briscoe, Chris Burd, Richard Burkett, Jason Burnett,
Peter Callas, Benjamin Carter, Billy Cho, Victoria Christen, Benjamin
Cirgin, Naomi Cleary, Sunshine Cobb, Steven Colby, Tom Coleman, Michael
Connelly, Michael Corney, Julie Covington, Julie Crosby, Guillermo
Cuellar, Carolanne Currier, Israel Davis, Charity Davis-Woodard, Chandra
DeBuse, Nick DeVries, Josh DeWeese, Dawn Dishaw, Maria Dondero,
Katriona Drijber, Carole Epp, Mark Errol, Paul Eshelman, Jana Evans,
Susan Filley, Donna Flanery,
Delores Fortuna, Chad French, Yoshi Fujii, Nancy Gardner, Ernest Gentry,
Mike Gesiakowski, Bruce Gholson, Sally Gierke, Andrew Gilliatt, John
Glick, Lisa Gluckin, Jim Gottuso, Mel Griffin, Stephen Grimmer, Chris
Gustin, Julie Guyot, Perry Haas, Arthur Halvorsen, Kenyon Hansen, Steve
Hansen, Phil Haralam, Dara Hartman, Chad Hartwig, Mike Helke, Samantha
Henneke, Richard Hensley, Fred Herbst, Autumn Higgins, Steven Hill, Sam
Hoffman, Meredith Host, Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, Sarah Jaeger,
Greg Jahn & Nancy Halter, Tom Jaszczak, Cathi Jefferson, Jay
Jensen, Kyle Johns, Ani Kasten, Matt Kelleher, Gail Kendall, Kelly King,
Michael Kline, Benjamin Krupka, Eva Kwong, Tim Lake, Justin Lambert,
Martina Lantin, Jayson Lawfer, Simon Levin, Dick Lehman, Brenda Lichman,
Kirk Mangus, Sarah-Anne Marraffino, Andrew Massey, Alex Matisse, Hannah
McAndrew, Matt McGovern, Lorna Meaden,
Christopher Melia, Melissa Mencini, Jenny Mendes, Matthew Metz, Ron
Meyers, Ernest Miller, Catie Miller, Megan Mitchell, Ryan Myers, Mark
Nafziger, Andy Nasisse, Ted Neal, Aaron Nelson, Amy Nichols, Brooke
Noble, Sean O’Connell, Shawn O’Connor, Lindsay Oesterritter, Kip
O’Krongly, Debra Oliva, Lisa Orr, Gillian Parke, Kristin Pavelka, Lisa
Pedolsky, Douglas Peltzman, Ronan Kyle Peterson, Ron Philbeck, Brandon
Phillips, Chris Pickett, Peter Pincus, Kari Radasch, Jeremy Randall,
Beau Raymond, George Rector, Matthew Repsher, Steven Rolf, Audrey
Rosulek, Justin Rothshank, Tim Rowan, Mat Rude, Akira Satake, Peter
Scherzer, Deborah Schwartzkopf, Yoko Sekino-Bove, Nancy Selvin, Jo
Severson, Jeff Shapiro, Mark Shapiro, Luba Sharapan, Joey Sheehan, Grace
Sheese, Jane Shellenbarger, Amy Smith & Simon Levin Collaboration,
Amy Smith, Kevin Snipes, Stacy Snyder, Mitchell Spain, Amelia Stamps,
Stacey Stanhope, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Angelique Tassistro, Sam Taylor,
Charlie Tefft, Al Tennant, Daniel Ricardo Teran, Shoko Teruyama, James
Tingey, Kyla Toomey, Natalie Tornatore, Jason Trebs, Mikey Walsh, Julie
Wiggins, Adero Willard, Betsy Williams, Elenor Wilson, Lana Wilson, Tara
Wilson, Matt Wilt, Rosalie Wynkoop, Shumpei Yamaki, and Casey Zablocki.

Artists Photographed Above:

(Top Row) Yoko Sekino-Bove, Ben Krupka, Rosalie Wynkoop, Jenny Mendes, Andy Nasisse, Lisa Orr, Mitchell Spain, Sarah-Anne Marraffino (Middle Row) Julie
Guyot, Melissa Mencini, Greg Jahn & Nancy Halter, Phil Haralam,
Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, Tom Coleman, Matthew Repsher, Steven
Hill (Bottom Row) Michael Corney, Billy Cho, Birdie Boone, Paul Eshelman, Richard Burkett, Israel Davis, Jeremy Ayers, Cynthia Bringle

#virtualclay – join us in the conversation

This is a chance for you to get involved in an NCECA panel whether
you’ll be in Milwaukee or not. Virtual Realities, Material World is a
panel addressing the role of social media in the professional lives of
four ceramic artists. This March join Michael Kline, Ben Carter, Adam Field and Carole Epp in person or through social media in the
conversation. Use #virtualclay on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to pose questions, share ideas, build
community. We will be collecting your questions from now until Friday
March 21st. 

Thanks for adding your voice.

upcoming cup sale

I was recently invited to send cups to AKAR for their upcoming yunomi exhibition (yah I know I’m still pinching myself thinking it’s a dream!). Being the stress case that I normally am I made 21 cups to ensure that I would have a perfect 5 to send. So now I’m selling off the extras this upcoming tuesday at noon (central time).

Join me if you’d like for some lovely yunomies at theuntrainedeye.etsy.com

thanks!
xoxox
carole

This weekend….

I don’t know about you but I’m heading into a busy weekend with two exciting events where you can catch my work. (Sadly I’ll only personally be at one!)

If you’re local you can check out Winter Wonders Handmade Market.
Flock and Gather is an artist collective I’m a part of and we volunteer our time every year to organize some pretty awesome sales (if i do say so myself). Tons of awesome vendors and not to be missed if you’re nearby. You can find all the details at flockandgather.blogspot.com

And a little further south, and hopefully a bit warmer, down at Red Lodge Clay Center the exhibition 21st Century Sketchbook will be opening Friday evening (online on Monday). Also worth checking out in person if you’re able.

I love the premise of the show and am super honored to be a part of it. Here’s a blurb from their website and a sneak peek of one of my pieces for the show.
“Artist’s Reception: Friday, December 6, 2013

Exhibition Posted Online: Monday, December 9, 2013 by 10 AM Mountain Time

21st Century Sketchbook is an exhibition showcasing a contemporary
social networking tool-cum-research/inspirational device, a who’s
watching who in contemporary ceramics. The idea for this exhibit came
when we received a google alert after Birdie Boone pinned an image from
the Red Lodge Clay Center website to her board.

Birdie Boone pins Peter Beasecker, Andrew Martin, and Joe Pintz; Mariko
Paterson pins Michael Corney, Jen Allen, and Carole Epp; Emily Schroeder
Willis pins Maren Kloppmann and Sam Chung; Ron Philbeck pins Diana Fayt
and Sandy Simon; Grace Sheese pins Kelly King, Brian Jones, and Pattie
Chalmers.”

So whatever you have planned for the weekend I hope you stay warm and find inspiration in the studio, or have a blast at your holiday sales ( I know so many of us are in the midst of the craft sale season!)

All the best,
Carole

Janet Macpherson Wins the 2013 Winifred Shantz Award!!!


Janet Macpherson

The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery Announces 2013 RBC and Shantz Award Winners

WATERLOO (ONTARIO) CANADA. November 9, 2013: The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
announced the winners of the 2013 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics and RBC Award for Glass at an Awards ceremony held at the Gallery on November 9. The ceremony featured keynote speaker Marie A. Côté, a Montreal artist who delivered a riveting talk about her ceramic and sound installations that evoke Canada’s Arctic. This work was at the heart of her exhibition, Of Vessels and Voices, held at the Gallery June 27 to September 1, 2013.

The winner of the 2013 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics is Janet Macpherson. Ms. Macpherson began studying ceramics at Sheridan College. For several years, she maintained a studio practice in Toronto before going to Ohio State University where she received her MFA in Ceramics. Her new work has been exhibited extensively across the United States. In 2012, Macpherson held an artist-in-residence/faculty position at Sheridan College and is currently an artist-in-residence at the Craft Studio at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto. This award will allow her to undertake a three-month period of work and research at the Zentrum fur Keramik in Berlin, Germany.

Carole Epp

 Carole Epp of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan received the second prize.
The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics was juried by Bruce Cochrane, Jennifer Leskiw, Jessica Steinhäuser.

Brad Turner


The winner of the 2013 RBC Award for Glass is Brad Turner of Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Turner received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Alberta College of Art and Design and, most recently, his MFA from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University (Alfred, NY). Turner’s work has been exhibited extensively in the Toronto area as well as at the Museum of Vancouver, SOFA New York, SOFA Chicago, Glassmuseet Ebeltoft (Denmark) and the Cheongju International Craft Biennial (South Korea). This award will enable Turner to travel throughout Germany, Denmark and Norway to visit museums and glass blowing production studios before producing new work while in residence at Glazenhuis in Lommel, Belgium.

Aaron Oussoren
Aaron Oussoren

Aaron Oussoren of Toronto, Ontario received the second prize.
The RBC Award for Glass was juried by Susan Edgerley, Elena Lee and Tina Poplawski.