SaltLik – New works by Jim Etzkorn

by | Aug 10, 2010 | Uncategorized


Ceramic art show opens in Medalta’s Squared Gallery, August 13

Medicine Hat – On Friday, Aug. 13, 2010 at 7:00pm, an exhibit of new work by ceramic artist Jim Etzkorn will open in Medalta’s Squared Gallery. The show is named SaltLik.
Etzkorn initially arrived in Medicine Hat to take part in a four month ceramic art residency in fall 2009. He quickly grew to enjoy the city and expanded his time here from four months to twelve, with plans to become a permanent resident.

Etzkorn’s primary focus during his residency was to explore the salt glazing process, which inspired the show’s name. Salt glazing is an atmospheric process, which produces unique effects on clay. When the kiln reaches its maximum temperature, salt is introduced, which turns to a vapour and reacts with the silica in the clay. In many cases, it produces an uneven, orange peel-like effect. Etzkorn prefers to use glazes which react with the atmospheric salt to produce subtle variations in colour and texture, producing pots with extraordinary visual and tactile depth.

The most prominent historical use of salt glazing in Medicine Hat lies with the Alberta Clay Products factory, which was a major clay sewer pipe manufacturer prior to a devastating fire in the early 1960’s.

The show will be the last in the current Squared Gallery. In the fall, the Historic Clay District will undergo a major excavation of Medalta’s former Kiln Room, which currently houses the gallery.

Anyone who wishes to attend the show should contact Medalta and ask to be added to the invitation list. Attendance to the event is free of charge, with all donations going to the continued restoration of the Historic Clay District.

The Historic Clay District is one of eight tourism attractors in the Canadian Badlands, featured in AMA’s “Alberta 100 Journeys” and is Western Canada’s largest National Historic Site. The museum – in the Medalta Potteries National Historic Site – provides visitors a unique opportunity to visit a restored 1912 pottery factory, which once produced three-quarters of all stoneware in Canada. It is operated under the stewardship of the Friends of Medalta Society.

For more information, interviews or visuals, contact:
Quentin Randall 403.529.1070 [email protected]
www.medalta.org
www.etzkornpottery.com

Call for Entries: What’s so Funny?

by | Aug 9, 2010 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday

Metalsmith Brigitte Martin has joined up with Schiffer Publishing to develop a book about the role humor plays in contemporary craft, and they welcome your submissions in image, text, audio, and video.

What’s so funny? People of all ages and cultures respondto humor enthusiastically and
craft artwork definitely can be very funny ! Often, the work exudes a sense of the absurd due to exaggerated size
or by being executed in unusual materials. Craft artwork can be
highly ironic, political, sarcastic, or just plain amusing, and it
comes in a variety of media, such as metals, wood, fibers, ceramics,
glass, mixed media etc. Brigitte Martin has joined up with Schiffer
Publishing to develop a book about the role humor plays in
contemporary craft, and we welcome your submissions in image, text,
audio, and video!

They are looking for the following contributions: – images of humorous artwork,
-texts/essays by the contributing artists, commenting about humorous
aspects in their artwork,
– audio art
– video art (the book will contain a CD of audio/video art depending
on qualifying submissions)
– essays by writers about the role of humor and fun in craft.

Can you show us humor in all its shades expressed through craft
artwork and text ? Who decides what’s funny and what isn’t ? What
topics are off-limits ? Is irony funny ? Sarcasm ? Are politics
funny ? Religion ? This book aims to provide the viewer with
entertainment, commentary, and of course, many fine craft pieces by
makers from all over the world. Humorb has no borders. Or does it ?
It might be interesting to learn how a piece will be hilarious in
China, but only garner mild astonishment in Sweden andvice versa.

This call is open to craft artists working in all craft media.
crafthaus membership is not required. International entries are
particularly welcome and encouraged ! The book is scheduled to be on
the market in 2012. This is a rolling call: THE SOONER YOU SEND IN YOUR ENTRY the greater your chance to be considered ! Final deadline: March 1, 2011. Artists: To submit your work for initial consideration, please email: humorincraft (at) (our good friends) yahoo com – low res image(s), – information regarding media, measurements, – brief blurb about your work and your views on the topic of “humor
in craft” – Audio/Video artists: Please email an excerpt of your piece or
direct me to a website where your work can be heard/seen. Once selected, you will receive detailed information about the image
requirements for printing, as well as other pertinent information
and a deadline for final submission. Image requirements for eventual inclusion in book: Be prepared to submit your photos at 300 dpi and sized 15 x 10
inches !
Format: tiff or jpg AdobeRGB1998 preferred but not necessary
Pixel count for a 9 x 7 image is: 3500 x 2800 pixels Writers: Please submit a brief outline on your proposed essay topic, as well
as some information about you to (the same email as above.)

Call for entry – 25th Annual International Juried Show

by | Aug 7, 2010 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday

Entry Deadline: October 1, 2010
January 14–March 18, 2011

The 24th Annual International Juried Show is being presented at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, January 15 to March 19, 2010. This critically acclaimed show is open to artists with eligible work in all media from the United States and around the globe. A distinguished member of the arts community is chosen as juror each year. Susan Kismaric, Curator, Department of Photography at the Museum of Modern Art will serve as this year’s juror.

Best In Show award: $1,000 cash prize and Lunch with Susan Kismaric, Curator at the Museum of Modern Art An artist’s opportunity of a lifetime!

Includes roundtrip travel and accommodations with one night hotel stay in Summit, New Jersey plus travel to meet and have lunch with the juror for the 24th International Juried Show, Susan Kismaric of the Museum of Modern Art

The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
908-273-1457
artcenternj.org/files/juryshow10.pdf
[email protected]