Clay for Australia, 2020 is a global fundraising project aimed at assisting those directly impacted by the Australian Bushfires. Conceived by ceramic artist, Vipoo Srivilasa, it follows on from a series of four previous “Clay for….” fundraisers that have provided a platform for clay workers from around the world to support worthwhile philanthropic or charitable causes. To date, more than $100,000AUD has been raised.
Clay for Australia, 2020 facebook page will facilitate clay workers displaying work(s) for sale, and supporters viewing works and buying directly from them. The sale will commence on the 24th of January, and conclude the following week on the 31st. Transactions are to be negotiated between the sellers and buyers, with the money from these transactions donated to one of the following charities:
Wildlife Rescue Emergency Fund – https://www.wires.org.au/ (an organisation assisting wildlife in NSW impacted by the fires)
Food Bank – https://www.foodbank.org.au/ (delivering emergency food relief and water to East Gippsland, helping firefighters and local communities caught up in the bushfires.)
“Ayumi Horie reflects on the groundbreaking Instagram project, Pots in Action—why she started it and why she has decided to finish it.”
“@potsinaction has run its course; I’ve changed and so has Instagram. After 2,400 posts covering a vast range of clay and ceramics globally, @potsinaction will be archived as a website so it can remain a functional resource for the field. @potsinaction expanded a liminal space between pop culture and academia. It turned on people outside the field of ceramics to ceramics by introducing them to a world beyond Paint Your Own Pottery and stuffy museum cases. It became a staple resource for students doing research and for professionals in the field, it dug deeply into what we thought we knew well. For four years, this collaborative project consistently created new content and tried to show not only the best work, but also the unexpected and ubiquitous ways that clay touches lives.”
Read more and DONATE to the archiving of this incredible resource HERE.
A Penland internship offers a unique opportunity to live and work in a dynamic, creative educational community and work with accomplished professionals in a mutual learning and knowledge sharing environment. All housing and meals will be provided at no charge to the intern for the duration of the internship period, and a stipend for the summer is included. Class and Penland studio access is not provided. Housing will be assigned when interns are selected.
Penland will work with applicants seeking educational credit for the internship. Details can be discussed in the interview process.
Open Internships:
We have six internship positions open for summer 2020. All applications will be reviewed beginning February 1.
Based in the gorgeous town of Cobargo, they along with so many, have had their lives turned upside down in the recent fires in New South Wales. Their pottery studio and all the stock in it was destroyed on New Year’s Eve. This was their workplace, their business, their livelihood.
While their home is insured, the studio was not and they need help to rebuild.
Before the fire (taken in November 2019)
After the fire (taken 1st of Jan 2020)
Gabrielle and Dan not only lost the building and stock, but also their pottery wheels and all the equipment that they have built up over the last 30 years. Please donate what you can, so we can help them get back on their feet.
This is a story in progress and will be updated as we get more information from them. Currently they have no power or fuel and limited mobile coverage. The whole community is still in a lot of danger.
Hitomi Hosono explains how she combined British and Japanese aesthetics to create a collection of ceramics for Wedgwood in this video Dezeen filmed at their factory in Stoke-On-Trent. Hosono, a ceramicist from Japan known for intricate porcelain pots featuring botanical forms, designed the collection in collaboration with Wedgwood, after being invited to take part in the brand’s artist in residence program. The collection is comprised of vases, bowls and ornamental boxes in an unglazed matte finish typical of Wedgwood’s signature Jasperwar – a kind of stoneware developed by the brand’s founder Josiah Wedgwood in the 18th century. Jasperware products typically employ relief decorations of human figures and natural forms known as sprigs, which are cast in clay molds and added to the pots. “Sprigs are like thin leaves made of clay,” explains Hosono in the interview. “I chose jasper sprigs from Wedgwood’s archive and applied them in a new way on the pots, with a Japanese aesthetic.”
