call for entry: LEAP awards

A call for entries will begin on July 1, 2016 for the 2017 Lydon
Emerging Artist Program (LEAP). LEAP is a Store feature that recognizes
exceptional emerging talent in the contemporary craft field and provides
opportunities for early career artists to bring their artwork to the
consumer market. Established in 2007 in honor of SCC Director of
Exhibitions Kate Lydon’s 20-years of service, the program showcases one
winner and six finalists. The winner
will receive a $1000 cash prize and have their work featured, marketed,
and sold in The Store for one year, beginning January 2017. In addition
to the prize-winning artist, each of the six finalists will have their
work featured and sold in 2-month intervals throughout 2017. 

LEAP is open to exceptionally talented artists who are in the early
stages of their careers. “Emerging” artists may have had some
professional experience (i.e., exhibitions, sales, publications, etc.)
but not yet have established reputations. Artists must work in craft
media and are asked to submit 6 images, a resume, a statement, support
materials, and a $25 application fee to SCC by September 30, 2016.

The selection review committee for LEAP will include guest juror
Brigitte Martin, creator and Editor-in-Chief of crafthaus, Janet McCall,
Executive Director at SCC, Kate Lydon, Director of Exhibitions at SCC,
and Megan Crowell, Asst. Director of Retail Operations at SCC.

http://contemporarycraft.org/opportunities/artist-opportunities/

Northern Clay Center Announces 2016 Emerging Artist Residents


Northern
Clay Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the Jerome Ceramic
Artist of Color Residency, Anonymous Artist Studio Fellowships, and
Fogelberg Studio Fellowships; Ellie Bryan (Minneapolis, MN), Valerie
Ling (Valley Stream, NY), Lily Fein (Syracuse, NY), Gillian Doty
(Portland, ME), and Gregory Palombo (Alfred, NY). The new residents will
join Northern Clay Center in September. The work produced during these
yearlong residencies will be on display in a group exhibition that will
take place in January 2018, at Northern Clay Center.

Ellie
Bryan, awarded the inaugural Jerome Ceramic Artist of Color Residency,
will spend her residency exploring soda and wood-firing techniques.
Bryan is interested in incorporating ideas of animism, ancestry, and
tradition in her work. This residency allows artists a unique
flexibility and will give Bryan an opportunity to focus on her
development as a ceramicist, rather than produce work with a
sales-driven focus. In a recent interview, Bryan shared her interest in
animals and their place in her work, “I
believe that the animals around us—found either in their natural
habitat or in the new habitats we, as humans, have created for
ourselves—have stories to tell us. They are messengers and harbingers of
the old and new. As spiritual beings, animals have a connection with
the earth that we once held, but must now struggle to rekindle. I
interpret these beliefs by creating imagery on pots that embody these
messages to forge a unity that is so often lost between creature and
place.”
Anonymous
Artist Studio Fellow, Valerie Ling employs bright colors and absurd
imagery to explore her interest in the worry-free imagination of
children. Ling expresses hope for her work to, “bridge the world of pure
imagination to the reality of adulthood”. She seeks to capture the
innocent, limitless possibilities we experience as children and
challenges viewers to allow themselves to be free-spirited creators. Her
intricate sculptural pieces evoke the purity of childhood joy and
expose her observations about how we, “learn to grow fearful of things
and [become] self-conscious of our silly ideas and behaviors”. With the
resources at NCC, Ling hopes to experiment with larger-scale sculptures,
while further challenging the boundaries of absurdity. 
Joining
NCC from Syracuse, NY, Lily Fein intends to spend her year as Anonymous
Artist Studio Fellow immersed in sculptural vessels that she believes,
“speak to intimacy in human relationships and with the hand.” Fein
states, “I want to facilitate experiences like these where touch
permeates the mundane.” Fein’s work is significantly shaped by the
awareness of touch and communicates this with thoughtful texture and
decisive forms. With a background in Art and Ceramics History, Fein
approaches her ceramic work with a strong academic intent informed also
by her writing practice and voracious reading.
Gillan
Doty’s existing affiliation with atmospheric firing practices will be
further explored during his year in residence as Fogelberg Studio
Fellow. Doty’s work offers an array of colors that call attention to his
bold geometric and ovoid forms. Interested in concepts of weight,
visual mass, simplicity, and fluidity of line, Doty creates both
handbuilt and wheel-thrown functional pieces. He states, “These pots are
cut, shaved, slapped, scratched and molded into a finished form.” His
variety in process is reflected in his diverse yet intensely cohesive
work. Currently based in Portland, Maine, Doty is looking forward to
experiencing the rich history of studio ceramics in the Midwest. 
Fogelberg
Studio Fellow, Gregory Palombo will join Northern Clay Center from
Alfred, New York, where he is currently finishing a BFA program at New
York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Song Dynasty
Qingbai-ware inspires his material choices and both the Bauhaus movement
and architect Adolf Loos have influenced his focus on functionality.
Palombo’s volumetric forms often appear to be swelling; imitating flower
buds or balloons. During his residency, Palombo is looking forward to
making use of NCC’s extensive ceramics library and said of his research
process, “I look at
history and if I find something appealing I try integrate it into my
work, most of the time this integration is slow and full of failures so
it takes some time and studio research to flush things out in a
satisfactory way.” 
Northern
Clay Center provides resources and a space for ceramicists to further
their practice. Northern Clay Center is looking forward to welcoming these five artists into this diverse and rich community of makers. 
www.northernclaycenter.org

Wrapping up the ‘Beyond Limitations’ workshop… By Kim Seungtaek, Curator of Clayarch Gimhae Museum

With the August 21st opening of the ‘Beyond Limitations’ exhibition, the journey of this five-week workshop came to a conclusion. The workshop started from a proposal made by Australian artist Vipoo Srivilasa two years ago. The workshop’s successful implementation was then facilitated by Cho Hyeyoung (director of the 2015 Cheongju International Craft Biennale), who has helped to bridge Australia and Korea through both material and moral support over the past year. In Australia, meanwhile, Srivilasa prepared zealously to ensure the program’s success. In my own preparations for this project, I could sense their fiery passion.

After a year and a half of preparations, the workshop began on July 20th, and we worked without stopping all the way till its final day. Despite the sultry weather, the 21 artists and the support staff were totally immersed in the workshop from morning to evening, not even noticing the time passing. For a ceramicist, five weeks is not long enough to follow a project through to its completion. That is owing to the nature of ceramics, in which each stage requires a lot of handwork and waiting; it is only in the final stage of firing that the work can be completed. For that reason, I was dubious about the amount of artwork those 21 artists could complete over the course of the workshop, and I suggested that the artists each bring one piece with them. My thinking was that the pieces they brought along could be exhibited together with the artwork produced during the workshop, even if those works were
not finished…

But such concerns evaporated completely. From morning to evening, the artists were fully engaged in their work. As a result, within five weeks, we started to worry about whether the galleries could accommodate display space for all the pieces, which numbered beyond expectations. The initial plan had been to use two galleries, but to exhibit all those works invested with the artists’ passion, we ended up needing all three galleries. Seeing the level of completion and refinement of the works produced during the workshop, notwithstanding its short duration, gave me an indescribable feeling of pride as a curator. With every artist working all the way to the very end to help display the works and complete the exhibition set-up, and with its successful opening, we all felt as if we were one.


We also had a number of successful projects that had seemed impossible to fit into five weeks’ time. There were two cultural tours, and every evening there was time for artists and staff to gain greater understanding of one another, as they took part in presentations on each other’s artwork and stories and held discussions. Special guest ceramic artists were invited, too, including Kang Hyo Lee, whose dynamic performance we enjoyed, and HunChung Lee, who shared stories of the art world and his life as an artist. Besides these activities, members of the public also were invited to take part. For instance, local residents had hands-on experience in making book holders patterned with Australian aboriginal art, and at a ‘performance’ (artist lunch), museum visitors were served food by Korean and Australian artists. All these projects were a great experience for the artists, the museum, and the
assistants.

Just as the theme of the workshop suggests, I think the entire process contributed to the artists going beyond their own limitations. By sharing diverse techniques and ideas in contemporary ceramics, while also going beyond national borders, and beyond the boundary lines of ‘mentor’/‘mentee’ and ‘artist’/‘staff’, the workshop was an opportunity for everyone to go beyond their limitations. I truly hope that this workshop offered a chance for forward progress to artists facing a creative block, and for new impetus to artists seeking fresh ideas. I would like to express my gratitude to the exhibition planning team and the museum assistants who enabled the successful completion of the workshop through their support; to the project team that provided five weeks’ worth of delicious meals; and to all the artists who took part in the workshop.
-By Kim Seungtaek, Curator of Clayarch Gimhae Museum 


For more information about the program and the participating artists please visit www.claymentoring.com

The Beyond Limitations project has been funded with supported from Clayarch Gimhae Museum, Australia – Korea Foundation and The Australian Embassy Seoul