In 2018, Alex Kraft and Melanie Shaw produced Critical Function, a stunning exhibition for the Pittsburg NCECA. Four internationally recognized critics and curators: Gail M. Brown, Janet Koplos, Paul Mathieu, and Anthony Merino each selected ten functional artists, whose work they admired. The exhibition engaged artists, students, collectors, and educators equally; making for a critical and commercial success. For 2020, Kraft and Shaw have kept the essential framework but reworked the selected guest jurors to reflect the NCECA theme: multiVAlent: clay, mindfulness, and memory. Bernadette and Neil Mansfield, Jill Foote-Hutton, Carole Epp, and Garth Johnson agreed to contribute their expertise and experience to this endeavor.
In the last 40 years there has been a continued pattern of exponential growth of engagement in the field of ceramic art. Without question, all four jurors have played important and mindful roles in promoting contemporary ceramics. Taking the main theme of multiVAlent into consideration—one characteristic connecting this diverse jury is the following: each person meaningfully expands the way ceramics are examined and promoted locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Each of the jurors pioneered new ways to promote ceramic art and ceramic artists. Bernadette and Neil Mansfield edit Ceramics: Art and Perception and Yarrobil, continuing Janet Mansfield’s vision of producing truly international ceramic journals. Jill Foote-Hutton, a maker in her own right, is Editor of The Studio Potter. She promotes social craft practice through www.whistlepigtales.com, sociallyengagedcraftcollective.org, and created the MJ Wood Residency as well as an Artists as Writer’s Residency at Red Lodge Clay. Carole Epp compiles the well-known Musing About Mud blog and Instagram feed, created makeanddo.ca to promote Canadian ceramic artists, and is an internationally celebrated artist (caroleepp.com). Garth Johnson is the Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum with writing contributions such as the blog extremecraft.com and 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse. All were early pioneers in the use of social media and the world wide web to promote ceramics. Each juror carries forward a personal mission that promotes contemporary ceramics through community-oriented educational outreach. They inform their audience of current practice in relation to historical tradition and technical memory in the field of ceramics.
As with the first iteration of the exhibition, none of the jurors were given directions as to how they should make their selections. The only restrictions placed were not to include any of the artists who took part in the 2018 exhibition, and to consider their own interpretation of “functional ceramics” in their decisions. Critical Function 2 takes the memory of the previous exhibition forward in this exciting new iteration.
NCECA Concurrent exhibition. Sponsored by Visual Arts Center, 1812 W Main St, Richmond, Virginia 23220
260 FINGERS: 26 CELEBRATED CERAMIC ARTISTS CONVERGE FOR 15TH ANNUAL INVITATIONAL EXHIBITION AND SALE
175 Third Ave. Ottawa, ON
Opening/Vernissage: Friday, November 8, 6-9pm
Saturday, November 9 and Sunday, November 10, 10am-5pm
Just as the farm-to-table movement shows us where our food comes from and how it is grown, handmade pottery urges us to consider the story behind the objects we hold in our hands. It is a story about processes, materials, and an individual artist’s skills and creativity as they express themselves through clay.
To join in a conversation with 26 ceramic artists and learn more about their relationship with clay, come to 260 Fingers at the Glebe Community Centre from November 8 to 10! For the 15th consecutive year, 26 of Ontario and Quebec’s most accomplished ceramic artists are converging to exhibit and sell some of the most innovative and inspiring clay work being produced in the region. The breadth and caliber of this invitational show is recognized as unique in both provinces and features work from functional to sculptural, wood-fired to electric-fired, subtle to highly decorative.
On Friday, November 8, from 6-9pm, the gorgeous, domed atrium of the Glebe Community Center will open its doors to visitors eager to be among the first to view and purchase this year’s new work. Open to everyone, the vernissage is a vibrant celebration of ceramic work complete with music, food, drink and lively conversation. The show continues Saturday November 9 and Sunday November 10 from 10am –5 pm. The artists are always available for discussions, and, with such a wide range of work and artistic practice, visitors often have questions. There are also guided tours both Saturday and Sunday during which artists talk about their work and techniques.
In addition to the solid core of accomplished potters that have made 260 Fingers such an eagerly anticipated event, eight new guest artists will be adding to the excitement with their best new work. 260 Fingers is different every year, but there is one thing that doesn’t change: the excellence of the craftsmanship and the vibrant atmosphere of an inspired artistic community that comes together to celebrate and talk about clay.
This year, among the 26 participating artists, seven are potters who fire with wood, a laborious and risky method that can result in spectacular yet subtle vessels. We are thrilled to welcome guest artists Bruce Cochrane and Tony Clennell, both well known teachers and veteran wood firers. Also in this group are Heather Smit, Anne Creskey, Andrew Kellner, Jen Drysdale and John Ikeda. Wood firing is part wild risktaking and part stuborness as it can take days to load the kiln with the pots in strategic places, and days and nights to feed wood into the fire to produce the complex interactions between clay, flame, ashes and salts. The results can be pure, poetic magic.
260 Fingers is a free event. For more information or high-res images, please email [email protected] or call Maureen Marcotte at 819-459-3164.
Participating artists for 2019 are members Anne Creskey, Bill Reddick, Carolynne Pynn-Trudeau, Chandler Swain, Cynthia O’Brien, Don Goddard, Heather Smit, Jen Drysdale, John Ikeda, Leta & Don Cormier, Maria Moldovan, Maureen Marcotte, Reid Flock, Rita Redner, Saskia Praamsma, Susie Osler, Teresa Wingar and guests Bruce Cochrane,Tony Clennell, Andrew Kellner, Terri MacDonald, Patrick Yeung, Michelle Mendlowitz, Marney McDiarmid, and Janet Keefe. To see more about their work visit: www.260fingers.ca
We are pleased to be holding our 12th annual international call for entries, Beyond the Brickyard.
The selected works will be exhibited at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT, in early 2020.
This year’s exhibition will be juried by Chis Staley.
Specifications
The competition is open internationally to ceramic artists 18 years of age or older.
Current residents of the Bray may not apply.
Artists may submit up to 3 works for consideration, and up to 2 images of each piece (one complete photo plus one detail or alternate angle).
All artwork must be for sale and available during the time of exhibition.
The artwork exhibited must be the same piece(s) submitted for consideration.
Submitted artwork must not exceed 24” in any direction or weigh more than 35 lbs.
The artwork entered should be prepared for professional display and not so fragile as to be potentially dangerous to the work or others when shipped/displayed/handled with reasonable care.
Artists are responsible for cost of shipping selected work(s) to the Archie Bray Foundation (ABF). Artists are responsible for their own insurance for shipping to ABF and during the time that artwork resides here. ABF will assume cost and shipping insurance for the return of any unsold work.
For good image quality and a fast upload, your image files should be sized at and no larger than
1800 x 1800 pixels at 72 dpi (approximately 6″ x 6″ at 300 dpi)
Applying
Submissions to Beyond the Brickyard will only be accepted online. By clicking on the link at the bottom of the page you will be taken to Slideroom.com which will allow you to register and upload your images.
Submissions can be edited and are not officially submitted until you choose the “Complete Submission” tab and enter your payment method.
Submissions must be received online by midnight MDT, September 15, 2019.
Entry Fee
The cost of entering Beyond the Brickyard is $35 USD for up to 3 works.
All major credit cards are accepted.
Awards
From the successful entrants, three awards will be selected:
Juror’s Choice Award: $400
Director’s Choice Award: $400
People’s Choice Award: $100
Sales Commission
Artists will receive 50% commission of their work sold during exhibition, while ABF will retain 50%.
Exhibition Schedule
All applicants agree to the following schedule if selected to exhibit:
Applications due September 15, 2019
Entrants notified of jury results by email no later than October 31, 2019
Work to be received by Archie Bray Foundation by November 18, 2019
Work exhibited in Beyond the Brickyard, January–March 2020
Questions about your application? For technical support please contact [email protected]
For questions about submission information please contact [email protected]
Your completed application must be received on or before September 15, 2019.
