Garth Johnson; “Howard Kottler is important to me in SO many ways… but I was surprised to find out when I started at the Everson Museum of Art that he endowed the museum with a fund that allows us to purchase the work of young artists. Join me on Friday, June 5th for a 1pm conversation about Kottler’s life and work with special guests Judith Schwartz and Paul Kotula projects.
As a special treat, I’ll be back at the museum for the first time since quarantine began, and I’ll be showing objects from our collection, as well as “The Old Bag Next Door is Nuts”, which is still on loan from Judith Schwartz. Judy has also unearthed a trove of images of Howard, his work, and his collections that haven’t been seen publicly… at least in a long time.”
Everson Object Study: Howard Kottler
June 5th, 2020 01:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Thank you for visiting Critical Function 2, an online gallery hosted by the Visual Arts of Richmond that features one of NCECA’s concurrent exhibitions for the 2020 conference year. Curated by Alex Kraft and Melanie Shaw and juried by Carole Epp, Jill Foote-Hutton, Garth Johnson, Bernadette and Neil Mansfield, Critical Function 2 interprets functional ceramics through the works of almost 40 artists spanning across 3 continents. Although this exhibition was originally a part of NCECA’s Annual Conference for 2020 in Richmond, VisArts and the organizers of Critical Function 2 felt that it was important to feature this diverse exhibition online to support artists and NCECA’s efforts. Works are available for purchase online and will help support both VisArts and the artists directly. Thank you for your support!
Images above: Ashley Kim, Japneet Kaur and Marney McDiarmid.
Join Garth Johnson tomorrow (Friday, March 27th) at 1pm EST for a live experiment (link below).
“This semester, I FINALLY got to teach my dream class… an object study class for Syracuse University, taught at the Everson with objects from the collection. Thanks to Covid-19, I no longer have access to the museum, so I’m having to lean on special guest scholars, artists, and collectors. Syracuse University and the Everson Museum of Art are making the session available live via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to anyone who would like to join. This week, we’ll be talking ’70s studio pottery. I’ll keep doing this throughout the quarantine, even if it lasts longer than our class”
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
EXHIBITION DATES: November 8 – December 21, 2019
Awards Ceremony and Opening Reception: Friday, November 8 from 6 – 8 p.m.
JUROR: Garth Johnson
ABOUT THE JUROR: Writer, curator, and educator Garth Johnson is the Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Johnson is known for his irreverent wit, which can be explored through his weblog, www.extremecraft.com. He has also exhibited his work and published his writing nationally and internationally, including contributions to the books Handmade Nation, Craftivity, Craft Corps, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Nation Building. His book, 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, was published by Quarry. He is a self-described craft activist who explores craft’s influence and relevance in the 21st century.
AWARDS:
Special Exhibitions Committee Award: Solo Exhibition at The Center for Contemporary Art
First Prize: $500
Second Prize: $250
Third Prize: $100
DATES & DEADLINES:
Submission Deadline: Sunday, September 15th at 11:59 p.m. MT
Artist Notification: Friday, October 11th (by email)
In Person Delivery: October 29 – November 2nd during office hours
Deadline to Receive Shipped Artwork: November 1st
Exhibit Opening Reception: Friday, November 8 from 6-8 p.m.
Pre-paid Artwork Return and In-Person Pick-Up: January 2 – 10 during office hours
ENTRY FEE:
$35 for up to three entries
$25 for Members of The Center and art educators
Entry fees are non-refundable
ELIGIBILITY:
The exhibition is open to artists age 18 and older
SPECIFICATIONS:
The exhibition will consist of three-dimensional ceramics work. Wall-mounted pieces must be prepared and ready for hanging and no larger than 36″ X 36″. Free-standing pieces may not exceed 32″ X 32″ X 48″ or weigh more than 75 lbs. including box or crate. Work across a variety of display solutions is encouraged including video or film related to clay. Accepted work cannot be substituted and must be available for the duration of the exhibit. Please contact The Center with questions about oversize pieces or other shipping concerns before you apply.
SUBMISSION:
Submit up to three JPEG/JPG digital images. Upload options for image files:
File format: JPEG or JPG only
File dimensions: 1200 pixels or greater on the longest side
File size: 5 MB maximum
Information on how to resize your file can be found here.
VIDEO
File Type: MOV, MP4, WMV, 3GP, AVI, ASF, MPG, M2T, MKV, M2TS.
File Size: Under 100 MB.
Currently, linked media from YouTube, Vimeo, etc. is not accepted.
HOW TO ENTER!
2019 entries should be submitted through CallforEntry.org starting June 1.
You must set up an account to enter.
If you run across a problem while applying or have questions, please contact CallforEntry.org at [email protected].
SHIPPING/DELIVERY OF ARTWORK:
The artist is responsible for the cost of shipping or mailing artwork to and from The Center for Contemporary Art using Fed-X or DHL. A return shipping label and return postage must be included with the artwork. Artwork may also be hand-delivered to and picked up from The Center for Contemporary Art on the appropriate dates during the scheduled times.
INSURANCE AND SALE OF ARTWORK:
All artwork is insured for its declared value from the time it is received through January 10, 2020 while it is on the premises. Artists are responsible for insuring artwork during transit.
The Center for Contemporary Art receives a 30% commission on all exhibition sales.
MEDIA/PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Center for Contemporary Art reserves the right to use digital images of exhibited artwork for media, website, PR and advertising.
