by Carole Epp | Apr 24, 2021 | exhibition
Photo by Ironside Photography / Stephen Ironside.
April 24th marks the commemoration of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, a day to honor the memories of 1 million people killed in the early 1920s by the Ottoman government in Turkey. No sitting U.S. president has marked the occasion for fear of alienating the Turkish government, and sharing the stories of those whose lives were taken—or even calling this act of attempted ethnic cleansing a genocide at all—remains controversial for some.
Artist Aimée Papazian pays tribute to her lost and displaced ancestors with “Voyage of Lost Keys,” a permanent installation at Fayetteville Public Library, in Fayetteville, AR. A murmuration of 2,000 porcelain keys, among which is a replica of a key that was found in the ashes of her grandfather’s pillaged home in Turkey, the piece unlocks the history of Papazian’s family and of her people. It also speaks to refugees everywhere, including in our own time. “‘Voyage of Lost Keys’ is a way to imagine a mass migration—a way to think about people who have lost their homes and their place in the world as still being somehow connected to each other,” Papazian says.
Hrag Vartanian, editor of Hyperallergic, calls the work “moving”; The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette calls it “magical.”
www.aimeepapazian.com
by Carole Epp | Feb 24, 2021 | movie day
What if a period room exposed a collector’s transgressions instead of burnishing their reputation? In the RISD Museum’s decorative arts wing, artist Beth Katleman has created a lavish porcelain room that tells the story of a disgraced antiquarian. The room is comprised of nearly 10,000 cast and handmade porcelain figurines, corporate mascots, and other pop culture icons. Katleman also created a short film called, “The Pleasures of Ownership,” in which two “citizen experts” lead a tour of the room, dropping hints about past indiscretions along the way.
www.bethkatleman.com
by Carole Epp | Jan 28, 2021 | workshops
SCULPTING PORCELAIN FROM LIFE WITH RUTH CHAMBERS
ONLINE DEMO
Date: Friday, March 26
Time: 6 pm – 8 pm
Location: Zoom video conference
Fee: $10
Register ONLINE or call 306-522-5940
Ruth Chambers shares her creative process, rooted in minute and careful observation of bulbs and flowers at all stages in their life cycle in this online Zoom video conference demo. Watch as she delicately sculpts blooms and roots in porcelain, and glean insight into her unique approaches, such as working coloured porcelain slip into the clay body to tint her sculpted objects.
SCULPTING PORCELAIN FROM LIFE WITH RUTH CHAMBERS
IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
Date: Saturday, March 27
Time: 10 am – 4 pm (1-hour lunch break)
Location: SILT Studios, 200-2275 Albert St
Fee: $235 members, $275 non-members
Register ONLINE or call 306-522-5940
Observation is the foundation of creation. Professor Ruth Chambers invites beginner and experienced ceramic artists to carefully observe and sculpt porcelain from life conveying sensitivity, amplifying empathy for the still life subject, and appreciating the sensual tactility of this delicate material in this day-long workshop held at SILT studios.
Learn the specialized methods developed over years of experimentation developing a special formulation of porcelain that has delicacy and strength and is prepared in such a way that it is malleable and resilient enough to sculpt by hand.
Workshop fee includes specially-prepared porcelain and kiln costs to dry and fire participants’ completed pieces. Pieces will not be glazed and re-fired, instead participants will learn how to colour their sculptures by incorporating stain pigments into the clay body itself.
Please observe social distancing protocols, wear a mask and follow sanitation procedures.
workshop offered in partnership with SILT Studio, Regina.
THE ARTIST IS IN
Date: Wednesday, March 10
Time: 7 pm
Location: Zoom video conference
Fee: Free
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMscuusrTojEtaOnx3DRsrJdWs1mFdA8UmY
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Get to know ceramic artists in your community! The Artist Is In is a forum for discussion featuring short presentations by artists about their work. The AGR has invited KC Adams (Winnipeg), Carole Epp (Saskatoon) and Brenda Wolf (Regina) to share their practices as they resonate or contrast with our scheduled main gallery exhibition, Tend, featuring a profusion of porcelain flowers and bulbs sculpted by Ruth Chambers.
Audience members are encouraged to ask questions following these presentations. AGR staff member Sandee Moore will direct questions to the panel as a whole and engage our Zoom audience in discussion about these artists’ diverse and innovative approaches to this challenging medium.
