All levels of ability and experience welcome at 2016 S.C. Clay Conference
Registration deadline is Feb. 5.
Making Clay Personal is the theme of the second annual South Carolina Clay Conference, taking place Feb, 26-28, 2016, at the Newberry Firehouse Conference Center in Newberry, S.C. Presenters Michael Sherrill, Glenda E. Guion and Bill Griffith will take attendees through the journey of creating objects in clay that are uniquely personal and expressive of the individual artist. All levels of ability and experience are invited to attend.
“I hope that the topic of making clay personal will open a dialogue about sorting out what is important to the clay artist when, at times, the choices seem endless,” says Guion. “We are bombarded with visual images and fragmented thoughts on a daily basis, either through our physical experiences or the new 'virtual realities.' Regardless of the clay material resources or the artist experience, trusting your gut instincts to develop a personal visual language for your work can be the most challenging part of creating the work.”
Sherrill and Guion will take the stage on Friday and Saturday to demonstrate their work while interacting with attendees, answering questions and offering inspiration for finding a personal clay voice. On Sunday, Griffith will introduce attendees to the personal journeys of many well-known clay artists.
“As makers, we often can reach a point when we become disengaged with our work and feel a need to change technically or aesthetically using new materials, forms and or content,” says Griffith. “Why and when does this occur and how and where do we find inspiration and motivation to make this meaningful shift? My lecture will include images and testimonials from several well-known ceramic artists who have experienced this transition, along with their personal thoughts and perhaps some helpful suggestions."
The conference is presented by the Newberry Arts Center, which is a part of the City of Newberry Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. “Our goal in having a yearly conference is to bring together clay artists and potters from across South Carolina in an effort to build a stronger clay community," says conference organizer Marquerite Palmer. "By joining together once a year, we gain knowledge from collaborative conversations, share upcoming workshop information statewide, and discuss individual challenges and successes. Through interaction, communication and education, we hope to move clay forward for the benefit of all S.C. clay artists and potters.”
All conference attendees, amateur and professional, are encouraged to bring pottery and sculpture to sell at the 2016 S.C. Clay Conference Pottery Sale. The sale is open to the public and advertised throughout the state. A small percentage of sales is used to support the Newberry Arts Center and the conference. Art work from this year’s presenters will also be available for sale.
Some of Newberry’s top restaurants will provide food for meals, the reception and the Saturday night barbecue. Coffee, drinks, snacks and more are also included in the registration fee. Several vendors will be displaying their pottery-related items as well as offering demonstrations and information.
Registration is $225 for attendees and $125 for students. For more information and or to register, visit www.southcarolinaclayconference.com or contact Marquerite Palmer, mpalmer@cityofnewberry.com, (803) 321-1015.
The South Carolina Clay Conference’s purpose is to assist in the growth and direction of South Carolina potters through presentation, demonstration, and networking opportunities. Conference organziers seek to create a flourishing clay community in the state of South Carolina, with the aspiration to move clay forward.
Via: S.C. Clay Conference
First South Carolina Clay Conference open to potters and clay artists
Registration due by Feb. 20.
South Carolina potters and clay artists are invited to register for the first ever South Carolina Clay Conference: Moving Clay Forward. This three-day statewide conference will be held Feb.27 - March 1 at the Newberry Arts Center, 1107 College Street in Newberry, South Carolina. Conference presenters are Sue Grier from Asheville, North Carolina, and Mike Vatalaro from Greenville, South Carolina. Both artists will demonstrate their talents and techniques and have their work for sale.
Modeled after well-known clay conferences in North Carolina and Alabama, the conference will allow for presenters and attendees to be immersed in conversation on all things clay. Activities include a Friday evening reception and Saturday evening barbecue. Sunday morning, the conference will close with an informative lecture on a clay-related topic. Professionals, educators, amateurs and students can all enjoy the creative atmosphere permitted by an intimate gathering.
“The conference demonstrations will be broadly focused on the approach and techniques I’ve used to advance my work over the years,” explains Vatalaro. “These include throwing techniques and considerations used for generating lidded and covered vessels as well as how focusing on pottery proportions can help generate better pottery form. I also want to share how historical pottery forms have inspired my work and how these forms can uniquely inspire each individual's approach and work.”
Attendees are encouraged to bring five pieces of their work to be sold or displayed at the conference. A commission of 20 percent will go back to Newberry Arts Center. Attendees may sign up for a brief critique of their work by one of the presenters at no extra charge.
The deadline for registration is February 20. Registration is $225 and limited to 50 participants. Find more information or register online.
Via: Newberry Arts Center
Crafting Civil (War) Conversations — McKissick Museum’s commemorative exhibition
As part of its commemoration of the end of the Civil War, McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina will launch a major juried art exhibition that symbolically re-enacts the war’s end as a scene of reconciliation -- not between the North and the South—but between former slaves and former slave owners. Crafting Civil (War) Conversations will run from February 2 to May 31, 2015.
Artists working in craft-based media (clay, fiber, glass, metal and wood) are invited to submit entries for the exhibition. The Museum asks artists to imagine a scene of reconciliation, perhaps giving visual and sculptural form to what Martin Luther King conjured when he dreamt of a day when “the sons of former slaves and the sons of slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”
What kind of table, chairs, and table wares might bring people together to share a meal and speak candidly about how the institution of slavery continues to shape Southern life? Would the table be set with china, ceramic stoneware or wooden plates? Would sterling flatware or oyster shells serve as eating utensils? Would a tablecloth grace the table’s surface? Are there serving pieces on the table suggestive of the food traditions Southerners forged and share?
In other words, what might the material culture of restorative justice look and feel like?
$25,000 in purchase prizes will be awarded to artists and/or artist collaboratives. To participate, artists must have been born in, raised in (a minimum of one year), or be currently living and working in one of the states that joined the Confederacy: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Submitted artworks must have been completed since April 2011, the start of sesquicentennial commemorations of the American Civil War.
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2014.
Complete participation guidelines are available on McMissick Museum's website.
Via: McKissick Museum
Entries sought for statewide juried Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition
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Fine craft artists from across the state are invited to participate in the 13th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. The state’s only fine craft competition and exhibition, the show offers cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 2-10, 2014, at the Charleston Area Convention Center in North Charleston. The application is only available online at NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com/apply. Deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2014.
Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition offers fine craft artists from across South Carolina the opportunity to exhibit objects in the media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media.
Following the close of the show, up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
Alfred D. Ward NDD, ATD, Emeritus Professor in the Fine Art Department at Winthrop University, will jury this year’s exhibition. As a consultant designer for Spink & Sons in London (by Appointment of her Majesty the Queen) he designed and produced pieces for The Royal Family, Revlon of Paris, and Covent Garden Opera House, among others. Ward’s work is featured in many museums and collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. After moving to the United States in 1981, he taught at the University of Michigan and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 1985, he became the director of the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee, and in 1989 became the chair of Art and Design at Winthrop University in South Carolina. Winthrop University awarded him the Distinguished Professor of the Year Award in 1998 and the Medal of Honor in the Arts in April of 2011.
A free public reception and announcement of awards will be held at the Convention Center on May 2, 2014. For more information, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
(Images are of works from previous exhibitions.)
Via: North Charleston Cultural Arts Department
The Arts Center of Clemson’s 20 x 20 Clay Invitational Exhibit and Sale
The third annual 20 x 20 Clay Invitational Exhibit and Sale will be held at The Arts Center of Clemson September 13-15.
Twenty professional potters from South Carolina and North Carolina will display at least 20 pieces of pottery each. More than 400 pieces of contemporary and traditional works in clay make up this one-of-a-kind exhibit and sale. Clay Different Ways, a curated exhibit, will open at the same time.
The idea for the 20x20 annual sale was sparked by Clemson professor Mike Vatalaro and Tommye Hurst, executive director of The Arts Center of Clemson. The concept was fueled by Vatalaro’s knowledge of a now-famous gathering of potters in the New England area. Potters who are considered professional and highly skilled invite potters whose work they admire. Each year different potters are invited to participate, along with a few who have participated before. The South Carolina potters for 2013 are Alice Ballard, Chris Troy (work pictured right), Justin Guy, Kathy Veverka, Mike Vatalaro, Andrew Coombs, John Turner, Marquerite Palmer, Rob Gentry, David Stuart, Winton and Rosa Eugene, and Carol Clarkson.
The Collectors Choice Preview Gala on Friday, Sept. 13 is a ticketed event that begins at 6:30 p.m. Purchase tickets by contacting The Arts Center at (864) 633-5051 or by visiting the website. Tickets are $15 for members of The Arts Center and $20 for non-members.
The public is invited to attend the exhibit and sale on Sept. 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sept. 15 from noon to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Via: The Arts Center of Clemson
Ceramics class leads Governor’s Cup organizers to commission handmade trophies from Redbird Studio
According to The State newspaper, the organizers of the Governor's Cup road race have commissioned one-of-a-kind ceramic trophies from Redbird Studio and Gallery in Columbia. (See photos of the trophies being made.)
Winners of the Governor’s Cup this fall won’t be handed the standard, commemorative coffee mug once they cross the finish line.
Instead, they’ll be getting an original work of art by ceramic artist Virginia Scotchie.
Event organizers commissioned the unique trophies to add more prestige to the half-marathon, a mainstay on the calendars of competitive runners since 1973 and now the premiere race in the Midlands. It will be held Nov. 9.
Last week, Scotchie began making 200 trophies out of clay dug from a pit in Bethune, a raw and symbolic product.
"We really wanted to work with a clay that was from South Carolina," said Scotchie, an art professor and head of the University of South Carolina ceramic studio area.
The design is evocative of the state capitol, with a winner’s ribbon and medal draped below the dome. One detail — the color of the glaze — is still under discussion. The artist is leaning toward bronze or indigo blue.
“People are going to be talking about this,” said Rick Noble, vice-chairman of the board of the Carolina Marathon Association, the sponsoring organization.
“Frankly, most awards at races are pretty mundane.”
The finished trophies will not be uniform, of course, since they’re handmade.
This is the first time the Governor’s Cup has commissioned handmade trophies.
They were the brainchild of Sarah Blackwell, a runner and member of the Governor’s Cup Committee who took a class at Redbird Studio over the summer. She got to looking at some of the work on display in the gallery and approached Scotchie and her partner at Redbird, Bri Kinard, about designing a trophy.
“I wanted to have something people actually wanted to display on their mantle,” Blackwell said.
The original trophies will go to first-, second- and third-place finishers in the various age groups participating in the half-marathon or the 8K. An 8K is basically five miles, a step up from the more traditional 5K for people who’ve been working on their endurance.
Via: The State
Don’t forget about these upcoming opportunities…
Here are some deadlines we shared earlier, and now that they're almost here, we want to be sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of them!
January 31:
- The 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour provides independent filmmakers with the paid opportunity to participate in a six-venue tour of the Southeastern United States, screen their films for new audiences, and engage audiences in discussions about the content and production of their films. Read more >>
February 1:
- The 4th annual Charleston Film Festival will review shorts and feature-length films from filmmakers from SC, NC and GA. Cash prizes of $2,500 will be awarded for best regional films; the Grand Prize includes a one-week exhibition at Terrace Theater. Read more >>
February 7:
- The ArtFields festival juried competition has extended its deadline for new works (2- and 3-dimensional). Three emerging or established artists residing in the Southeastern states will receive career-changing cash prizes that honor their exceptional talents. Top Prize is $50,000 with People’s Choice and Juried Panel Winner prizes of $25,000 each. Read more >>
February 15:
- South Arts is accepting applications for partner venues to host filmmakers and their work for the 2013-2014 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way of experiencing independent film. Read more >>
March 15:
- Carolina’s Got Art! invites amateur and professional artists in South Carolina and North Carolina to enter its 2013 juried shows, with more than $15,000 in cash and prizes. Read more >>
- The 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. Read more >>
Fine craft artists invited to apply for Palmetto Hands Competition & Exhibition
Fine craft artists from across South Carolina are invited to participate in the 12th annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition. Objects juried into the show may compete for cash prizes totaling up to $6,500. The exhibition is presented as a component of the annual North Charleston Arts Festival, to be held May 3-11, 2013. Applications are available online. Deadline for submissions is March 15, 2013.
Presented by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, this unique exhibition features objects of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and three-dimensional mixed media. Up to 30 works will be selected to tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s Traveling Exhibitions Program. Sites across South Carolina may request the exhibit to tour in their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.
Karen Derksen, director of Winthrop University Galleries and lecturer for the Department of Fine Arts and the Department of Design at Winthrop, will jury this year’s competition. Derksen has coordinated collaborative community projects including the public art installation of Carla Stetson’s "The Red Line" in Rock Hill, MUSE Fest, Pecha Kucha Charlotte and the Artist & Civic Engagement Projects at Winthrop. She has juried a number of exhibitions, acted as small festival representative for the Edmonton Arts Council Festival Granting Jury and served on the panel for the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design 2011 Craft Research Fund Grants. Derksen is also one of the founding members of Media, Art, Design, Exposed in Edmonton.
The exhibition will be on display May 3-11, 2013, at the Charleston Area Convention Center. An opening reception and announcement of awards will be held May 3.
For more information about the North Charleston Arts Festival, Palmetto Hands, or other exhibition opportunities, contact the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.
[caption id="attachment_3239" align="alignright" width="390"]
Susan Lenz, Handed Down, Best in Show 2012[/caption]
Via: North Charleston Arts Festival
Making Clay Personal is the theme of the second annual South Carolina Clay Conference, taking place Feb, 26-28, 2016, at the Newberry Firehouse Conference Center in Newberry, S.C. Presenters Michael Sherrill, Glenda E. Guion and Bill Griffith will take attendees through the journey of creating objects in clay that are uniquely personal and expressive of the individual artist. All levels of ability and experience are invited to attend.
“I hope that the topic of making clay personal will open a dialogue about sorting out what is important to the clay artist when, at times, the choices seem endless,” says Guion. “We are bombarded with visual images and fragmented thoughts on a daily basis, either through our physical experiences or the new 'virtual realities.' Regardless of the clay material resources or the artist experience, trusting your gut instincts to develop a personal visual language for your work can be the most challenging part of creating the work.”
Sherrill and Guion will take the stage on Friday and Saturday to demonstrate their work while interacting with attendees, answering questions and offering inspiration for finding a personal clay voice. On Sunday, Griffith will introduce attendees to the personal journeys of many well-known clay artists.
“As makers, we often can reach a point when we become disengaged with our work and feel a need to change technically or aesthetically using new materials, forms and or content,” says Griffith. “Why and when does this occur and how and where do we find inspiration and motivation to make this meaningful shift? My lecture will include images and testimonials from several well-known ceramic artists who have experienced this transition, along with their personal thoughts and perhaps some helpful suggestions."
The conference is presented by the Newberry Arts Center, which is a part of the City of Newberry Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department. “Our goal in having a yearly conference is to bring together clay artists and potters from across South Carolina in an effort to build a stronger clay community," says conference organizer Marquerite Palmer. "By joining together once a year, we gain knowledge from collaborative conversations, share upcoming workshop information statewide, and discuss individual challenges and successes. Through interaction, communication and education, we hope to move clay forward for the benefit of all S.C. clay artists and potters.”
All conference attendees, amateur and professional, are encouraged to bring pottery and sculpture to sell at the 2016 S.C. Clay Conference Pottery Sale. The sale is open to the public and advertised throughout the state. A small percentage of sales is used to support the Newberry Arts Center and the conference. Art work from this year’s presenters will also be available for sale.
Some of Newberry’s top restaurants will provide food for meals, the reception and the Saturday night barbecue. Coffee, drinks, snacks and more are also included in the registration fee. Several vendors will be displaying their pottery-related items as well as offering demonstrations and information.
Registration is $225 for attendees and $125 for students. For more information and or to register, visit www.southcarolinaclayconference.com or contact Marquerite Palmer, mpalmer@cityofnewberry.com, (803) 321-1015.
The South Carolina Clay Conference’s purpose is to assist in the growth and direction of South Carolina potters through presentation, demonstration, and networking opportunities. Conference organziers seek to create a flourishing clay community in the state of South Carolina, with the aspiration to move clay forward.
Via: S.C. Clay Conference
