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Ceramics Program
School of Craft + Emerging Media
Winter News 2015
Martina Lantin joins
INSIDE:
ACAD Ceramics Faculty
Martina Lantin
News and Reviews
2
4-12
Notes from the Editor 4
1000 Miles Apart @ RDC
by Amy Miller 6
Winter Programming @ ACAD Ceramics 9
John Chalke, Five Circles; photo credit: Barbara Tipton; (below):
image courtesy of 291 Film Co.
Amélie Proulx -Visiting Artist/Winter 2015 9
VITRI5 Craft Collective
by Catherine Dale 11
MFA in Craft Media 12
Alumni News 12
Alumni Profile: Julia Krueger 17
We are very pleased to welcome Martina Lantin as
a permanent faculty in the ACAD Ceramics
Program. Martina joined us this past September
and with her first Fall semester completed, she
has fully immersed herself in the vibrant teaching
environment and our dynamic ACAD community.
(continued p. 2)
Past Faculty News 20
Faculty News 23
Martina Lantin
Born in Montreal, Martina received her Bachelor of
Art from Earlham College (1996) and her Master
of Fine Art from NSCAD University (2009).
She has taught at Vermont College of Fine Arts,
Montpelier, VT , Walters State Community College,
Morristown, TN and prior to ACAD, Martina was
a a full time faculty in the Ceramics Department at
Marlboro College, Marlboro, VT.
Martina has been an artist in residence at Baltimore
Clayworks, Arrowmont School of Art and Craft,
and the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts. She
has taught workshops throughout the United States.
Selected as an Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly
(2002), Martina’s work has been recognized in
numerous juried and invitational exhibitions and is
held in the collections of the Art Gallery of Nova
Scotia, the Arrowmont School of Art and Craft and
the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville. In 2010,
Martina was awarded an Individual Artist Grant
by the Tennessee Arts Commission and in 2013,
she was shortlisted for the Raphael Founder’s Prize
from the Society for Contemporary Craft. Martina
has also published articles in both Studio Potter and
Pottery Making
Illustrated and
was the subject
of a feature
article in
Ceramics Monthly
in February,
2014.
Regarding her
studio practice,
teacup prototype, pinched earthenware,
incised decoration, 3h x 4w, 2014
Martina states:
“I find earthenware the most seductive clay body.
Using this chocolate porcelain, I seek to evoke
nostalgia of the future by making work that
2
Flower Brick, hand-built earthenware, 16 h. x 9w x 3.5d, 2014
is a reverberation of the past. Objects and
installations are rooted in concepts generated
through the analysis of early European porcelains
and English cream ware. I provoke a tension
between the elegant handling of the material and
the rugged connotations of the clay body.
This duality extends into the object; manifesting
in the dual roles of utility and decoration,
simultaneously serving as containers of social and
cultural information. I am particularly drawn to
the semiotics of things – the message they may
contain by visual inference and juxtaposition.
Creation is a unity of cognition and action. It is
Martina Lantin
Yunomi Group, thrown and altered earthenware, 3.35h x 3w, 2014
a continual process of call and response. I ask
questions that consistently inform the next series
of work. Inquiry stems from and is propelled by
my interactions with the material, imagery, historical
research, my past work and future ideas.
As a maker, I have the capacity to exploit the
variables of surface and scale to instigate a
particular experience. Convivial and quotidian
forms combine to play games with lines and
colours. The work teases the boundary between
awkward and sophisticated. Strategies of ornament
are developed to engage and enhance the piece.
Over time, through handling and contemplation,
the subtle layers of colour and surface are revealed,
reveling in accumulated narrative.”
Martina will be presenting “Cross-Cultural
Meaning, Production and Design”, a co-lecture with
Felicity Ratte at the National Council on Education
for the Ceramic Arts, Providence, RI, this March.
Upcoming exhibitions for Martina include Maverick
Pottery Invitational, Maverick Pottery, Salida CO;
Yunomi Invitational 2015, AKAR, Iowa City IA;
From Potash, The Meeting House, Tiverton Four
Corners, RI; La Mesa-Santa Fe Clay, NCECA, RI;
Greenscapes, off/in/from the Garden, invitational, Clay
Art Center, Port Chester NY; and a solo exhibition
at ACAD, Gallery 371, April 13 to 18.
Left: Jar, thrown and altered earthenware, 4.5 h. x 5 w, 2014
3
News and Reviews
Amanda Small, All Truths Wait in Things, Ceramics and mixed media, 2013.
Notes from the Editor:
Fall 2014 for ACAD Ceramics was a dynamic and
full semester of studio activities, Visiting Artist
programming and extracurricular events. Our
first event saw a large faculty and student group
attending the annual “1000 Miles Apart”
Group selfie with Visiting Artist Amanda Small. Photo credit:
Dialia (Lulu) Abdulghani
4
Amanda’s demonstration in the ACAD
Ceramics studio. Photo credit: Kaitlyn Holden.
conference, October 3 to 4, hosted by Red Deer
College’s Ceramics program. Senior student
Amy Miller has contributed a concise report on
the conference (see page 6). In October, we also
welcomed Visiting Artist Amanda Small, to ACAD
Ceramics, who in addition to an active ceramic
studio practice, is Programs Coordinator at the
Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research
Center, Skælskør, Denmark. Amanda’s workshop
was a full schedule of studio visits, formal critiques,
demonstrations and a public lecture on her studio
practice.
This past Fall semester, ACAD Ceramics also
welcomed Carole Epp, a Ceramic artist from
Saskatchewan, and the master blogger behind the
popular blog “musing with mud”. Visit: http://
musingaboutmud.blogspot.ca. In her insightful
presentation, “Savvy Use of Social Media to
Advance Your Craft (or Other) Practice”, Carole
shared her experience and the benefits of an online
News and Reviews
presence such as a blog
and other social media
platforms to share
current studio practices,
establish viable peer and
professional connections,
sustain critical dialogue
and communicate and
support initiatives that
are relevant and current
within the Ceramics
discipline.
We have three Ceramic
majors on mobility
ACAD Ceramics students and faculty celebrate our annual American Thanksgiving, 2014. Photo
exchange to Australia
credit: Martina Lantin
this Winter term; Kaitlyn
student work, Traces and Process at the Fluevog
Holden is attending
Peanut Gallery, 207 - 8th Avenue S.W, Calgary,
Sydney College of the Arts; Kaleb Romano and
which included Ceramic majors Kaitlyn Holden and
Carolyn MacKenzie will spend the semester at
Pamma Fitzgerald.
Canberra School of Art, Australian National
University. ACAD Ceramics welcomed exchange
ACAD’s MFA in Craft Media has been approved
student Rebecca Garber from the University of
by the Campus Alberta Quality Council. ACAD
Michigan, Ann Arbour.
faculty and the Research + Graduate Studies Office
In December, 2014, the School of Craft +
Emerging Media mounted a juried exhibition of
are working diligently in preparation for the first
cohort of graduate students to this unique MFA
program. Russell Pensyl, ACAD’s newly appointed
Director of Research and Graduate Studies, Bev
Rodgers, Development - Project Lead in the RGSO
Office and Carissa Cameron Matthews, Manager,
Academic Administration, Office of Research and
Academic Affairs outline this new degree at ACAD
(page 12).
Pamma Fitzgerald, Matroyshka Dolls, Slip-cast, cone 6
We continue to extend the invitation to our external
community to join us for all ACAD Ceramics
program events at no charge. May 2015 be good to
you all. ~Ed.
5
News and Reviews
1000 Miles Apart @ Red Deer
College Ceramics
by Amy Miller
“1000 Miles Apart” is a student-run Ceramics
conference that takes place each year, with a
rotation of the host schools across western Canada
that includes U of Manitoba, U of Regina, Lake
Head University, Red Deer College and ACAD.
This past Fall/2014 it was held at Red Deer College
and guest artists Hong Ling Wee and Huang Fei
presented demonstrations and lectures for us over
the weekend.
Hong Ling Wee is an artist from Singapore who
now lives full time in New York. She is extremely
passionate about her ceramic practice and the
decision to pursue a career within it. Hong Ling
discovered ceramics while working on her PhD. in
Geography. Consumed with her research, a friend
signed her up for a pottery class and Hong Ling
soon found that her new hobby would ultimately
become her chosen career path. (Sometimes you
don’t know what’s waiting for you on the other
side.) Hong Ling completed her education in
Geography and immediately immersed herself in
Ceramics.
Her studio work includes of groupings of small
prayer houses speak about home, heritage, culture,
and family. Hong Ling’s demonstration showed us
how she builds the forms using the pottery wheel.
She incorporates doors and windows to create a
space for the viewer to think about what’s inside.
She employs craftsmanship and holds 100 percent
accountability in all her work. Hong Ling also
demonstrated her other aspect of her practice,
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Hong Ling Wee demonstrating at 1000 Miles Apart. Photo
credit: Heather Lott
demonstrated her other aspect of her practice,
which is making functional pottery. (Visit www.
ceramicus.com).
Hong Ling was extremely encouraging in her advice
on the importance in applying for everything competitions, exhibitions and to accept surprise
and to be open. “You never know what is going to
happen, so participate, think differently and follow
your passion” was her message.
Huang Fei, from China, uses the traditional blue
and white Qing Hua technique in the traditional
Ming, Yuan and Ching Dynasty approach as well
as his personal and expressive way of painting
by flooding his tiles with a watery cobalt solution.
Huang Fei showed us secrets; for example mixing
green tea with his cobalt pigment, and using
honey as a thickener. He also showed us different
calligraphy brushes and how to use them. The
chicken head brush was large, round and came to
News and Reviews
a fine tip. I found it
interesting when he said the
brush should never touch
the surface of the tile while
using it.
Huang Fei’s calligraphy work
is extremely focused, and he
encourages one to practice
every day to make the perfect
line. “Always two hands
working together, going left
to right” he says as he shows
us the most perfect line
you’ve ever seen.
Haung Fei, Qing Hua demo tile, 1000 Miles Apart. Photo credit: Monika Smith
Along with the visiting artists’ demonstrations,
there was a “Ceramics Speed Dating” competition
with students from each school involved. This new
event was the brainchild of RDC student Deirdre
Ashenhurst. The particiapting institutions were
asked to put forward a student or team of students
to give a quick demo of a technique that they had
learned that would be of interest to the group.
The range of demos included building a figurative
sculpture, making a plaster humidor, printing on
clay, textures with pouncing, and sewing clothing
for your pots. Everybody voted for the best demo,
and KT (Katherine) Furness from the Alberta
College of Art + Design (and former RDC student)
was the People’s Choice winner. There was also the
“brown bag exchange” where everyone attending
the conference could bring a ceramic piece that
would be placed in a numbered brown bag. All
who participated then drew a number and got the
corresponding prize. We were fortunate to add a
new piece to our personal collections. (continued p. 8)
Haung Fei, Qing Hua demonstration, 1000 Miles Apart. Photo
credit: Carlene LaRue
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News and Reviews
(1000 Miles/RDC - A. Miller)
There was also a
student/faculty and
guest artists’ exhibition
held on campus at
RDC Learning Gallery
and the Knock Knock
Gallery.
Amongst the daily
demonstrations, there
were numerous things
to see and do. This
conference was a great
way to get to know
our peers within the
Ceramics community.
You Are Here was a
Haung Fei, Qing Hua demonstration, 1000 Miles Apart. Photo credit: Carlene LaRue
student show held
by current Red Deer College students and alumni. Trudy Golley had her solo exhibition Lucent: Works in
Light and Shadow at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery.
Trudy’s work was incredible to see up close. I appreciated the excellent craftsmanship she employs. Her
innovative use of PVD (physical vapour deposition) that created a lustrous surface on her piece (a)blaze was
stunning. Also opening
at the MAG was Robin
Lambert’s curated
exhibition Once + Future:
Contemporary Canadian
Ceramics that featured
the work of Canadian
emerging Ceramic
artists, and included a
performative piece, The
Wishing Girl by ACAD
alumna E. M. Alysse
Bowd, that she did over
the course of the MAG Ceramics Speed Dating @ 1000 Miles. Photo credit: Carlene LaRue
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News and Reviews
opening reception. Overall the conference was
a huge inspiration. After an experience like that
I, (and am sure many others felt the same) - were
keen to get back in the studio and make more work!
Winter Programming @
ACAD Ceramics
Winter term events are in the final planning stages
as we go to print with this newsletter. Visiting
Artist Amélie Proulx, from Quebec, will join us
for the week of March 2 to 5. The workshop
itinerary is still in development and will be posted
on the ACAD website and Ceramics Program blog
as details are finalized closer to the event date.
Confirmed is her public presentation:
Amélie Proulx
Thursday, March 5 @ 6:30 p.m
Stanford Perrott Lecture Theatre
(in conjunction with ACAD Ceramics Students
Exhibition/Reception)
All are welcome to attend!
Amelie Proulx, Jardin baroque, Detail view.
Amélie Proulx completed her MFA at NSCAD
University in 2010. She has received numerous
awards, including RBC Emerging Artist People’s
Choice Award organized by the Gardiner Museum
and the inaugural Starfish Properties Student
Award. Her work has been exhibited in solo and
group shows across Canada, as well as in the United
States, Australia and France. Amélie has received
funding from, among other sources, the Canada
Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres
du Québec, and the Province of Nova Scotia. She
currently lives and works in Québec City where,
in 2012, she co-founded a collective studio space
for ceramicists, “Les Ateliers du Trois Cinquième”.
Amélie also teaches Ceramics and Visual Arts at the
Maison des métiers d’arts de Québec, Cégep SainteFoy and Concordia University.
Amélie Proulx expands on her practice:
Amelie Proulx, Jardin baroque, Porcelain, hardware, springs, birch
plywood, 2012. Dimensions: 144 x 96 x 20 inches.
“I am interested in the perpetual metamorphosis
that occurs in natural phenomena and their
transformation in space and time. I need to
exploremy relationship with matter— from clay to
cloud— and find a balance between... (continued p. 10)
9
News and Reviews
(A. Proulx)
this material exploration and the creative process,
between intuition and rationality.
I create objects and environments inspired by
the natural world that merge with architectural
environments to point to and reopen our
perception of natural phenomena. I believe that
language fundamentally shapes our perception,
and the focus of my recent works has been on the
metaphors that reify natural phenomena through
familiar images such as “fog veil,” “forest carpet”
and “river bed.”
Through writing and material exploration, I analyze
these metaphors, establish new connections, and
explore the outward signs of this new interaction. I
start with the premise that before it is fired, clay is a
soft material that can be perpetually transformed
if it stays wet.
When fired,
clay irreversibly
becomes ceramics.
The process of
firing renders this
material stable
and permanent,
thereby conserving
the characteristics
of stability and
immutability for
millenia. My
explorations with
this material lead
Amélie Proulx, Jardinet mécanique II,
Porcelain, glaze, steel structure, springs, me to develop
motors, microcontroller, electronic
different strategies
circuit, 2013. Dimensions: 36 x 24 x
for unsettling the
24 inches
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Jardinet mécanique II, (detail), Porcelain, glaze, steel structure,
springs, motors, microcontroller, electronic circuit, 2013.
inherent characteristics of ceramics and suggesting
that this material could be perpetually transformed.
My sculptures and installations are hence
propositions of potential movement in a material
considered immutable. The use of different
materials and techniques combined with ceramics
allows me to multiply the possible relations
among elements occupying a given space. Thus,
I activate ceramics in different ways to create
kinetic sculptures and installations that suggest a
perpetual slippage of meaning in language and in
the perception of natural phenomena.”
Amélie’s visit will coincide with our annual Student
Ceramics Exhibition, ACAD’s Main Mall from
February 23 to March 6. A reception and Silent
Auction of donated works by faculty, visiting artist
faculty and ACAD Ceramics alumni is scheduled
for Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m., with Amélie’s
presentation at 6:30 p.m (in the lecture theatre).
This fundraiser is to support students attending
NCECA, Providence, RI, in March. There will be
food and refreshments served.
News and Reviews
And mark the date for Martina Lantin’s solo
exhibition April 13 to18, Gallery 371 on campus.
A reception will be planned for Thursday, April 16,
again with refreshments and food. Please join us
for all these events! ~Ed.
ACAD Ceramics Program
Annual ‘Mugging’ Fundraiser
Wednesday, February 25
10 am to 3 pm
ACAD Main Mall
Thank you to Ceramics Canada for the
generous donation of clay. Monies raised go towards the
Ceramics Students Fund for program activities
and student initiatives.
VITRI5 Craft Collective
by Catherine Dale
This past fall, five current and former students of
ACAD Ceramics formed Vitri5 Craft Collective.
The goal for Amy Miller, Anders Bailey, Shawna
Tegart, Parveen Rattan and me was to continue
the collaboration and community we established
at ACAD. Amy came up with the name for the
group; a combination of “vitrify” (symbolizing
solidity, cohesion and permanence) and the number
5 ( as a group of five). The aim was to combine
our individual strengths to produce and market our
work.
After a small sale at the Market on Macleod, we
applied to Market Collective for one of three preChristmas sales. We were delighted to be selected
for the weekend of December 12 to14. We had
many rewarding experiences during that time and
noted how passionate we were about speaking
about each others’ work (almost more than talking
about our own! ) The interactions with our
customers was awesome. As craftspeople, the end
goal of making work is to have people use it. To
see our customers pick up and delight in the things
we had made was so validating. The experience
truly transcended the economic benefits.
The atmosphere at the Chinese Cultural Centre was
very uplifting. Market Collective is committed to
bringing local artists together with customers who
value hand-made work. This, combined with the
fact that it was in the midst of the holiday season,
made for a very joyous event.
Future plans are to continue to grow our collective
by seeking further opportunities to market our
ceramics, textiles and jewellery. At present, I am
taking an e-course “Think Big! Branding Series for
Ceramic Artists” offered jointly by Molly Hatch
and Ben Carter. It is a six-week long interview and
discussion series designed to assist ceramic artists in
marketing their
work. We have
plans to apply for
further markets,
craft sales and
establish a webpage and can be
reached at: email:
vitri5collective@
gmail.com
Facebook: Vitri5
Craft Collective
Twitter: @
Amy Miller of VITRI5 Craft Collective. vitri5craft
Photo credit: Catherine Dale
11
News and Reviews
ACAD’s MFA in Craft Media
Research + Graduate Studies Office;
Russell Pensyl, Director of Research
and Graduate Studies; Bev Rodgers,
Development-Project Lead; Carissa
Cameron Matthews, Manager, Academic
Administration, Office of Research and
Academic Affairs
ACAD is pleased to be implementing its inaugural
MFA program with the upcoming launch of a
Masters of Fine Arts in Craft Media. Led by
an outstanding faculty comprised of master
practitioners and respected scholars, ACAD has a
well-earned reputation for progressive education in
the field of art and design. Graduate students in
this program will be pursuing their degrees at the
intersection of contemporary craft discourse and
professional practice.
They will be provided with an immersive
opportunity to experiment with materials and
engage with theory, context and discourse, and
will be challenged to push the boundaries of what
is possible in the generation and application of
original knowledge. At the core of this program
is inquiry led, practice based autonomous research
providing students with the opportunity for
continued development from wherever they are in
their current practice.
Students may concentrate in a specific discipline:
Ceramics, Fibre, Glass or Jewellery + Metals, and/
or they may choose cross-disciplinary or hybrid
programs of investigation. Partnerships may be
initiated during the course of their research with
other programs within the college. The MFA in
Craft Media program is augmented by access to
well-equipped, purpose built studios, a robust roster
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of visiting artists, the renowned IKG Gallery, and a
subject specific art and design Library.
Course offerings in the School of Critical and
Creative Studies are an integral component of
the graduate program, emphasizing the critical
exchange of ideas and methods. Engaging with
the practice of interpretation, connections are
facilitated between making, thinking and writing
and students are supported in situating their
practices within society in an ethical and informed
manner.
The MFA in Craft Media is designed to facilitate
high level research in the context of emerging craft
discourses and its focus on inquiry-led practice is
supported by ACAD’s broader commitment to a
research culture with the parallel development of
the Research + Graduate Studies Office (RGSO).
Russell Pensyl, ACAD’s newly appointed Director
of Research and Graduate Studies, is a media artist,
designer and pioneer in the creation of interactive
media. He comes to ACAD from Northeastern
University and brings to the position an extensive
background in innovative research. The RGSO will
be identifying, promoting and supporting individual
and collaborative research initiatives, linking applied
and scholarly creative activity at the college, to the
provincial, federal and international community.
The office can be contacted via graduatestudies@
acad.ca.
Alumni News
Nicole Burisch is currently a Core Fellow Criticin-Residence with the Museum of Fine Arts
Houston, TX, that commenced in September 2014
Nicloe will stay until May, possibly for a second
Alumni News
year. Nicole is preparing to teach a Critical Theory
course at Rice University, Houston, TX and she
continues her research for the publication “From
Craftivism to Craftwashing: The Politics of Craft in
the Global Economy” (working title) with Anthea
Black (ACAD alumna). They received a grant this
past fall from the Center for Craft Creativity and
Design that will go towards research and writers
fees for the publication. Anthea and Nicole also
co-chaired a panel “Performing Austerity: Artists,
Work, and Economic Speculation” as part of the
UAAC in October and will be presenting at the
“Crafting Sustainability” Conference at OCAD,
Toronto in March 2015.
The unconventional approach approach to my work
dilemma: my own call for entry. I decided I would
create a piece of art that would elicit a permanent
change in behaviour: a project I called “Enough is
Enough”.
Bart Simpson completed his BFA with a Ceramics
major in 2012. While completing his degree, Bart
maintained his career in Education Management
as President at Trab Training Inc. and he has
continued this work following completion of
his BFA studies. This past year, Bart decided he
needed to initiate a project: based on Art that is
meant to speak to one’s self - “Self art” that he
called SART. Bart states: “It was not uncommon
for me to log 60 to 80 hour weeks (running my
one-man training and consulting company). I
needed and wanted to change, but found myself
slipping back into old comfortable patterns.” He
presents here a synopsis of SART:
Ironically, I ended up creating over 70 pieces.
ENOUGH! is one of the phase three projects.
This is bisque clay (a white and dark body)
mounted on a piece of trimmed brick (8 x 2½ x
1¼ inches). I liked the effect of staying with
bisqued clay – that that glazing was not necessary
– that the process itself speaks to the title. For the
same reason not having to say “enough is enough”
is appealing. Finally there is the quiet emphasis on
how important saying “no” is to the theme of this
“Sart”.
Thanks to
SART I’m
down to two
mornings a
week.
SART: Self art:
Art that is meant
for oneself with a
purpose of eliciting
a response that
ultimately changes
behaviour. My large
project of 2014 was a
“Sart” project.
Once I decided on the direction I was going to take,
I went through three phases of work, asking and
answering questions and experimenting as I went.
Interesting side projects popped up (“Fail Faster”
was dry clay that had letters with rounded bottoms,
glazed and fired without bisquing – it went into the
kiln with all letters upright - the intention was to
have some letters fail. Ohoh was a letter orientation
experiment.)
Bart Simpson, Enough, 2014
Bart Simpson, Ohoh, 2014
In May 2102, ACAD alumni Laura Sharp
(Ceramics), Natalie Gerber (Fibre) and Kari
Woo (Jewellery and Metals) began the New Craft
Coalition as a grass roots venture...
(continued p. 14)
13
Alumni News
(New Craft Coalition)
out of Laura’s Calgary home. They later moved
to a community hall and now show twice a year
at Festival Hall in Inglewood. The New Craft
Coalition came together to create a space to exhibit
independently produced, Canadian art, craft +
design, with a focus on mid-career artists. Their
mandate states: “Our intention is that this space
will further the development of relevant aspects
of our field. We want to feed the discussion
of where art and craft and design intersect in a
contemporary context. As makers who are actively
making work and who are professionally trained, we
are interested in contributing to a greater cultural
realization.”
The New Craft Coalition members include ACAD
Ceramics alumni Sean Kunz, Kalika Bowlby,
Sarah Pike, Aura Carney, Cathy Terepocki,
Laura Sharp and past sessional ACAD faculty
Juliana Rempel.
The New Craft Coalition and ACAD have now
created a new partnership which invites ACAD
students in their third or fourth (final) year of
studies, and recent ACAD graduates from the
previous year to apply for the ACAD Emerging
New Craft
Coalition
founding
members
left to right:
Natalie
Gerber,
Laura Sharp
and Kari
Woo.
14
Artist booth at the semi-annual NCC Show + Sale.
The selected student or recent alumni will receive
a fully-paid ACAD Emerging Artist booth at the
show and mentorship from NCC in preparation for
the show. With 1400+ people who attend to buy
high quality art works, this this is an exceptional
career development opportunity to gain exposure to
a new audience and also includes a complimentary
membership to the Alberta Craft Council as well
as 2 sessions with their Gallery Shop Advisory
Committee.
Jenna Stanton will be a part of the invitational
15 on 35 presented by the Alberta Craft Council.
She is included, (along with her past instructor
from ACAD Ceramics, Katrina Chaytor) in this
exhibition in the Discovery Gallery, January 17 to
March 28. The exhibition includes artwork and
written insights by a selection of 15 long-term, midcareer, emerging and new members. Each of the
participating artists uses their work and writings to
reflect on how the ACC has enriched their careers.
And, collectively then look at the past, current state
and future of the ACC and fine craft in general. 15
on 35 launches the 35th anniversary of the ACC and
Craft Year 2015.
E. M. Alysse Bowd has commenced her second
semester of graduate studies at NSCAD University.
In August, 2014 Alysse was delighted to be awarded
the Red Deer Emerging Artist Award. During the
fall, her piece The Wishing Girl was performed at the
Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery as part of the
group exhibition Once+Future: Contemporary Canadian
Ceramics, curated by ACAD alum Robin Lambert.
Alysse also participated in the M:ST Performative
Arts Festival with a performance in the Untitled
Arts Society’s +15 Space. Her work for the festival,
Alumni News
E.M. Alysse Bowd, The Wishing Girl, performance still and
Porcelain bells, Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery, 2014
Between You and Me, engaged various relationships
in the silent occupation of letter writing. In
November, Alysse’s work, Looking for a Part-Time
Friend, was presented in the Anna Leonowens
Gallery, Halifax. This work involved a series of
interviews and meetings created in an attempt to
locate a kindred spirit. Her ceramic exhibition Dear
Little Friends opened at the Kiwanis Gallery in Red
Deer, and will continue until February 22, 2015.
She will exhibit her ceramics and drawings at the
Leighton Arts Centre, Millarville (AB) this spring.
Cait Lepla has
been accepted to
lead a topical
discussion at the
upcoming NCECA
Providence, RI in
March. With a
focus on
“Sustainability in
Cait Lepla, Damask, (side view), various bisqued clays (with
some burnout material) wood, plants (sedum and chia), 2014,
approx. dimensions: 1 1/2 feet across. Below left: detail view of
Damask, greenhouse installation
Ceramics”, Cait will be introduce several different
topics of interest within ceramic practice, such as
water filters, desalination chambers, efficient DIY
heater designs, living walls, some interesting ideas
people are working on around kiln efficiency, and
applications of clay as an unfired material.
Brenda
Danbrook’s
exhibition
Elsewhere,
curated by
Brenda Barry
Byrne, runs
from January 9
to February 22...
(continued p. 16)
Brenda Danbrook,
Elsewhere, bronze,
ceramic, found
objects, 2014
15
Alumni News
(B. Danbrook)
at gallery@501, Sherwood Park, Strathcona County,
AB. Brenda will be an instructor at SERIES 2015,
Red Deer College, this coming summer. Her
course “Print on Clay” will run July 27-31. She also
continues her teaching in the children and adult
summer clay programs at the Clay Hut, Sherwood
Park.
Jenna Turner remains in New Orleans, having
graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Tulane
University in May 2014. Jenna is teaching ceramics
at Tulane and the Isidore Newman School. Over
the past few months she has been preparing new
work for a solo exhibition, Castles of the New World
with the opening January 10 at Byrdie’s, New
Orleans. This past November, Jenna’s ceramic
work Subversion was selected for the Gyeonggi
International Ceramic Biennial final screening, and
has also been selected to appear in the exhibition
catalogue along with a written review by jury
member Janet Deboos.
Jenna Turner, Castles of the New World (Study #2), 2014, Slipcast
and glazed ceramics
Carly Slade is currently in her
second year of MFA studies in the
Spatial Arts Program at San Jose State
University, California. She taught her
first university level class last semester
and is looking forward to teaching
again this spring semester. Carly has
had three solo shows on campus at
SJSU as well as participation in an
assortment of group shows on and
off campus. This past summer, Carly
launched her new jewelry line “Slade
Goods” (www. SladeGoods.com).
Left: Carly Slade, Gas Station, installation view,
clay, foam, wood, LEDs, mixed media, 2014
16
Alumni Profile: Julia Krueger
In this regular feature for our newsletter, we
present Julia Krueger, who graduated from ACAD
Ceramics in 2009. She had previously studied
art history and Canadian art history at Carleton
University in Ottawa, Ontario, receiving her BA
with highest honours and her Master’s thesis:
“Prairie Pots and Beyond: An Examination of
Saskatchewan Ceramics from the 1960s to Present”
was accepted in 2006 with distinction. Her
education at ACAD was followed by Ph.D. studies
in Visual Culture at the University of Western
Ontario. ~Ed.
It’s funny how time seems to fly by, and yet, why is
it that certain smells, actions or objects make time
stand still or blur the lines between past, present
and future? For example, it can be that distinctive
smell of a good used bookstore that rushes towards
you when you step inside signalling a labyrinth
ahead of floor to ceiling alternate worlds or
knowledge. Or, it can be the smell of wet clay...
In 2009, I submitted my final paper to the visiting
ceramics instructor, Emily Schroeder-Willis, where I
plainly laid out my reasons for attending ACAD:
“I came to ACAD with a specific purpose—to
work with clay.” I went on to explain that I was
spurred onto this path by my quest for a haptic
understanding of ceramics; Saskatchewan ceramics
was the topic of my Master’s thesis in Canadian
Art History. You see, I am an art historian who
studied at a university where there was no fine arts
department, no opportunity within the university
to engage with materials. Therefore, in order to
continue on my journey towards understanding
ceramics, I felt as though I had to discover it
haptically as well as visually and linguistically.
My time at ACAD fulfilled this need, but what
Schroeder-Willis and the faculty also did was to
start me on a path thinking about clay and ceramic
objects as vehicles for me to connect with and feel
as though I was a part of this past, present and
future world.
Ceramics has played a pivotal role in my world
since I was a child, and I explained this in that
final paper: it was the smells and wonder I
experienced when visiting the ceramics studios at
the University of Regina where I saw the work of
Jack Sures as well as a used bookstore owned by
the prominent collector Richard Spafford. Just
before I completed my studies at ACAD (and well
after), I was given the opportunity to work as an
associate curator with the MacKenzie Art Gallery
(Regina, SK) and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery
(Owen Sound, ON) on a retrospective exhibition
titled Tactile Desires: The Work of Jack Sures. I was
charged with locating pieces in both public and
private collections as well as writing a critical essay,
a biographical chronology, a bibliography and a list
of exhibitions and sourcing historical images for
the catalogue. My time at ACAD was invaluable
when visiting the collections while...
(continued p. 18)
17
Alumni Profile: Julia Krueger
on the hunt for those heart-stopping pieces (and
believe me, I practically fell over a few times when
coming face-to-face with a piece I did not know
existed) for it taught me to slow down and to rely
on more than my eyes. As Ayumi Horie put it so
eloquently in her most recent blog post about her
own slow pots (yet I believe it can apply to ceramics
as a whole): “They’re objects that are impossible
to understand without being held and turned.”
This notion of knowledge beyond the visual was
something I did not understand during my art
historical studies, and yet it is crucial if one is to
study ceramics. Sures’ work, even when it is too big
to hold and turn, demands a haptic intimacy that is
rooted in his knowledge of the material itself, and
therefore requires the researcher to also understand
the material. ACAD ceramics provided me with the
ability to understand the work on this deeper level
and to be unafraid to intimately relate to the work:
to touch and to hold. In the end, this exhibition
of 107 works, travelled across the country from
2011 to 2014 to the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Tom
Thomson Art Gallery, Canadian Clay & Glass
Gallery
(Waterloo, ON),
Art Gallery of
Southwestern
Manitoba
(Brandon,
MB) and
Confederation
Centre Art
Gallery
(Charlottetown,
PEI).
Catalogue for Tactile Desires: The Work of
Jack Sures exhibition.
18
This interest in understanding ceramics beyond
the confines of visual art made for the white cube
galleries of today was fostered even further when I
commenced my Ph.D. studies in Visual Culture at
the University of Western Ontario in 2010. Under
the supervision of Bridget Elliott, I have developed
an interest in trying to understand crafted objects
as they exist in the day-to-day as well as the gallery
worlds. I had the privilege to serve as a teaching
assistant for Prof. Elliott’s course on Modernism
and Interior Design, where we examined the
role craft, art and design have played in shaping
the Modern interior of homes and commercial
buildings. Working with Prof. Elliott has been
one of the most fulfilling and worldview-altering
experiences of my life. A good graduate program
is one that challenges you, pushes you to think
beyond your comfort zone. A grad student should
never feel overly comfortable because there is
always more to learn, and Prof. Elliott has pushed
me to think beyond the facts, to strive to record and
understand more than just the technical side and
exhibition history of ceramic objects. I’ve come to
realize that what has shaped me, what has grounded
me in this world, are not the ceramics that I saw in
galleries while growing up but those magnificent
objects I saw nestled into Spafford’s bookshelves,
the amazing pieces I have had the privilege of
seeing in people’s homes and the pieces that I use
every day or when sharing a meal with friends. In
fact, I sleep beside ceramic pieces; I don’t have a
clothes dresser in my bedroom but a china cabinet!
As a teacher and writer, I feel strongly about
fostering an appreciation that is just as strong, or
maybe even stronger, for those objects that exist
outside the gallery, that colour and shape our dayto-day lives.
Alumni Profile: Julia Krueger
One of the projects
where an appreciation
for the day-to-day was
celebrated which then
helped to inform an
exhibition was the work I
have done over the years
with the Hansen-Ross
Pottery (in operation
from 1961 to 2005). In
2010, while attending
Western, I was invited
to help celebrate the
80th birthday of Folmer
Hansen (1930–2014),
in a ski lodge in Fort
Hansen-Ross Pottery: Pioneering Fine Craft on the Canadian Prairies at the Prince Takamado Gallery,
Qu’Appelle, SK. During Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan on October 3, 2012.
the celebrations, people
were asked to bring their pieces of Hansen-Ross
Heather Smith, and I started work on a retropottery for documentation and to share with
spective exhibition of Hansen-Ross’ functional
everyone, including Hansen, what it is about these
production pottery that would treat the wares with
pots that they like so much. The stories impressed
the same respect, reverence and criticality that is
upon me just how impactful a potter and his wares
reserved too often for other forms of ceramics.
can be on a community, and yet, as a craft historian,
The exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue
I have focused too much on the works destined
where I again took on the same duties I had for
for the art gallery. Mugs, jars, plates and vases,
the Sures’ exhibition. Hansen-Ross Pottery: Pioneering
coloured with the marks of honest use speak to
Fine Craft on the Canadian Prairies opened at the
the past, present and future of both the maker and
Prince Takamado Gallery located in the Canadian
user(s). I believe a number of these pieces will be
Embassy in Tokyo, Japan on October 3, 2012 and
passed down through generations because of this
continues to travel until December 2015 to the
intimate connection that is unattainable when works
Mann Art Gallery (Prince Albert, SK), Moose
are in a hands-off, gallery setting (just an aside note
Jaw Museum & Art Gallery (Moose Jaw, SK) and
here—I encourage everyone to visit commercial
Chapel Gallery (North Battleford, SK). I was lucky
galleries or craft shows where you can be intimate
enough to attend the opening in Japan and to tour
with the work. Don’t be afraid to touch. That’s
two ceramic studios of Canadians, Rob Froese and
what ceramics is about.). After the celebrations, the
Randy Woolsey, who currently work in Japan.
curator of the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery,
(continued p.20)
19
Alumni Profile: Julia Krueger
I want to be very clear that I have nothing against the white cube gallery or material outside of ceramics.
Both of the exhibits I have mentioned here are displayed in white cubes, and sometimes it is helpful to see
these beautiful objects in a white cube setting, but I have come to realize that too much of my focus has
been directed towards those spaces. For those of you who know me, I work very closely with my sister,
Yolande Krueger (an ACAD glass graduate), and we recently put together (I wrote the essay and Yolande
designed the layout) a brochure to accompany an exhibition of the ceramics of Mel Bolen and the paintings
of Karen Holden. This project allowed me to see the potential for ceramics to make an impactful statement
in the gallery about the present and future of Saskatchewan’s environment—a topic I am exploring in
my Ph.D. thesis. In part, I accomplished this by taking the time to get to know these two artists not only
through a studio visit but by going out on the land and water with them.
Since writing that final paper and graduating from ACAD, I have not made anything else in ceramics but
have published a number of essays and articles on the topic. I hope to someday make my way back into
the studio because I find that working with clay allows me to work through ideas and problems that might
otherwise plague me on the page. For now, I endeavor to seek out those objects that make time stand still,
that transport me to the past or powerfully speak about the present and future; whatever that might be.
___________________________________
1 Ayumi Horie, “Slow Pots,” January 1, 2015, accessed January 9, 2015, http://ayumihorie.com/slow-pots/.
Past Faculty News
Amy Gogarty contributed an essay to a
monograph at the request of noted Quebec
multi-disciplinary and ceramic muralist Gilbert
Poissant, that will document his 40 year career. In
December, 2013, Poissant was awarded La première
bourse de carrière en métiers d’ art, (lifetime
achievement award) from Le Conseil des arts et
des lettres du Québec (CALQ). There will be two
Quebec writers discussing different aspects of his
career, and Amy has been asked to comment on
the ceramic aspects of his work, which are present
throughout his career. (http://www.gilbertpoissant.
com/). She received a Canada Council grant to
travel to Montréal to visit Poissant’s studio and to
view a number of his large-scale works in situ.
20
While in the region, Amy was also able to visit
Thérèse Chabot, who taught for many years in
studio arts and was head of ceramics at Concordia
University, and with Linda Swanson (http://www.
lindaswansonstudio.com), who currently teaches
there. As well, she met and toured the studio of
Louise Bousquet, who produces very high-quality
porcelain tablewares using Limoge porcelain. Her
work is marketed through Porcelaines Bousquet
(http://www.porcelainesbousquet.com/en ). Amy
reports it was very interesting to see such exquisite
work being produced on a commercial scale yet still
using many hand processes. Although it was a very
short trip, it was fascinating for her to see but a few
of the different forms of ceramic practice in
Past Faculty News
Quebec, and Amy returned with many hours of
taped interviews for her research.
Amy continues to actively engage in her studio
work which includes her plein air painted ceramics,
which she sells at the Gallery of BC Ceramics.
Amy Gogarty, bicycle, trailer and pot en plein
Robin Lambert continues as a full time instructor
in the School of Creative Arts. Red Deer College.
This fall Robin was nominated for the RBC
Emerging Artist People’s Choice Award (along with
Zimra Beiner, Jess Riva Cooper, David Harper, and
Jordan McDonald). The voting took place over the
course of an exhibition at the Gardiner Museum,
Toronto and Robin was the winner for his work I
Should Like to Give You a Kiss. Robin was nominated
by ACAD faculty Mireille Perron (School of
Creative and Critical Studies). We congratulate
Robin on this award! This January, Robin has
been selected to participate in the Future Station:
2015 Alberta Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Art
Gallery of Alberta. He will also be participating
in the second iteration of In the Making at the
Kenderdine Gallery at the University of Saskatoon.
Denys James (Ceramics Visiting Artist/Instructor
1985/86) continues to offer his specialty small
group travel adventures, this month (January)
heading with a group to Myanmar (Burma). As
workshop leader and instructor for “Denys James
Discovery Art Travel” he has taken groups around
the globe (28 excursions to date) including Sicily,
Italy, Morocco, Crete, Laos, Thailand, Turkey and
Mexico. The next trip is the SICILY CERAMICS
EXCURSION 2015, September 26-October 14.
For information visit: www.discoveryarttravel.com.
This past November, Denys was featured in
Gulf Island Driftwood, with a full colour article by
Elizabeth Nolan. Denys opened his studio to the
public for a two day show and sale, a rare
opportunity as
Nolan noted
this was the
first event
of this kind
in about 10
years. Denys
presented his
figurative terra
cotta wall
Denys James, Cowboy Hat - tribute to John
bas-reliefs,
Chalke, 2014, multi coloured porcelain,
gold. Dimensions: 24 h x 22 w x 3 d cm
sculptural
pieces, and hand-built vessels using multi-coloured
porcelain.
Missy McCormick (Ceramics Visiting Artist/
Instructor 2002-03) is teaching at Youngstown
State University where she reports they have been
updating their glaze lab and creating a plaster and
casting lab and have purchased a z-corp 3D ceramic
printer. Missy received a research grant and a grant
for a research assistant this year that has provided
her the context to work more with...
(continued p. 22)
21
Past Faculty News
(M. McCormick)
die-cutting and thermofax screen printing. Missy is
also working on offering a postbac/special student
program at Youngstown State University where
students can come and take one credit hour and
study, learn studio upkeep/management and have
full access to the studio. For more information
email Missy at: [email protected]. Missy had a
solo show at the University of Arkansas, Monticello
and received 2nd place in the New Hampshire
Institute of Art’s Ceramics Biennial Exhibition 2014,
juried by Kathy
King. Missy
will have a
two person
show with Jeff
Oestreich at
Trax Gallery,
Berkley, CA,
Missy McCormick, Serving dish, Remnants in February
of Memory Series, 2014, earthenware with
2015.
Ro2 Gallery, Dallas, TX. He attended
“Architectural Ceramics in the Twenty-first
Century” at MIT in Cambridge Massachusetts,
thanks to a grant from the Division of Art,
SMU, where he is assistant professor of Art.
The conference review is published in Ceramics:
TECHNICAL #39, November, 2014.
Trudy Golley, Head of RDC Ceramics (and
Ceramics Visiting Artist/Instructor 1992-93)
reports on news from RDC: Red Deer College
ceramics hosted the 25th anniversary of 1000
Miles Apart on October 3rd and 4th, 2014. It
was attended by 150+ people, students from the
participating institutions; U of Manitoba, U of
Regina, Lake Head University and ACAD and
community members from Alberta and as far
away as Ontario and NWT. The presenters were
Hong Ling Wee from New York City who gave
a considered and in-depth demo workshop of
her approach to her work and Huang Fei, from
fumed terra sigallata
Jingdezhen China, who took us all through Qing
Hua, blue on white painting, typical of Chinese
Brian Molanphy (Visiting Artist/Instructor 2008traditional porcelain. As is the tradition at 1000MA
09) participated in these American exhibitions: 20th
there was an exhibition of student and faculty work
Biennial San Angelo National, San Angelo Museum of
on campus in the RDC Learning Gallery and the
Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX; Clay Cubed, ClaySpace,
Knock Knock Gallery. Downtown at the Red Deer
Warrenville, IL; 4th Biennial Central Time, Bradley
Museum and Art Gallery, Trudy’s solo exhibition
University Heuser Art Center, Peoria, IL; & Chaos,
Lucent: Works in Light and
Shadow was on display with
a reception, to coincide with
1000 Miles Apart. A full
colour brochure with an
essay “Lucent” by Monique
Westra (M.A., Calgary) and
images by Paul Leathers
has been published for this
Trudy Golley, (a)blaze, 2014, Slip-cast, hand-built & assembled glazed porcelain with PVD
exhibition.
(physical vapour deposition), 2014. Photo credit: Paul Leathers
22
Past Faculty News
RDC welcomed a new ceramics technician at the
beginning of the Fall term. Matthew Boyd is a
graduate of both Red Deer College and ACAD
and he has quickly become a valued member of the
Visual Art department at RDC.
Sean O’Connell (Visiting Artist/Instructor 201314) continues to teach this winter semester at the
School of the Art, Institute of Chicago. Sean will
be on a panel
“Challenging the
Cabin Mentality .
. .”, a discussion
about the nature
of residency
programs and
how they serve
their artists,
organizations,
and communities Sean O’Connell, Charger, porcelain, 2014
at the upcoming Dimensions: 2 x 22 x 22
NCECA
conference, Providence, Rhode Island. This
summer, he will lead a workshop, “Ceramic Surface
Intensive” at RDC’s SERIES 2015 from July 13 to
17.
Faculty News
Mireille Perron reports that in preparation
for possible advanced research projects for the
upcoming MFA in Craft Media, she has started
using, with a few selected BFA students, the Nickle
Art collection at the University of Calgary. She
arranged for Ceramics major, Chase Key to view a
selection of artworks by famous funk ceramic artist
Dave Gilhooly, including his amazing sketchbook.
Mireille wishes to refine research projects for both
BFA and MFA levels by exploring ahead of time
how to best use this local collection with students
in her 300 level Contemporary Discourses series.
Mireille would like to thank Lisa Tillotson, Museum
Registrar, for her devoted support.
Chase Key with Gilhooly sketchbook. Photo credit: Mireille
Perron
Katrina Chaytor participated in Continuum, a
group invitational at the Alberta Craft Council,
Edmonton. This exhibition, which ran from July
12 to September 27, 2014, explored the creative
exchange of teaching and learning. She was also
included in Made in Calgary: The 2000’s, the fifth
and last installment in the grounbreaking survey
of five decades of regional art at the Glenbow
Museum, Calgary. This final exhibition was curated
by Katherine Ylitalo. Katrina has been invited to
participate in the group exhibition, 15 on 35, from
January 17 to March 28, Alberta Craft Council. 15
on 35 launches the 35th anniversary of the ACC
and Craft Year 2015. Katrina’s work is currently
included in Calgary,Outside the Box... (continued back page)
23
Faculty News
(K.Chaytor)
at the 2015 Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO
DO). She is actively working towards her solo
show, Come Home; for Craft Year 2015 this coming
August at the Annex Gallery, Devon House, Craft
Council of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John’s.
Greg Payce has a solo
exhibition, Greg Payce
Objects and Images at the
Esplanade Gallery in
Medicine Hat, August
22 to October 10,
2015. Concurrent
with the Esplanade
exhibition, Greg will
also have work installed
at the Medalta Historic Greg with fourth year Major,
Site, Medicine Hat.
Emily Stone in ACAD Ceramics.
Photo credit: Martina Lantin
Lenticular images
and ceramics will be installed in the Yiull Family
Gallery and video works will be installed in the old
factory areas. Greg has several works in Crafted:
Objects in Flux at the Boston Museum of Fine Art.
The exhibition opens on August 25, 2015 and will
showcase a selection of works by international
artists that present the current, simultaneous
blurring and expansion of craft’s landscape. These
works are steeped in craft knowledge, yet conceived
of in cross-disciplinary terms, which resist the
notion of craft as a bounded set of parameters.
Greg is retiring from his faculty position at the end
of this academic year. He states:
“I would like to take this opportunity to extend my
best wishes to the students, my colleagues, and the
other communities that I have been involved with
over the past twenty -seven years in my position. I
at began my career at ACAD in 1988 as a Visiting
Artist/instructor in the Ceramics Program. At
the time, I was a rather uncertain young fellow
fresh from graduate school. My faculty position
allowed me to cultivate and develop my research
and practice as a part of my job. This supported
me to flourish creatively and become a stronger
mentor for students. I have had the privilege to
help many talented young people achieve their goals
and passions and have also helped to build strong
communities with my colleagues. I have learned
a tremendous amount from all of you over the
years. Along the way, I have had many marvelous
experiences that I will always remember. I hope
to still maintain connections to the college and the
community in the future. I look forward to seeing
what everyone gets up to.”
ACAD Ceramics extends to Greg our heartfelt wishes.
May the years ahead be rich with new adventures and
ventures. (We will have a full feature article on Greg in the
Spring 2015 newsletter.)
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this edition!
The ACAD Ceramic Program Newsletter is
published twice annually - Spring and Winter
issues.
Editor: Katrina Chaytor
Ceramics Faculty
email: [email protected]
Additions or changes to addresses or email
contacts may be directed to the newsletter editor:
[email protected]. Archives of newsletters
may be accessed on Ceramics Program web page
on ACAD site: www.acad.ca and our Ceramics
Program blog: http://ceramics.acadnet.ca/.