Gerry Barbe on wed 5 feb 97
Our Guild is preparing for an exhibition. We have two sculptors in
our group who would like to enter pieces. They do not apply glazes
on their work, just commercial stains and other colorants. One
fellow uses car paint. This is not to demean their work which is
excellent. Some raku pieces have been glued back together. So much
work has been done to each piece that repair is always called for
after raku.
We thought we would ask members of ClayArt for their opinions. Do
we accept pieces that do not have glazes or oxides? What about
sculpture in the context of pottery? It's clay yes but.......
Ron Roy is familiar with our problem, perhaps he can elaborate on
what I am talking about.
Thanks..................Marilyn
Marilyn & Gerry Barbe
Ailsa Craig, On, CANADA
gbarbe@julian.uwo.ca
Erin Hayes on thu 6 feb 97
This is the age-old question isn't it? Is "pottery" art (read scuplture)
and is sculpture considered pottery? I do mostly sculpture out of clay,
and I always raise an eyebrow when I read of a call for entries that asks
for fine art *or* craft art. I guess I resent the notion that something
made from clay can only be considered craft art. I think most of us
would agree that a fine functional vessel *is* a work of fine art, albeit
one that is designed to be utilized.
In the end the question of taking non-functional clay work rests with the
scope of the exhibition - more to the point, what the organization
*wants* that focus to be. I say that no clay work should be held apart
from any other - some is functional and some is not, but it is all made
of clay and therefore is clay art. The distinctions which feel so
comfortable for separating clay art by function are artificial - it is
just as easy to separate work by color or scale. Surface treatment is
just another source of variety.
Others will have differing opinions, certainly. But I think that in the
long run it is always best (at least in any exhibition that is not
specifically showcasing function or sculpture) to allow the work to
express the enormous variety available in clay. In this respect clay is
very special, after all.
Erin.
%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%
Erin Hayes, Art/Humanities Instructor Voice mail: (509)574-4844
Yakima Valley Community College School e-mail:ehayes@ctc.edu
PO Box 1647 Home e-mail:TXGirlNWA@aol.com
Yakima, WA 98907-1647 "Clay is Good."
%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%#%
Jean Lehman on fri 7 feb 97
Since the title of your message is *jury quandry* I assume this is a juried
event and you don't just accept any member's entry. (Our own guild has an
annual local exhibit and anyone who is a member of the guild may enter a
piece, not subject to a jury requirement.)
My gut reaction to your question is that it doesn't matter what the surface
treatment is. A piece doesn't need glaze or stain to be pottery, art,
sculpture or aesthetically pleasing. I saw some fellow's clay work at a
well known craft show in the eastern U.S. who used a high gloss enamel
(maybe it WAS car paint) and his pieces were museum quality pieces. They
were huge and gorgeous -- but nobody purchased them. I think he was the
only one who didn't sell at that high volume show. But saleability has
nothing to do with quality either.
A piece that has broken in a raku firing and been glued together, however,
would be another matter in my mind. To my way of thinking, if it was
properly executed and fired (even Raku) it should not crack. I would have
to be convinced that the cracking was a deliberate part of the design. And
cracks do not fall into the category of *happy accidents* that can result
in some wonderful pieces. I like non-functional clay art, but I need
(want?) to see a some quality of craftsmanship in the piece. I once went
to the exhibition of a nationally well-known clay artist and each piece
(except one which we couldn't lift up to look at the bottom) had cracked in
the firing. They were box-like pieces, and the joints or edges of the slabs
just didn't hold when fired. My opinion of that artist was diminished. The
designs were great, but the execution was lousy.
Just my two cents, and definitely my own opinions -- not related to the
Strictly Functional Pottery National, the Market House Craft Center or the
PA Guild of Craftsmen.
Jean Lehman, in Lancaster, PA
j_lehman@acad.FandM.EDU (that's an _underscore_ not a hyphen)
http://www.art-craftpa.com/lehman.html
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Our Guild is preparing for an exhibition. We have two sculptors in
>our group who would like to enter pieces. They do not apply glazes
>on their work, just commercial stains and other colorants. One
>fellow uses car paint. This is not to demean their work which is
>excellent. Some raku pieces have been glued back together. So much
>work has been done to each piece that repair is always called for
>after raku.
> We thought we would ask members of ClayArt for their opinions. Do
>we accept pieces that do not have glazes or oxides? What about
>sculpture in the context of pottery? It's clay yes but.......
> Ron Roy is familiar with our problem, perhaps he can elaborate on
>what I am talking about.
>
>Thanks..................Marilyn
>
>Marilyn & Gerry Barbe
>Ailsa Craig, On, CANADA
>gbarbe@julian.uwo.ca
Evan Dresel on sun 9 feb 97
At 08:56 AM 2-5-97 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Our Guild is preparing for an exhibition. We have two sculptors in
>our group who would like to enter pieces. They do not apply glazes
>on their work, just commercial stains and other colorants. One
>fellow uses car paint. This is not to demean their work which is
>excellent. Some raku pieces have been glued back together. So much
>work has been done to each piece that repair is always called for
>after raku.
>
>Thanks..................Marilyn
>
Well a ceramics teacher of mine used to say, "If it isn't glued,
it isn't art!" But IMO if it isn't fired, it isn't ceramic. And
although I generally think paint is gross on ceramics, if it works,
why not?
-- Evan in W. Richland WA, USA. It's February, it's grey, it's dull.
| |
|
