Ric Swenson on fri 7 dec 07
=20
Hi all y'all. I am just back from a week in Wu Yi Shan, Fujian Province, =
China ....at the 2007 Wu Yi Shan International Ceramics Conference and Exch=
ange. A fabulous week indeed. Nov. 20th at 8 AM, departed JingDeZhen by tr=
ain for a trip southeast of 8 hours total. 4 JCI faculty and 7 grad studen=
ts in ceramics spent the day on the train, munching on fruit, eating noodle=
s and generally just talking together. On arrival in WuYi Shan, we were wa=
rmly greeted by Chen Duo, Dean of the art dept at the university....and tak=
en to our cozy hotel at the base of King Mountain....a granite dome that lu=
rches out of the landscape just east of the city center. After settling in=
, we were treated to the first of what was to be a full week of great meals=
. The food is fabulous here. From spinach to snails...it was all good. ( =
Even the Peking duck we had on Thanksgiving day was delicious!!) After a ni=
ghts rest, we arose for breakfast at 7:50 and then off to the University at=
8:30. There was quite a crowd of eager students at the exhibition Hall wh=
ere works by the participants would be shown. There was a ceremony...ribbo=
n cutting...speeches by local dignitaries, yada yada...etc... Then the hall=
was opened to gawk at the works of the 22 visiting artists from South Kore=
a, China, USA and UK (by way of Japan). To quote the exhibition's catalog: =
" Ceramics is time-honored in the North of Fujian Province and its crafts=
manship can be traced back to the Neolithic Age four thousand years ago. Th=
ousands of ancient cultural ruins have been discovered along the two river =
braches of Jian Stream and Chongyang Stream in the North of Fujian Province=
, where a flood of various pieces of pottery and porcelain were unearthed. =
Ceramic industry of the North of Fujian Province enjoyed its prosperity in=
the history of Song and Yuan Dynasties. At that time, Jian Kiln, Yulingti=
ng Kiln, Chayang Kiln and Dakou Kiln manufactured numerous precious ceramic=
s which became famous both home and abroad. Hare's fur Glaze, a black glaze=
made in Jian Kiln, ranked among the best ceramics in the Song Dynasty and =
played an important role in our national ceramic history...." So began th=
e open exchange between we 22 artists and the many members of the community=
and the University students who came to view our work and then return the =
next 2 days to see us actually work. Invited artists included: Ning Gang,=
PhD, Dean of the College of Arts and Design, JingDeZhen Ceramic Institute;=
Huang HuanYi, Grad school prof. JCI; Gan DaoFu, Professor, JCI; Yang Zh=
i, prof. at Xi-an Univ.; Yuan Yi, teacher at JCI; Jiang HaiLing, WuYi U.;=
Liu Fang, Instructor, JCI.; Takeshi Yasuda, Pottery Workshop Director, JD=
Z. (Japanese, mostly working and teaching in England for the last 35 years.=
); Ric Swenson, USA, Potter and Teacher, JCI.; Lee Myong Soon, Prof. at K=
unsan Univ. So. Korea.; Seo Kuk Jin, South Korean artist; Kim Sang Ki, In=
structor Seoul Nat. Polytech.,and potter; Kim Jun, from South Korea now Pr=
of. at WuYi U.; Kim Mun Hwan, South Korean artist; Kim Yang Rok, Dir. Bae=
won Ceramic Research Institute, South Korea.; Lee Sung Kun, ceramic artist=
; Choi Ji Hyun, South Korea ceramic artist and painter; Lee Jee A., South=
Korean artist; Kim Hwa Young, paperclay artist, South Korea; Kim Hyo Soo=
k, So. Korean ceramic artist and JCI instructor; Kim Gwang Suk, South Kore=
an ceramic artist; and Bo Sul Jun, Seoul, So. Korea, ceramic artist. We =
spent two full...long days making ceramic wares and sculptural expressions.=
..learning from each other our way of work and sharing feelings, techniques=
and thoughts about the world of clay. After a well deserved banquet that n=
ight, we embarked the next day on two days of sightseeing...climbing WuYi M=
ountain...a HUGE granite dome...bamboo rafting down the '9 Bend River'...vi=
siting the famous Dao Hong Pao (Big Red Robe Tea) tea gardens and the ruins=
of the two ancient YuLingTing Song Dynasty kilns. Altogether a most rewar=
ding and enriching experience for all of us. We all returned with small bla=
ck shiny teabowl shards from the pile of milllions of broken pieces and sag=
gers buried near the kiln sites. I produced 8 large porcelain tea storage j=
ars and 8 tea bowls ... on the wheel the first day and a bud vase and winge=
d vessel on the second day...in addition to trimming the work from the firs=
t day.... And...by others.....there was coil building, wheel and coil combi=
nation efforts, paper-clay bottle forms, exquisite porcelain painting, hand=
-built clay figurative sculpture, pinched teapots and bowls, and much more.=
The local stoneware clay and JingDeZhen porcelain clay were both available=
for us to use. I found the local clay similar to Rod's Bod clay. Smooth b=
ut just enough tooth and plasticity to throw well. We were provided with t=
wo students each to assist us in fetchin' tools and stuff and preparing cla=
y, etc. We were all asked for autographs by many students and visitors to =
the two large studios we used for our work. We left our works there to be =
fired and to establish the first works in the museum they are going to buil=
d in the next few years at WuYi Shan University. Tea is as famous in Wu Yi =
as porcelain is in JingDeZhen. There are literally hundreds of tea shops. =
It is said that the best tea comes from there. Some argue that the green te=
a in HangZhou is more fragrant...but the fact is that most of the tea and t=
he black hare's fur/oil spot tenmoko tea bowls made there during the Song D=
ynasty were exported to Japan, where tea was just gaining popularity. The b=
est Wu Yi Shan bowls of the Song Dynasty can be found in Japanese collectio=
ns nowadays. Woodcarving is also popular in Wu Yi and one can see extremely=
large beautiful examples of tree roots carved into the most outrageous com=
plicated sculptures. We arrived back in JDZ at 3 AM on Monday morning and =
luckily I only have a 2:00 class in the afternoon, so I was able to recover=
from the trip and made it to class with no problems. The weather here no=
w is chilly. Cold in the AM...temp near 0. C. but it warms up during the su=
nny days. The term ends for me Dec. 21, so I will be able to spend Xmas in =
Atlanta with my family. I plan to visit Seattle and Anchorage and Seldovia =
Alaska as well this time out. I teach all sophomore classes...so I am throu=
gh a little earlier than those that teach some frosh classes...who go 4 wee=
ks longer because of their military training in the first month of school. =
The area around the JingDeZhen Ceramic Institute is developing a lot. I h=
ave noticed in the nearly two years that I have been here that many new apt=
. buildings and shops have opened. A brand new big, HOT POT restaurant ope=
ned a few weeks ago and ten of us went last night to sample the spicy delig=
hts. Great stuff. Like fondue...but no oil.... Happy holiday season to you=
all. Ric Swenson.
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Terrance Lazaroff on sat 8 dec 07
Hi Ric:
Just a big thanks you for the great description of your trip. I hope you
have a good trip home for the holidays and that your reports will continue
next year.
I am looking forward to return to Jingdezhen next fall. I am starting to
get excited about the prospect. Your reports keep me hyped.
Terrance
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