Bill and Sylvia Shirley on mon 25 oct 04
Hello again,
The Orton Cone Box Show is coming to the Spiva Center for the Arts in
Joplin, Missouri. The opening is Friday, October 29th. At the same
time, is a show called "Southern Mud" which features work by ceramic
alumni from Missouri Southern State University, including Tara Dawley,
John Good and Sam Lewis with collaborative work by Jorge Leyva and Jed
Schlegel. It'll be a great show!
For more information, please check out the events section of our clay
group's web site:
http://members.cox.net/midwestclay/public_html/events.html
Sylvia Shirley
denny means on thu 28 oct 04
I saw the Orton Cone Box Show in Indianapolis, last spring, and it is fascinating to see all those little artful creations. It is well worth seeing.
There was one discordant note in the Orton exhibit. A piece of hardbrick was in the show. Yup, the jury selected a 6" long piece of hardbrick for the Orton Cone Box Show. I scratch my head in wonder. I'm certainly not qualified to judge whether a sawed-off brick is "art." But I do receive the message the jury sent.
The jury for the Orton Show valued a brick over the creations and weeks of effort of 400 potters whose work was not selected for the show. There is a message to encourage potter's everywhere. We just have to be more creative in "finding objects" to submit to university juries.
Denny
Cynthia Bracker on thu 28 oct 04
Although I do not recall that specific piece, and therefore cannot
specifically speak to its harmonious vs discordant placement in the
show, I would ask if it's possible that you missed something about the
piece? The requirements of the Orton Cone Box Show are that the piece
must have been made in the last 2 years by the artist submitting the
entry and must be at least 50% fired clay. So I don't think it could
have simply been a piece of hardbrick.
I'm also not certain what you mean by "university juries" The jurors
for the most recent Orton Cone Box Show (I believe) were Janet Mansfield
& Phil Rogers. I don't believe either of them teach in universities.
The amount of work received for the Cone Box show is always overwhelming
and the jurors certainly don't have an easy job. Ever show year since
the resurrection of the cone box show in 1994, I have attended the
opening at Baker University and also had the opportunity to see the
"rejects show" Usually, there are enough pieces in the "rejects show"
to fully create a second show that is just as good as the juried one. I
have purchased 3 Jim Connell pieces from the "reject shows" over the
years and let me tell you, they're just as nice as the ones that got
in! Some pieces I've purchased from the reject show I think are better
than some pieces that got in. I know that the jurors generally try to
create a balanced show, therefore, often when a potter sends in 2
entries, one piece gets in while the other doesn't. I can also say
that Inge Balch tries very hard to select jurors that have very
different styles of work, hail from different countries/regions, etc.
and thus will combine to create a very eclectic mix of pieces. I'm sure
there was a reason that the "brick" was selected over, for instance, the
beautiful Castle I bought for my daughter out of this year's reject
show. I can't say what that reason is, but I can say that I certainly
wouldn't want to have the incredibly difficult task of jurying the Cone
Box Show!!! Even though I don't always agree with every individual
piece in the show, I continue to be impressed with the variety, quality
and balance that the jurors come up with. This show truly is more than
the sum of its parts.
Anyone wishing to see past winners or enter the next cone box show can
do so on Orton's website through the following link:
http://www.ortonceramic.com/overview/conebox.html
I have also included a write-up of the history of the Cone Box show that
I did for the Kansas City NCECA at the bottom of this already too-long post.
Cindy Bracker
denny means wrote:
> I saw the Orton Cone Box Show in Indianapolis, last spring, and it is
> fascinating to see all those little artful creations. It is well
> worth seeing.
> There was one discordant note in the Orton exhibit. A piece of
> hardbrick was in the show. Yup, the jury selected a 6" long piece of
> hardbrick for the Orton Cone Box Show. I scratch my head in wonder.
> I'm certainly not qualified to judge whether a sawed-off brick is
> "art." But I do receive the message the jury sent.
> The jury for the Orton Show valued a brick over the creations and
> weeks of effort of 400 potters whose work was not selected for the
> show. There is a message to encourage potter's everywhere. We just
> have to be more creative in "finding objects" to submit to
> university juries.
>
> Denny
History of the Cone Box Show
The concept for a national exhibition of small ceramic art pieces
was conceived by William Bracker in the early 1970's, when he was
inspired by a 12 year old neighbor, Jerry Evans who was allowed a
limited amount of space in the salt kiln in exchange for keeping the
studio clean, helping to fire the salt kiln, etc. at the Brackers' home
studio in rural Lafayette, Indiana. After observing the firing process,
pulling draw trials, and waiting for the kiln to cool enough to unload,
Jerry was discovered making tiny "pots" to fire in his allotted space in
the next firing. With his youthful enthusiasm, he eagerly pulled these
miniature "pots" out of the 23000 F Kiln much like draw trials, too
excited to wait for the normal cooling period. Some time later he
showed Mr. Bracker a cigar box filled with nearly a hundred of these
small pots - enough pieces for an exhibit in one box! Bracker himself
had always filled empty cone boxes with fired draw rings, used cones,
small ceramic pieces, mud dauber nests etc. He had even created four
"sketchpads," shadow boxes filled with miniature versions of pots, each
of which could be made on a much larger scale if desired. These
"sketchpads" won him a merit award at a juried show in Evansville, IN.
The idea for a miniature show began to take shape in Bracker's mind
after watching Jerry and thinking about his own miniature pots.
In 1974, while doing a workshop at Drake University, Mr. Bracker was
encouraged by Lee Ferber and Richard Peeler, fellow ceramic teachers, to
pursue the idea of a show for miniature ceramic pieces. As a result,
Bracker decided to seek financial support for the show. Since a logical
size limitation seemed to be that of the Orton Cone boxes that seemed to
accumulate around the studio, a proposal was written to The Edward Orton
Jr. Ceramic Foundation, asking for minimum support for the first
exhibition. The proposal was funded, and the Cone Box Show became a
reality in 1975.
The First National Cone Box Show was held at Purdue University in
West Lafayette, Indiana, in September 1975 in conjunction with the 1975
Midwest Ceramic Art and Material Symposium. Dr. Gary Fuller, of the
Purdue School of Engineering, and William Bracker, of the Purdue
Department of Creative Arts served as co-coordinators. Ellen Canavier,
crafts coordinator of the visual art program for the National Endowment
of the Arts, served as juror for the show and selected 153 pieces to
exhibit from over 300 entries. The exhibition was on display at Purdue
Creative Arts Gallery September 12 - October 15, 1975.
The Second National Cone Box show, supported again by the Orton
Foundation, was held at the University of Kansas Student Union Gallery
March 21-April 21, 1977. Marj and Richard Peeler, production potters
from Reelsville, IN, juried the show and selected 294 pieces to exhibit
from nearly 900 entries. Bracker, confident that the exhibit should
gain the attention of an even wider audience, persuaded the University
of Kansas Division of Continuing Education to sponsor a 2 year traveling
exhibition selected from the Second National Cone Box Show. Jim Nabors,
director of the Art Museum Program of the Division of Continuing
Education, coordinated this traveling exhibition. The traveling show
consisted of 120 pieces which were secured in plexiglass cases.
Twenty-seven locations in five states exhibited the traveling show.
The Third National Cone Box Show, again generously supported by
Orton, was exhibited at the KU Art and Design gallery April 29 - May 7,
1979. Some rule changes were implemented for this show. The major
change, allowing artists to submit only one entry, (the first two shows
allowed 3 entries per artist), was necessitated by the large numbers of
entries, growing from over 300 entries in 1975 to 900 entries in 1977.
This one entry must still fit into a closed Orton standard pyrometric
cone box (approximately 3" X 3" X 6"). The piece must be for sale, not
exceeding $100.00 in price, be an original work comprised of more than
50% fired clay, have been completed in the last 2 years and be available
for tour for 2 years with the traveling show. An "entry fee" of $5.00
was used to help defray the costs of return packaging, postage, and
insurance. The number of jurors changed from two to four to produce a
show of greater breadth and appeal. John Ground, Professor of Ceramics
at Millersville State College, Glenn Rand, Professor of Photography and
Ceramics at Colorado Mountain College, Jim Nabors, and Bracker, himself,
served as the jurors and selected 127 pieces to exhibit from over 400
entries submitted by ceramic artists throughout the United States.
Purchase, Merit and Value Awards totaling over $1,700.00 were awarded to
29 artists. For the traveling exhibition, 103 pieces were selected and
toured for two years under the coordination of the Division of
Continuing Education of the University of Kansas.
In an effort to provide a different viewpoint of this Cone Box Show,
Nabors and Bracker requested a ceramic artist who had both exhibited in
and viewed all three shows to share her thoughts about the show:
The National Cone Box Show has become an educational arena. Since
the exhibition travels, these varied and excellent ceramic statements
become accessible to a wider spectrum of people than would normally have
access to a one shot gallery exhibit.
By preparing for this most unique show, I have inadvertently become
an educator while also being educated by the other artists selected for
the show. Probably the greatest difference between this show and any
other is the strict size limitation. Placing restrictions on the size
of the finished piece affects the artist in many positive ways. This
feature may be the reason for the wide gamut of expression in each of
the three National Cone Box Shows. The competitive atmosphere afforded
by making the pieces fit into an Orton Standard Cone Box is an important
feature of the show. Also the small size allows artists from anywhere
in the U.S. to send actual pieces rather than slides for jury selection.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of making a piece to enter in
the Fourth National Cone Box Show whether accepted or not
-Elizabeth Ohlson
Having left the University of Kansas to pursue his own production of
pottery, Bracker's Cone Box Show lay dormant, despite numerous requests
to Orton, until 1993, when Bracker was approached by Inge Balch, Baker
University Professor of Art, and Jim Nabors, then Registrar at Baker
University, asking to revive the show at Baker University. Bracker was
thrilled with the idea of a rebirth of the Cone Box show, especially in
the extremely capable hands of Inge Balch. Bracker wrote a letter to
Orton, "releasing" the Cone Box show to Baker University. The Orton
Foundation then approved Baker University's request to host the Cone Box
Show. Bracker consulted with Balch and Nabors on the show until his
death on September 23, 1993. The 1994 International Orton Cone Box
Show, held at the Holt-Russell Gallery at Baker University, was juried
by Bill Hunt, Margaret Carney and Yoshi Ikeda, and was the first to
allow entries from anywhere in the world.
Baker again hosted the Cone Box Show in 1996, with Karen Karnes,
Judy Schwartz, and Brad Schweiger as Jurors, in 1998, with Michael
Simon, Harris Deller, and Anna Callouri Holcomb as Jurors, in 2000, with
Nina Hole, Jeff Oestreich and Richard Notkin as jurors. The current,
2002 International Cone Box Show, juried by Mitsuo Shoji, Willfredo
Torres, and Inge Balch, is on display at the Lawrence Arts Center for
the duration of the N.C.E.C.A conference.
| |
|
