Charles Hazelaar on thu 11 jan 07
I am building my studio, working in ceramic sculpture. I do have a
background in art -- long ago degree, graduate work -- and now fallen happily back
into work. I am (believe it or not) on a cautious development budget. Is it
better to budget for NCECA thinking that it will ALL be there, or to piece
development money out on regional workshops? Any thoughts?
Snail Scott on fri 12 jan 07
At 06:36 AM 1/11/2007 EST, Charles H wrote:
>I am building my studio, working in ceramic sculpture....Is it
>better to budget for NCECA thinking that it will ALL be there, or to piece
>development money out on regional workshops?
If money is tight, I'm not sure that either
one is the best use of funds. NCECA is great
fun and very inspirational, but that chunk
of change can go a long way toward books,
materials, driving trips to nearby cities
with galleries and museums, etc. Workshops
are also pricey, and though you would
certainly learn something, I'm not sure
they're all worth the money.
Especially since you are a sculptor, I would
suggest lookng elsewhere for 'development'.
Unlike pottery, where techniques are often
the mainstay of the practice, sculpture is
bit less clear-cut, in terms of learning.
Techniques for clayforming, firing, surfaces,
etc, are all necessary, but since sculpture
can vary so much more than pottery in both
its form and its intentions, focusing too
much on technique can be detrimental to the
work as a whole. Most ceramic sculpture
doesn't suffer from poor technique so much
as poor thought. While not all workshops are
technique-based, the ones that aren't (the
'inspirational' ones) are even less useful,
in my opinion. It's fascinating to see
someone else's mind at work, but that may
not help you with your own. You can find
your own mind without paying a workshop
presenter to help, maybe better.
Further, too much ceramic sculpture looks
only to other ceramic sculpture for its
referents and inspiration, resulting in a
huge quanitity of work that repeats the
same overused idioms, styles, and forms.
Sculpture offers a huge, wide-ranging
world of options. It's not all made of
clay, but neither is the real world. Or
the literary one. Or the spiritual one.
Or myriad other sources of inspiration.
Look at sculpture. Look at a lot of it.
Even the stuff that doesn't look like clay.
Learn from form, line, proportion. Volume.
Sense of mass or lightness. Positive/
negative space. Pattern, texture. Color
relationships, both within the piece and
with its surroundings. Subject matter, if
it's a representational piece. Or even if
it's not. Meaning, intention? what is the
artist trying to say, and how are they
trying to say it? Process: how does that
influence the work, and its meaning? What
is the role of the material? is it part
of the significance of the work, or is it
just a practical means to make form? SCALE:
often overlooked in ceramic sculpture
(even more than in other sculpture) as we
acquiesce (sometimes unwittingly) to the
'suggestions' made by our kiln size. Some
ideas need to be bigger (or smaller) than
others. Don't let your equipment push you
around. Or else take its suggestion: make
work that truly _wants_ to be the size you
can handle.
There will certainly be workshops that will
help you be a better sculptor in clay, but
it seems like a 'ceramics thing' to seek
specific instruction for everything. For
the craft-rooted aspects of our work, that
makes sense, but don't get stuck in that
mindset. Ceramics has a strong sense of
community which keeps people close to 'home',
but it also breeds a certain insularity.
Ceramic sculpture has a foot in two worlds,
and one of them is a bit larger than the
other. Take advantage of that; it all
belongs to you.
Charles: you know this stuff, I'm sure. You
said you'd had a good art education - grad
work and more - but I still had to get it
off my chest, to a larger audience than you.
That said, if you still want to do worshops
and conferences, I think NCECA is more bang
for the buck than most workshops, unless
you know of one that feels aimed right at
you. If you do, go for that.
-Snail
Marcia Selsor on fri 12 jan 07
It would depend on what you want to garner from the experience. At
NCECA look closely at the program and the list of exhibitions. Could
you get to all the exhibitions that you want to see? Don't forget the
Clayart room and the one on one exchange/dialogue with people.
Then look at upcoming workshops which you might want to attend. Is
there a workshop which totally meets an exact process or techniques
you need to learn? It depends on your needs and expectations.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
Vince Pitelka on fri 12 jan 07
Charles Hazelaar wrote
>I am building my studio, working in ceramic sculpture. I do have a
> background in art -- long ago degree, graduate work -- and now fallen
> happily back
> into work. I am (believe it or not) on a cautious development budget.
> Is it
> better to budget for NCECA thinking that it will ALL be there, or to
> piece
> development money out on regional workshops? Any thoughts?
Charles -
It's a different thing. At NCECA, you surround yourself with other ceramic
artists, and you get to watch the demos and peruse all the vendors in the
exhibitor's area, but it's not the same thing as a workshop, where you get
all that one-on-one attention. To put it plainly, I wouldn't trade the
NCECA experience for the intensity of a workshop, and I wouldn't trade a
workshop for the all-encompassing inclusiveness of NCECA. Sorry I can't be
more definitive. If possible, you should attend both.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Vince Pitelka on fri 12 jan 07
Lisa Skeen wrote
> NCECA has not historically had a lot to offer in terms of
> practical information for the
> in-the-studio-making-a-living-throwing-100-mugs potter; it's designed
> for educators and people who have papers to present in order to get
> their credentials.
Dear Lisa, whom I love,
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. That simply is not true at all! Don't let the
academics get you down, which is a variation on the beloved phrase "Don't
let the bastards get you down." NCECA has so much to offer for any
practicing potter, and one of the best treasures is the exhibition hall,
where most of the leading manufacturers and vendors are present with their
wares, anxious to convince you of the virtues of their latest innovations.
What you can learn in the exhibitor's hall and in the Clayart room will
compensate for any art babble you might encounter in the panel discussions
and lectures, and you can always glean a lot from the demonstrations. NCECA
has not only has something for everyone, it has a SMORGASBORD of stuff for
everyone. DON'T MISS IT! That's an order.
Love -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Don Goodrich on fri 12 jan 07
Charles,
It would be misleading to suggest that it will ALL be there,
but a whole lot of it will be. If you haven't already done so,
check the NCECA website's preliminary program:
http://nceca.net/pdfs/2007/2007preliminaryprogram.pdf
to get an idea of some of the offerings.
Just remember, if you don't go, you can't schmooze in the
Clayart Room.
Don Goodrich
L. P. Skeen on fri 12 jan 07
Do the regional workshop thing if you want to actually learn
techniques. NCECA has not historically had a lot to offer in terms of
practical information for the
in-the-studio-making-a-living-throwing-100-mugs potter; it's designed
for educators and people who have papers to present in order to get
their credentials. OTOH, you say you're doing sculpture, as opposed to
pottery, so maybe it WOULD be for you. It is a LOT of fun, especially
now that the Clayart Room exists, and that's primarily why I go. AND it
is expensive. You can buy at least two regional workshops for what
you'll pay to go to NCECA, stay in hotel, eat umpteen meals out, buy bus
tickets, etc. OTOH, there's no big vendor hall at a regional
workshop....hehheh.
L
Charles Hazelaar wrote:
> I am building my studio, working in ceramic sculpture. I do have a
> background in art -- long ago degree, graduate work -- and now fallen happily back
> into work. I am (believe it or not) on a cautious development budget. Is it
> better to budget for NCECA thinking that it will ALL be there, or to piece
> development money out on regional workshops? Any thoughts?
>
>
Linda Blossom on fri 12 jan 07
This is an interesting question. I think that going
to nceca helps you get connected and meet people.
But the regional conferences can also do that, with
people more in your neighborhood, and you will
learn more because they are workshops not just hour
long presentations. So if you goal is to schmooz
broadly, then nceca and if it is to schmooz more
regionally and locally and learn more, then the
workshops.
Linda
Ithaca, NY
Dannon Rhudy on fri 12 jan 07
That's a tricky question, but in my opinion you may
well do better to go to some workshops. NCECA is
every year, you are on a budget. If you can find some
workshops that are useful to you, they can be very
inspiring. There will be a lot going on at NCECA, but
you can't do it all in three days, and it is not inexpensive.
You'll have to make the call, though.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Subject: Help -- Would it be better to go to NCECA, or . . .
> I am building my studio, working in ceramic sculpture. I Is it.......
> better to budget for NCECA thinking that it will ALL be there, or to
piece
> development money out on regional workshops? Any thoughts?..........
WJ Seidl on fri 12 jan 07
I dunno about that Lisa. I had the good fortune to spend a lot of time in
Phil's booth (Bison Tools...the best!) at the last NCECA. I was within
spitting distance (next door) to a booth with an amazing young potter
throwing HUGE pots and bowls (we're talking 24-36 inches here and larger) I
think I recall his name was Tony "something" and as an added bonus got to
watch days of Stephen Hill demonstrations. Being in the booth afforded me
the opportunity to actually be within 5 feet of the wheel.
I can tell you, I learned an awful lot those days.
Watching demonstrations in the vendors' exhibition hall gives a potter who
already has the basics down a great opportunity to observe how other potters
"do what they do". It also gives one a chance to listen to the "big dogs"
debate this tool or that, as they meander through the booths, sharing tips
with each other and anyone else who asks. Opinions are free and so is
the learning. The vendors themselves can be a great source of information,
and not only about what they're selling. Most of them are potters as well.
Considering the price of some workshops these days, the registration for
NCECA is a much more cost effective way to experience "information
overload". I always come back home feeling like my brain is in
meltdown....and no, I don't drink.
As far as the added costs, such as hotel, meals, etc. you have those when
you attend a workshop anyway, so they cancel themselves out. Not that I mean
to discourage anyone from attending regional workshops, you understand. The
Potters Council is throwing some doozies these days! I just wish airfare was
cheaper.
Best,
Wayne Seidl
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of L. P. Skeen
Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 12:40 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Help -- Would it be better to go to NCECA, or . . .
Do the regional workshop thing if you want to actually learn
techniques. NCECA has not historically had a lot to offer in terms of
practical information for the
in-the-studio-making-a-living-throwing-100-mugs potter; it's designed
for educators and people who have papers to present in order to get
their credentials. OTOH, you say you're doing sculpture, as opposed to
pottery, so maybe it WOULD be for you. It is a LOT of fun, especially
now that the Clayart Room exists, and that's primarily why I go. AND it
is expensive. You can buy at least two regional workshops for what
you'll pay to go to NCECA, stay in hotel, eat umpteen meals out, buy bus
tickets, etc. OTOH, there's no big vendor hall at a regional
workshop....hehheh.
L
Kathy McDonald on sat 13 jan 07
Vince is right Lisa.
I've been to NCECA several times in
my potting career. Learned lots!!
Met some wonderful people.
The exhibition hall is a don't miss.
Lots of info for any potter.,,and
I bought my first Bison tool
at the Las Vegas one. I have my studio
wallpapered with the old posters and
they provide me with wonderful
inspiration and memories.
Smorgasbord of presentations, demos, and shows.
Great social things to do. Clayart Room provides
a connecting point right off the bat.
I attended pre and post Clayart and it's great to
have that immediate peer group to connect with.
As soon as I get the medical go ahead to get
on a plane or train again I'll be back at the
conference.
And.... where else could anyone get a pair of
panties signed by Paul Soldner on the front
and Peter Voulkos on the back ? ( Yes there is
a story there.)
Kathy
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