I’ve been organizing the following exhibits & events for a while now, with help from several people at Fire Arts Arcata. Below is the press release, along with some photos & links. Check out the schedule and various links on the bottom – we have a lot of great artists, with a wide variety of ceramics. Also, some fun & interesting things happening soon! Thanks to everyone who has helped with this!
Press Release:
“West Coast Wood Fire” is a series of exhibits and events relating to wood fired ceramic art and the culture that surrounds it. Two exhibits featuring contemporary wood fired ceramic pottery and sculpture by artists from California, Oregon and Washington will be held at the Fire Arts Center and Plaza Design in Arcata. Several world renowned clay artists are featured in the exhibits including three authors of ceramics books, several professors and professors emeriti. The works featured have unique surfaces and ash glazes which occur naturally from atmospheric conditions inside wood fired kilns, which are sometimes fired for up to 10 days at temperatures exceeding 2300° Fahrenheit.
Figure 1 Marc Lancet
Figure 2 Steve Sauer
Figure 3 Mila Visser t’Hooft
A traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration will be presented by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture, taking place in the College of the Redwoods Creative Arts Gallery on March 9 at 1:00 p.m. The tea ceremony will highlight the connection between Japanese culture and traditions to the aesthetics found in Japanese folk art and humble ceramic forms such as the chawan (tea bowl). Japanese folk art (mingei) and wabi-sabi aesthetic has been very influential amongst Western ceramicists who have traveled to Japan to learn their craft, especially in the context of wood fired stoneware and porcelain.
Figure 4 Hank Murrow
The College of the Redwoods ceramics department will host guest ceramic artist Terry Inokuma (Oregon) for a two day ceramics presentation and demonstration of her techniques on Feb. 23 and 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in room CA136. Ceramic artist Richard Hotchkiss will also be presenting a short film, “Noborigama” on Feb. 24 at 9:00 a.m. in room CA139, which features his kiln in Nevada City, California. The six chambered kiln is the largest and oldest wood fired climbing kiln in North America and has provided a wood firing experience to thousands of ceramic artists since 1971. Richard will also demonstrate the process making handmade fire bricks for use in kiln building.
The process of firing ceramics with wood dwindled with the advent of the industrial revolution and following technologies but has carried on through particular facets of tradition and aesthetic. This labor intensive process usually requires a cooperative effort amongst participants for a successful outcome. This idea of community is what has inspired “West Coast Wood Fire” and other events like it around the world.
Figure 5 Terry Inokuma
Schedule of Events:
Thursday and Friday February 23rd and 24th 10a.m. – 3p.m.
College of the Redwoods hosts guest ceramic artist Terry Inokuma (Oregon).
Creative Arts room 136
Friday, February 24th 9 a.m.:
Richard Hotchkiss will give a guest lecture and present the documentary “Noborigama” which features his 6 chamber climbing kiln.
College of the Redwoods, Creative Arts room 139
Friday, March 9th 1p.m.
Tea Ceremony Demonstration by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture held in the Creative Arts Gallery at College of the Redwoods
March 2- 31 “West Coast Wood Fire”
Fire Arts Center, 520 S. G. Street, Arcata. www.fireartsarcata.com
Opening Reception Friday March 9th, 6-8pm (During Arts! Arcata)
Artists include: Mike Beebe (CA,)John Benn (WA)
Doug Browe (CA), Rhue Bruggeman (CA), Conrad Calimpong (CA), Richard Carter (CA), Bonita Cohn (CA), Thomas Fossier (CA), Colleen Gallagher (WA), Bill Geisinger (CA), Kathy Guss (WA,)Colinda Gutierrez (CA),Rod Guyer (CA), Chuck Hindes (WA), Sam Hoffman (OR), Richard Hotchkiss (CA), Glenn Husted (CA), Terry Inokuma (OR), Lisa Jetonne (CA), Kathy Kearns (CA), Nils Lou (OR), , Marc Lancet (CA), Diane Levinson (CA), Ron Linn (OR),), Hank Murrow (OR), Fred Olsen (CA), Hiroshi Ogawa (OR),Reid Ozaki (WA), Scott Parady (CA), , Kenneth Pincus (OR), Stephen Robison (WA),Andy Ruble (CA), Monique Rutherford (CA), Steve Sauer (WA), Nick Schwartz (CA), Tim Steele (OR), Jules Stout (CA), Al Tennant (WA), Mark Terry (OR), Mila Visser ‘t Hooft (CA), Jon Weil (CA) , Jay Widmer (OR), David Zdrazil (CA)
March 1 – April 30 “West Coast Wood Fire Local Artists”
Plaza Design, 808 G. Street, Arcata. http://www.plazad.com/
Opening Reception Friday March 9th, 6-8pm (During Arts! Arcata)
Artists include: Conrad Calimpong, Darcy Casagrande, Honoree Cress, Jessica Eden, Rebecca Degagne, Stephen Faletta, Keith Fleury, Thomas Fossier, Ben Freund, David Jordan, Karl Klingenspor, Peggy Loudon, Matthew Meil, Noel Munn, Scott North, Bob Raymond, Elaine Shore, Shannon Sullivan, Margaret Whitcomb, David Zdrazil
Awesome!!! Wood-fired ware is magical. Thanks for putting this show together.
Good Photos and Explanation, Diversity of Japanese Design.
Here, a gallery in Paris, which has nice japanese art pieces:
Yakimono Japanese Ceramics