I don't mean to put you on the spot, but do you like us? I mean really really "like" us? The quotation marks might be a tip off to some of you that I'm referring to the "like" feature on Facebook. Did you know the ACGA has a Facebook fan page? Not many do, because the last time I checked, we only had 133 fans. For an organization with over 500 members, so few fans tells me we have some work to do on the fan page.
If you have a Facebook profile already, please look us up at facebook.com/ClayandGlass and hit that "like" button! Once you "like" us, you can post on the ACGA wall, and I invite you to do so. What's appropriate for the ACGA fan page? Basically, anything related to clay and glass, especially the activities of our members. Are you having an open studio or have you recently updated your website? Post it to the wall. Any clay or glass related links you find interesting including exhibit opportunities, technique articles, or artist profiles can easily be shared with others by posting it to the wall. If you have some new work you are excited about, upload the images to our wall and invite comments!
Do you have a facebook page? If you do, please "like" us right away, and then invite all of your friends to like us!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
letter from the president
Happy New Year to all of our members! A fresh years means some new people on our Board of Directors. We have three new Board Members to welcome, Forrest Lesch Middelton, Guangzhen "Po" Zhou, and Jean Cherie. I am always gratified to have new people on the Board, and I hope these three are as excited as I am to have them contributing to the running of our organization.
If you missed our annual ACGA retreat on February 9, there were many topics discussed concerning the future of our organization. As president, my primary interest in the ACGA is making it a viable, supportive organization for clay and glass artists practicing their craft, now and in the future. The ACGA can only do all that it does by ensuring a dependable flow of revenue that helps to support our activities. We have several revenue sources, the primary ones being membership dues and the sales from the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival. While the PACGF continues to be a successful show in many ways, as seen by the high-quality work shown and continued steady attendance by patrons and fans, the hard fact is we are steadily losing ground in revenue. This is due to rising costs and lower sales gross, a deadly combination. To mitigate some of the losses, the Board voted on a small booth fee hike of $25. I feel strongly that this increase is necessary to alleviate some of the financial pressures of putting on the Festival. We have not increased the booth fee in seven years, and many on the Board felt it was time. We all dislike raising booth fees for any reason, and I want our members to know that we are cutting costs where it is possible to avoid putting more debt burden on our members in the future.
While I am on the subject of the Palo Alto show, I want to mention our publicist, Sharon Poynor, is always looking for fresh angles and stories to help get word to the public about our incredible artists, and you can help her by sending her your stories and ideas for publicity. What new and interesting work will you be bringing? What's special and different about you and your work? Answering these questions and sending your thoughts to Sharon will help her craft the best publicity possible. Even if you are not showing at Palo Alto, any fresh concept or idea for publicity is welcomed by our publicist, so please email her at sharon@poynorpr.com Someone mentioned at the retreat that it is easy to be lazy when it comes to publicity and assume that the ACGA has a handle on it. While we do the best we possibly can to publicize the the Palo Alto show, it is up to all of us as individuals to help contribute to the overall success of the show by communicating with our audience.
Ideas? Comments? Post them here!
If you missed our annual ACGA retreat on February 9, there were many topics discussed concerning the future of our organization. As president, my primary interest in the ACGA is making it a viable, supportive organization for clay and glass artists practicing their craft, now and in the future. The ACGA can only do all that it does by ensuring a dependable flow of revenue that helps to support our activities. We have several revenue sources, the primary ones being membership dues and the sales from the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival. While the PACGF continues to be a successful show in many ways, as seen by the high-quality work shown and continued steady attendance by patrons and fans, the hard fact is we are steadily losing ground in revenue. This is due to rising costs and lower sales gross, a deadly combination. To mitigate some of the losses, the Board voted on a small booth fee hike of $25. I feel strongly that this increase is necessary to alleviate some of the financial pressures of putting on the Festival. We have not increased the booth fee in seven years, and many on the Board felt it was time. We all dislike raising booth fees for any reason, and I want our members to know that we are cutting costs where it is possible to avoid putting more debt burden on our members in the future.
While I am on the subject of the Palo Alto show, I want to mention our publicist, Sharon Poynor, is always looking for fresh angles and stories to help get word to the public about our incredible artists, and you can help her by sending her your stories and ideas for publicity. What new and interesting work will you be bringing? What's special and different about you and your work? Answering these questions and sending your thoughts to Sharon will help her craft the best publicity possible. Even if you are not showing at Palo Alto, any fresh concept or idea for publicity is welcomed by our publicist, so please email her at sharon@poynorpr.com Someone mentioned at the retreat that it is easy to be lazy when it comes to publicity and assume that the ACGA has a handle on it. While we do the best we possibly can to publicize the the Palo Alto show, it is up to all of us as individuals to help contribute to the overall success of the show by communicating with our audience.
Ideas? Comments? Post them here!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
ACGA Clay & Glass Exhibition Opening - January 22, 2011
A large crowd of residents, artists and friends attended the opening of the ACGA Clay and Glass National Exhibition at the City of Brea Art Gallery on January 22nd. The gallery director, Christina Hasenberg, as well as the Brea Community Services manager, Emily Keller, commented on how pleased they were with the quality of work on display and the reaction of gallery patrons to it. Many attendees were overheard to say “it’s great to see three dimensional art in the gallery” and “the quality of this work is amazing”.
JURY STATEMENT FOR ACGA
Submitted by Jo Lauria, January 2011
It was both a pleasure and an honor to serve as the juror for the ACGA’s Clay and Glass National Competition. As I was reviewing the work in this competition, I felt that one of my primary judicial duties was to uphold and reaffirm the ACGA’s stated mission: to promote “high standards of craftsmanship and design in clay and glass.” This was the starting point, the bench mark, against which all entries would be evaluated. However, there were several other important factors that contributed to the decision-making process. I’d like to walk you through the “trail of thinking” that resulted in the selection of 81 exceptional objects.
More than 150 artists entered this competition and submitted over 400 works for consideration. Demographically, these artists represent twenty-eight states of the union, with a higher concentration of artists living in California (understandably as the ACGA is California-based). Clay works dominated the submissions, accounting for more than 80% of the entries. This is reflected in the final selection; a walk through the galleries will reveal that there are more works on display made of clay.
Sifting through the 400+ works brought to the surface several prevalent ideas and approaches that artists working in both fields of clay and glass found to be fertile ground. Some of the more engaging concepts and topics included: explorations of ornament and its genesis in the patterns of nature; the sculptural potential of the vessel; the emotive potency of narrative sculptures, whether stylized, abstracted or representational; the unapologetic celebration of Beauty and her twin, the Seductress of virtuosic technique; and investigations of presentation strategies--ranging from works strung on wires, scattered across walls, and perched on pillows and plinths. Overall, it was a feast for the eyes to see all the variations on a theme. As expected, the judging process was challenging as there were more worthy pieces submitted than could be accommodated in the gallery space. Ultimately it was the inventive use and deft handling of materials and techniques, combined with an imaginative approach to subject matter, which brought any one piece into focus.
Submitted by Jo Lauria, January 2011
It was both a pleasure and an honor to serve as the juror for the ACGA’s Clay and Glass National Competition. As I was reviewing the work in this competition, I felt that one of my primary judicial duties was to uphold and reaffirm the ACGA’s stated mission: to promote “high standards of craftsmanship and design in clay and glass.” This was the starting point, the bench mark, against which all entries would be evaluated. However, there were several other important factors that contributed to the decision-making process. I’d like to walk you through the “trail of thinking” that resulted in the selection of 81 exceptional objects.
More than 150 artists entered this competition and submitted over 400 works for consideration. Demographically, these artists represent twenty-eight states of the union, with a higher concentration of artists living in California (understandably as the ACGA is California-based). Clay works dominated the submissions, accounting for more than 80% of the entries. This is reflected in the final selection; a walk through the galleries will reveal that there are more works on display made of clay.
Sifting through the 400+ works brought to the surface several prevalent ideas and approaches that artists working in both fields of clay and glass found to be fertile ground. Some of the more engaging concepts and topics included: explorations of ornament and its genesis in the patterns of nature; the sculptural potential of the vessel; the emotive potency of narrative sculptures, whether stylized, abstracted or representational; the unapologetic celebration of Beauty and her twin, the Seductress of virtuosic technique; and investigations of presentation strategies--ranging from works strung on wires, scattered across walls, and perched on pillows and plinths. Overall, it was a feast for the eyes to see all the variations on a theme. As expected, the judging process was challenging as there were more worthy pieces submitted than could be accommodated in the gallery space. Ultimately it was the inventive use and deft handling of materials and techniques, combined with an imaginative approach to subject matter, which brought any one piece into focus.
I hope the selection of objects on exhibit here in the City of Brea Art Gallery—displayed beautifully in this stunning, light-filled space—provokes interest and stimulates discussion about what is current in the discourse on Craft and Makers. I think the artworks selected for the exhibition point to a very promising future for the fields of clay and glass.
The exhibition will be on view through March 4th. City of Brea Art Gallery, One Civic Center Circle, Brea CA, 714-990-7730, Wed. thru Sun., noon to 5 pm, Adults 2.00Saturday, January 15, 2011
ACGA Clay & Glass Exhibition Opening
Please join ACGA for the opening reception of the ACGA Clay & Glass National Juried Exhibition
Saturday, January 22nd, from 7 to 9 pm.
For this co-sponsored exhibition, ACGA and the City of Brea Art Gallery solicited and juried 400 fine art clay and glass entries from across the United States, selecting the 80 best artworks for the show. The juror, Jo Lauria, is a nationally recognized curator, historian and author specializing in contemporary crafts and decorative arts.
The Brea Art Gallery is located at the corner of Randolph Ave. and Birch St. at the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, Plaza Level. For more information, call 714-990-7730 or send an email to breagallery@cityofbrea.net. Gallery Hours: Wednesday through Sunday: 12-5 p.m. Closed: Monday, Tuesday and Holidays Admission: Adults – $2, Children under 12 – FREE
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
ACGA Clay & Glass National
Kelly Berning, The Proportionist, CeramicThe ACGA Clay and Glass National will open at the City of Brea Art Gallery January 22, 2011, with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Congratulations to all of the artists whose artwork was accepted, and thank you to all who applied. Approximately 400 pieces were entered into the competition and 82 works were selected by the juror, Jo Lauria, to be displayed. The exhibition awards are:
First Place - Kelly Berning, Fallbrook, CA
Second Place - Bill Zarvis, Bethel Park, PA
Third Place - Julia Feld, San Jose, CA
Juror's Award - Gary Marsh, Novato, CAAll of the artists juried into the exhibition are:
Shannon Abac, Steve Allen, Sonia D. Barrios-Roman, Steve Belz, Kelly Berning, Trent Berning, David Bogus, Monica Chapon, A. Blair Clemo, Nan Coffin, Jim Connell, Annette Corcoran, Patrick S. Crabb, Jean Nunez Donegan, Luz Mack-Durini, Virginia Eckinger, Pamela Eisenmann, Gary Erickson, Julia Feld, Mark Goudy, Rowan Harrison, Bill Heiderich, Michael Hermann/Gina Lunn, David Hooker, John W. Hopkins, Stephen Horn, Christina Lynn Johnson, Tasha Kali, Shane M. Keena, Yumi Kiyose, Noriko Kuresumi, Heldegard Linggawidjaja, Mary Alison Lucas, Gary Marsh, Lynne Meade, Peter Meyer, Kate E. Nelson, Kevin Bradford Nierman, Beth Ozarow, Kathy Pallie, Peter Pincus, Tom Post, Barbara Prodaniuk, Charlene Doiron Reinhart, Michelle Rial, Liza Riddle, Gail Ritchie, Audrey Rosulek, Bethany Rusen, Jonnie Russell, Adrian Sandstrom, Carla Sarvis, Yoko Sekino-Bove, Jose Sierra, Amanda Small, Linda Smith, Aimee Sones, Penelope Comfort Starr, Kala Stein, Staria Stine, Wangling C. Stokes, Cheryl Tall, Charles Timm-Ballard, Kent Tool, Adam Waimon, James Wayne, Ian Winsemius, Cheryl Wolff, Fred Yokel, Bill Zarvis
The City of Brea Art Gallery is located at One Civic Center Circle, Brea, California 92821. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., $2 admission, exhibition closes March 4. Visit http://www.breagallery.com/
Bill Zarvis, Emerging Green, Glass
Julia Feld, The Bridge, CeramicWednesday, December 1, 2010
Letter from the President: The ACGA Jury
Before I became president of the ACGA, I was on the Board of Directors for many years. One of the many persistent, ongoing issues that are brought up from our members and from the Board itself is the jury system. Everybody knows jurying into the ACGA as an exhibiting member is a tough process. Prospective exhibiting members have to haul their work to San Francisco, hang out for a few hours while the jury considers their work, and then drive home late in the evening. It's trying, and nerve-wracking. Most people in any group of candidates do not get in. Many exhibiting ACGA members have had to jury two or three times to get in.
The jury's judgment about work is subjective, but it is not capricious. I've been on the jury several times over the years and I've always been impressed by the seriousness of purpose the jury members bring to the process. The ACGA's mission statement is to establish and maintain high standards of craftsmanship and design in clay and glass, and as the jury considers each person's work, that standard is held first and foremost in each juror's mind. Matters of personal taste are put aside as the work is evaluated. Long discussions ensue when the jury is split. Work is held and examined from different angles. Jurors step back and examine the body as a whole. And then, when everybody has had time to formulate and opinion about the work, there is a vote, and the majority rules.
Even with this careful process, there is no doubt that it is imperfect. Most members of the jury do not feel happy to turn away so many. I know as a former juror that I walk away from the process feeling a bit deflated that it is not perfect, worried that the people who get turned down will not be willing to try again. I think it is always worth a second or third shot, even more if it is important to you. But I hear from people, and I know that there are people out there who are not willing to go through the process again. I often wonder of there is a more perfect way to jury work, of making sure that people do not fall through the cracks.
I like to hear about people's experiences with the jury, whether good or bad. Members, both associate and exhibiting, should know that the jury process has been refined over the years and changes made in response to feedback. There are certain things that cannot change, we cannot lower the standard. But there are always tweaks that can be made, ways to make the jury process more perfect. What are your ideas?
Whitney
The jury's judgment about work is subjective, but it is not capricious. I've been on the jury several times over the years and I've always been impressed by the seriousness of purpose the jury members bring to the process. The ACGA's mission statement is to establish and maintain high standards of craftsmanship and design in clay and glass, and as the jury considers each person's work, that standard is held first and foremost in each juror's mind. Matters of personal taste are put aside as the work is evaluated. Long discussions ensue when the jury is split. Work is held and examined from different angles. Jurors step back and examine the body as a whole. And then, when everybody has had time to formulate and opinion about the work, there is a vote, and the majority rules.
Even with this careful process, there is no doubt that it is imperfect. Most members of the jury do not feel happy to turn away so many. I know as a former juror that I walk away from the process feeling a bit deflated that it is not perfect, worried that the people who get turned down will not be willing to try again. I think it is always worth a second or third shot, even more if it is important to you. But I hear from people, and I know that there are people out there who are not willing to go through the process again. I often wonder of there is a more perfect way to jury work, of making sure that people do not fall through the cracks.
I like to hear about people's experiences with the jury, whether good or bad. Members, both associate and exhibiting, should know that the jury process has been refined over the years and changes made in response to feedback. There are certain things that cannot change, we cannot lower the standard. But there are always tweaks that can be made, ways to make the jury process more perfect. What are your ideas?
Whitney
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Letter from the President: Here we come Rinconada!
I'm assuming everybody knows we are not holding the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival at the Art Center next year. If you didn't know that, well: we are not holding the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival at the Art Center next year! The Art Center will be undergoing some long-planned renovations and will be closed at the time of our show in 2011. We will be holding the 2011 Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival at Rinconada Park, conveniently located right across the street from Palo Alto. If you take a peek at Rinconada on a satellite map, the show will held in and around the tree covered area West of the Fire Station, and in the big tear-drop shaped grass area a bit north.
I am really excited about having our show at Rinconada Park. I walked the grounds last week with our promoter, Mary Lou Atkins, and other members of the PACG sub-committee, planning where and how booths would be arranged. I am happy to report that any fears I had about the park not being big enough or an otherwise inappropriate venue have been laid to rest. Mary Lou easily placed all of the booths, so there is no issue with some artists getting shut out due to space. We will not have an indoor area, but we will be renting a large tent and placing it on the cement splash pad that is tucked away in some trees just South and West of the Rinconada Pool for our artists who are usually in the Studio area. Being under a tent is not exactly the same as being indoors, so for those artists usually inside, please think about the potential problems you may have ahead of time and let us know what we can do to help create a solution.
The biggest problem with changing venues is educating our customers about the location of the new show so we don't lose potential sales. We are working closely with the staff at the Art Center on this issue and they will be helping us with volunteers to direct patrons, and of course we will have plainly visible signage to help people along across the street. Fortunately Rinconada is easily seen from the Art Center and a quick hop across Newell Road, so I think the confusion will be minimal.
The application for 2011 will be coming out soon. Please take the extra time you will need to thoroughly read the application and understand the adjustments everybody will have to make to participate in the show and make it go smoothly for all concerned.
Questions? Ideas? Concerns? Please write to me via email or post a comment under this article on our blog.
I am really excited about having our show at Rinconada Park. I walked the grounds last week with our promoter, Mary Lou Atkins, and other members of the PACG sub-committee, planning where and how booths would be arranged. I am happy to report that any fears I had about the park not being big enough or an otherwise inappropriate venue have been laid to rest. Mary Lou easily placed all of the booths, so there is no issue with some artists getting shut out due to space. We will not have an indoor area, but we will be renting a large tent and placing it on the cement splash pad that is tucked away in some trees just South and West of the Rinconada Pool for our artists who are usually in the Studio area. Being under a tent is not exactly the same as being indoors, so for those artists usually inside, please think about the potential problems you may have ahead of time and let us know what we can do to help create a solution.
The biggest problem with changing venues is educating our customers about the location of the new show so we don't lose potential sales. We are working closely with the staff at the Art Center on this issue and they will be helping us with volunteers to direct patrons, and of course we will have plainly visible signage to help people along across the street. Fortunately Rinconada is easily seen from the Art Center and a quick hop across Newell Road, so I think the confusion will be minimal.
The application for 2011 will be coming out soon. Please take the extra time you will need to thoroughly read the application and understand the adjustments everybody will have to make to participate in the show and make it go smoothly for all concerned.
Questions? Ideas? Concerns? Please write to me via email or post a comment under this article on our blog.
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