Alberta Potters Association "Wide Open"

Images, top to bottom:
Andrea Revoy. Lickin' Pickin' Chickin'. n.d. Hand-built, Earthenware, Cone 04 oxidation fired.

Deborah Williams. Dialogue in Black and White. 2011. Porcelain, naked raku. 15 x 15 x 5 cm.

Ed Bamiling. Rockfall. 2011. Stoneware, glaze, metalic oxides. Oxidation, raku fired, 21 x 14 x 7.5 cm.

As part of our BC-in-A-Box exhibition, we are collaborating with the Alberta Potters Association’s (APA) on a travelling inter-provincial exchange. The APA show, Alberta In A Box: Wide Open will be on view in the Arts and Craft Gallery of the Comox Valley Art Gallery in Courtenay BC, October 1 to November 5. It will then travel to Vancouver, where it will be on display at the Gallery of BC Ceramics November 12 to December 1. We are hoping our members in both locations will have the opportunity to see this excellent exhibition.

Wide Open contains fifty-one works by thirty-nine Alberta ceramic artists. Each work fits within a 6” cubed box, making the works essentially miniatures. As the organizers Louise Cormier and Elaine Harrison suggest, quoting French philosopher Gaston Bachelard, “. . . the minuscule, a narrow gate, opens up an entire world.” They continue, “These works evoke many ‘worlds’ such as diverse approaches, concepts and techniques” as befits the title. The diversity in particular caught the attention of Aaron Nelson, the exhibition juror, who winnowed the initial field of sixty-seven works down to fifty-one. Nelson looked for work that “references historical and contemporary precedents . . . [that moved] beyond initial inspirations and embraced exploration in a unique and personal way.”

Both the PGBC and the APA are volunteer organizations that aspire to encourage the education, development and promotion of ceramic arts. Founded in 1969, the APA has supported biannual exhibitions for its members, which travel around the province. These exhibitions promote appreciation and understanding of the ceramic arts to the public, and they offer opportunities for members to profile themselves and Alberta ceramics on a national and international level.

Former Vancouverite Aaron Nelson, who is now the Artistic Director of the Medalta International Artists in Residence (MIAIR) in Medicine Hat, Alberta, writes, “I have selected pieces for this exhibition that I felt resonated with the incredible diversity of this province. It is apparent in the work selected that many artists have not only a deep connection with the material, but also to the rich culture, heritage and landscape of this region.” What more reason could one have for making sure he or she sees this exhibition?

For more on the Alberta Potters Association, please see their website at www.albertapottersassociation.com.

On our way!

Hello! We are on our way! The work has all been carefully packed into the BC-in-a-Box boxes (which were made by Keith Rice-Jones--thanks!!!) and then placed into larger double-walled heavy cardboard boxes. Today Greyhound will collect them and start them on their journey.

The first stop is at Red Deer College, in Red Deer, Alberta, where they will be shown in the new Visual Arts building. The curator there is Robin Lambert, who studied ceramics at ACAD and the University of Regina. This exhibition will run from September 1 to September 30, so if you have friends or relatives in the Red Deer area, be sure to let them know about it. We hope to post images of the exhibition in situ when they are available.

Hello! Welcome to the blog in support of the Potters Guild of British Columbia's travelling exhibition BC-in-a-Box 3: The Edge of Here. This blog will give background on the exhibition, the participants and the venues to which the exhibition will travel. As work is exhibited, we will post images of the show in situ. We hope you will be able to see the show, and that you will want to comment, but, if not, we also have the on-line version of the exhibition you can view.
The first exhibition will take place at Red Deer College in the Visual Art Department from September 1 to September 30. The show will then travel to the Medicine Hat Cultural Centre, where it will be on view from October 5 to October 26.

The image above is by Joan Barnet, wedge of edges. It was selected for special recognition by the two artists we invited to view and comment on our exhibition, Sally Michener and Mary Daniel. Here's what they said:

"Joan Barnet's wedge of edges combines technical confidence, elegance and tactile qualities that make you want to touch it. It demonstrates what can be done with clay and the spontaneous results of raku firing. Offering contrast, depth and thoughtful working of the clay; it is open to possibilities and shows the essence of clay. And it addresses the theme of 'the edge'! "

For these reasons, Joan Barnet's work has been selected to represent our exhibition as the publicity image, and it has been designated with the Special Merit Award. Congratulations Joan!

For more information about the Potters Guild of British Columbia and the Gallery of BC Ceramics, please see our website at http://www.bcpotters.com/.