 |
|---|
- Exhibition Programs
- Current Exhibitions
- Upcoming Exhibitions
- Past Exhibitions
- Exhibition Opportunities
- American Pottery Festival
American Pottery Festival
2012 American Pottery Festival
September 7 – 9, 2012
Stay tuned for more information about artists, workshops, lectures, and collectors' tours. Information about our 2011 American Pottery Festival is listed below.2011 American Pottery Festival
September 9 – 11, 2011
For the past 12 years, Northern Clay Center has produced the American Pottery Festival, an invitational exhibition and sale of pots from some of America’s top functional ceramic artists. Whether a student of ceramics or a teacher, a serious collector or a serious potter, an admirer of the arts or merely art-curious, or all of these; whether young, old, or somewhere in between, and no matter what level of experience with clay, the Pottery Festival offered a fun, fascinating, and enriching experience for all.
Northern Clay Center was delighted to bring you 2011’s American Pottery Festival on September 9, 10, and 11. The weekend started with the Friday Opening Night Benefit Sale and Party, from 5 to 9 pm, with tables festooned with food and flowers, a cash bar, and heaps of pots seen, touched, admired, and purchased. The Warren MacKenzie Pot Sale took place that evening at 7 pm; all who arrived before 6 pm were entered into a two-tiered drawing for a possible place in line to buy a MacKenzie pot. In addition, several MacKenzie pots were available through silent auction. Tickets to Friday’s Benefit Sale and Party were $25; all proceeds of the weekend go to support NCC exhibition, education, and artist service programs.
The Benefit Sale continued Saturday, September 10 from 9:30 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, September 11 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Entry to the sale each day was $5. The Warren MacKenzie Pot Sale began both Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10 am. All who arrived to the Benefit Sale before 10 am were eligible to draw for a place in line to buy a MacKenzie pot; several MacKenzie pots were also available for purchase each day through silent auction.Saturday’s activities also included slide talks, workshops on both form and surface by six visiting APF artists, and a panel discussion that navigated the benefits and challenges of various sales outlets: Etsy, artists’ websites, and galleries.
Sunday offered a morning lecture about how to source local clay materials, as well as the annual Sunday Special Closing Lecture and demonstration by Linda Arbuckle.
In addition to a $5 donation at the door for each day’s sale, separate fees applied to workshops and demonstrations (for details and ticket prices on artist demonstrations & panel discussions, please see the APF Schedule Fees below).
Demonstrations
We were thrilled to have so many artists new to Northern Clay Center and the region in 2011. Two panel-style demonstrations, scheduled for Saturday, gave you a chance to see the artists at work. The first panel showcased three artists whose work demonstrates exceptional and interesting treatment to the SURFACE of their pottery. The second panel brought together three artists with exceptional FORM. Participating artists took turns introducing themselves and their work, explain the history of the evolution of their surfaces and forms, while simultaneously demonstrating their practice. Ample time for questions from the audience, as well as conversation and questioning among the artists, made for lively and engaging demonstrations.
Panel Conversation
Saturday at 1 pm, a panel of artists spoke about the benefits and challenges of “Promoting Pots.” We heard from people who currently navigate the myriad sales outlets available online, in their local community, and in galleries with and without a brick and mortar shop. 
Slide Talks
Shoppers and clay artists were invited to watch slide talks by some American Pottery Festival artists attending the festival. Located in the library on Saturday (11 am and 2, 3, and 4 pm) and on Sunday (10:30 and 11:30 am), each talk will ran for 20-30 minutes. A schedule for 2012 will be posted at the 2012 American Pottery Festival and online. Lecture and Slide Talk
David Peters drew from his recently published Ceramics Monthly article about using local materials. His Sunday morning slide talk highlighted his process for finding, harvesting, and processing his own clay. He also provided samples of natural clays, answer questions, and troubleshoot some common concerns associated with using local clays. For those of us with bad backs, or limited time, he revealed some tricks and tips for introducing local materials into our studio practice.Sunday Special Lecture
On Sunday afternoon, 12 - 2 pm, we were pleased to have artist and educator Linda Arbuckle speak on Pottery: Foreground and Background for Makers and Users. She talked about what pottery means for artists and patrons in our contemporary cultural context. As she spoke about how some of these issues influence her own practice, she also demonstrated her majolica techniques. A copy of the demonstration will be available shortly in NCC's library.Individual Critiques: Individual artists met with an APF artist to talk one-on-one about work, get feedback, and have the chance to ask questions about the artist’s experiences. APF artists available for individual critiques were posted online. Call 612-339-8007 x 300 or e-mail salesgallery@northernclaycenter.org to register ($20 fee for a 20-minute critique, included a pass to the Saturday or Sunday APF benefit sale).
2011 participating Festival artists included:
Linda Arbuckle, Ingrid Bathe, Jeff Campana, David Crane, Maria Dondero, Julia Galloway, Andrew Gilliatt, Silvie Granatelli, Molly Hatch, Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, Peter Jadoonath, Brian Jones, Michael Kline, Simon Levin, Brenda Lichman, Warren MacKenzie,* Frank Martin, Ron Meyers, Doug Peltzman, David Peters, Joseph Pintz, Kari Smith, and Betsy Williams.
* Warren MacKenzie Note: Pots by Warren MacKenzie were available each day of the Festival. Individual places in line for purchase of a MacKenzie pot were determined through a two-tiered drawing at the beginning of each day of the Festival. In addition, several pots were sold each day by silent auction.
Schedule and Fees
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
|
|||
| $25 Donation | |||
| 5 – 9 pm | APF Opening Night Benefit Sale and Party Appetizers and cash bar, first opportunity to see and buy Festival pottery |
||
| 7 pm | Warren MacKenzie Pot Sale | ||
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 |
|||
| $5 Donation | |||
| 9:30 am – 5 pm | Benefit Sale | ||
| 10 am | Warren MacKenzie Pot Sale | ||
| 10:30 am |
Slide Talk – Simon Levin |
||
| 11 am | Slide Talk – David Crane |
||
| 2 pm |
Slide Talk – Maria Dondero | ||
| 3 pm | Slide Talk – Betsy Williams |
||
| 4 pm |
Slide Talk – Brian Jones | ||
| $50 Fee ($45 for NCC members) Includes admission to all of the above Saturday events PLUS: |
|||
| 10:30 am – 12 pm | SURFACE Demonstration with Kari Smith, Andrew Gilliatt, and Molly Hatch | ||
| 1 pm | Promoting Pots: A panel of artists and marketing experts discuss the advantages and challenges associated with today’s marketplace. | ||
| 2:30 – 4 pm | FORM Demonstration with Joseph Pintz, Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, and Ingrid Bathe | ||
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 |
|||
| $5 Donation | |||
| 9:30 am – 2:30 pm | Benefit Sale |
||
| 10 am | Warren MacKenzie Pot Sale | ||
| 10:30 am |
Slide Talk – Jeff Campana |
||
| 11:30 am | Slide Talk – Peter Jadoonath | ||
| $25 Donation ($20 for NCC members) Includes admission to all of the above Sunday events PLUS: |
|||
| 10:30 – 11:30 am |
Lecture: Sourcing Local Materials with David Peters | ||
| 12 – 2 pm |
Closing Lecture and Demonstration by Linda Arbuckle, Pottery: Foreground and Background for Users and Makers |
||
| Advance pass purchase is advised, as space is limited. MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and personal checks are accepted. | |||
Collectors' Weekend
Full Schedule of Events
The 2011 American Pottery Festival Collectors’ Weekend package is designed to delight and educate ceramic enthusiasts of all backgrounds—beginning buyers, teachers, long-time collectors, and enthusiasts. Being part of the Collectors’ tour is a great way to be included in activities scheduled at the Clay Center, as well as part of an intimate group that goes off-site for pre-arranged viewings of collections and artist studios. The Collectors’ Weekend started Thursday evening with a private party for collectors and visiting APF artists at the home of NCC’s director Emily Galusha and Don McNeil, who collect ceramics and works on paper. Friday morning, the tour went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a curator-led tour of their contemporary ceramics collection. This museum is also rich with ancient pottery from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, so we provided time to wander as well. After lunch (provided with the tour), collectors visited the General Mills corporate collection, which includes some 1,400 objects, including several site-specific commissions. One of these is a large ceramic installation commissioned for the entrance to the employee cafeteria. General Mills’ long-time curator, who led the tour, will discuss the process of commissioning artists to do site-specific and other work. The tour that day concluded with the Friday night Preview Party and Sale—a great evening of food, wine, music, pottery enthusiasts, and the first opportunity to buy Festival pottery.
On Saturday morning, we took participating collectors out of the cities to visit two studio artists; we saw their work, as well as their great collections of functional wares. Saturday afternoon, the tour returned to the center for a talk by Lyndel King, director of the Weisman Museum. An interactive session asked collectors to consider what pots they would buy and why. Saturday evening, collectors were treated to a fun and relaxing BBQ at NCC with APF artists, volunteers, board members, and staff.
The weekend wraped up on Sunday with the Sunday Special—a closing demonstration and lecture by renowned majolica artist and educator Linda Arbuckle.
In an effort to continue to make this tour as affordable and accessible as possible, we are kept our price at $300 per person. This does not include airfare to/from Minneapolis or transportation between hotels* and airport, but it does include any entrance fees, and transportation to and from the events listed above. Registration the 2012 American Pottery Festival Collectors' Tour will be available online. This has been a wonderful experience for participants in the past, and we were thrilled to be able to offer the tour again this year!
*NCC had arranged for rooms at a special discounted price at the Renaissance Depot Hotel, which is not far from the Clay Center and near the Mississippi River, good restaurants, and the newly redeveloped river district. Reservations can be made by guests calling (612) 375-1700 or (866) 211-4611 and making reservations under the Northern Clay Center room block (ask for Kory Kingsbury).
Advance pass purchase is advised, as space is limited. Reservations will be taken beginning July 5, 2011. MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and personal checks are accepted. Call 612.339.8007 x 300 or e-mail salesgallery@northernclaycenter.org.
Please note: There are no member discounts for any pottery purchased during the Festival.