Montana’s Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts will celebrate 60 years of leadership in the international ceramics community in June 2011. A distinctive fusion of visiting artists will culminate in a three-day international symposium, 2011: From the Center to the Edge—60 Years of Creativity and Innovation at the Archie Bray Foundation, on June 23–25. The event is designed to highlight the state of the field of ceramic art today through discussion, demonstration, and artistic interaction.
The Bray will bring together a group of 12 leading ceramic artists, the Artists to the Edge, to work for the entire month of June 2011 in a collaborative and communal studio setting. According to Steven Young Lee, resident artist director of the Archie Bray Foundation:
“These artists have been chosen for their ability to look beyond tradition. They have forged new paths in their creative processes which have led to such innovations as the development of rapid prototyping in ceramics and the establishment of online communities in support of studio practice. While innovation takes many forms, the 60th anniversary visiting artists represent fresh and original thinking in areas of technology, culture, design, education, studio practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration.”
The 12 Artists to the Edge will join 17 ceramic leaders, Artist from the Center, to participate in the three-day anniversary gathering presenting their thoughts and perspectives through demonstrations, artist talks, and panel discussions.
The artists who are committed to the June residency are: John Balistreri, professor of art at Bowling Green State University, who is engaged in patent-pending research related to developing technology for printing ceramic objects using a 3D rapid prototyping process; Andy Brayman, a potter who established and directs the Matter Factory in Kansas City, a collaborative artist laboratory that facilitates projects with the aid of industrial processes; Caroline Cheng, the founder of The Pottery Workshop Experimental Studio in Jingdezhen, China, a ceramic studio that brings international artists into contact with Chinese craftsmen and students; Chad Curtis, a self-described “tinkerer” who builds customized machines using Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) technology to create components for his sculptural work; Ayumi Horie, a studio potter in the Hudson Valley of New York, who has developed a distinctive online community, utilizing social networks to support of her studio practice; KleinReid (James Klein and David Reid), New York- based designers who are leading innovators in porcelain design and marketing; Linda Sormin, a professor at Rhode Island School of Design, whose large scale installations create a collaborative and educational experience for individuals from various social strata; Bobby Silverman who consciously left academia to create his ceramic work in partnership with industrial and product designers in New York City; Steven Thurston, a former industrial modeler for General Motors, who uses Digital Imaging technology such as MRI and 3D optical scanning to capture information for use with both CNC and rapid prototyping; John Williams a Philadelphia-based artist who utilizes new technologies in his teaching practice as well as his environmentally themed work; and Jen Woodin, an artist, educator and former engineer who is expanding the vocabulary of the ceramic process by incorporating 2D and 3D imaging software to craft objects in a virtual space.
The 17 artists at the center of the Bray’s three-day anniversary celebration are Robert Brady, John Buck and Deborah Butterfield, Beth Cavener Stichter, Josh DeWeese, Julia Galloway, Sarah Jaeger, Jun Kaneko, Richard Notkin, Don Reitz, Sandy Simon, Chris Staley, Akio Takamori, Tip Toland, Jason Walker, Patti Warashina, and Kurt Weiser.
Along with the 60th anniversary celebration, the Bray will host three exhibitions opening June 23rd: “The Resident Artists and 2011 Artists to the Edge” showcasing current resident artists, and invited innovative artists; the “2011 Artists from the Center”; and “Early Innovators”, a selection from the Bray’s permanent collection.
Numerous other ceramic exhibitions throughout Helena and Montana will complement the 60th anniversary celebration. Venues include the Holter Museum of Art, Montana Historical Society, Turman Larison Contemporary, A.L. Swanson Gallery, Myrna Loy Art Center and Exploration Works in Helena; Yellowstone Art Museum, in Billings; Missoula Art Museum, Clay Studio of Missoula, and the Museum of Art and Culture, in Missoula; Emerson Museum of Art, Bozeman; Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge; and Paris Gibson Square, Great Falls.
The Archie Bray Foundation is a public, nonprofit, educational institution founded in 1951 by brickmaker Archie Bray, Sr. He intended it to be “a place to make available for all who are seriously and sincerely interested in any of the branches of the ceramic arts, a fine place to work.”
Since its beginnings the Archie Bray Foundation has provided an atmosphere of creative excellence for ceramic artists from around the world. The Bray’s rich history has been built by the many talented artists who have worked here, the freedom to create in a supported environment, and the support of the people involved. Artists come to the Bray to share ideas and challenge themselves, pushing their work to new heights. With a clear mission, the Bray continues to have a worldwide influence on the ceramic arts.
For further information about the event and a complete schedule of activities visit 60th.archiebray.org.
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