NCECA12

Friday Pictures

kmplows — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:21:03 -0400

Friday Pictures:

Enjoy!

Seattle Design Center

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:30:48 -0400

Seattle Design Center

ComicCon converging with NCECA… awesome.

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:29:57 -0400

ComicCon converging with NCECA… awesome.

Heh.

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:48:24 -0400

Heh.

"Skill as an end in itself is boring. Skill as a means to an end is essential."

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:17:41 -0400

“Skill as an end in itself is boring. Skill as a means to an end is essential.”

- Janet DuBoos, “Boredom, Skill, and the Creative Act”

"Is that little blue one still there?"

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:00:19 -0400

“Is that little blue one still there?”

- Overheard in line, five minutes before cup sale opens

Cup sale line, 6:45 AM (it opens at 8)…

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:55:13 -0400

Cup sale line, 6:45 AM (it opens at 8)…

Friday's Agenda...

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:26:11 -0400

TODAY’S AGENDA! More pages of notes and more on which to reflect. Looking more and more like that reflection time will be post-conference. We’re off at 6:30 AM to get in line for the cup sale!

8am–Sold Out

Rooms 615–617

Twentieth Annual Cup Sale

Coordinated by Richard Wehrs

Continue to build the NCECA Fund for Artistic Development, designed to provide opportunities for artistic growth through scholarships, residencies and programs, including the Regina Brown Undergraduate Fellowship, and at the same time build your collection. Purchases are limited to three cups.

9-9:30… Can’t decide!

Room 612

K–12: Transforming Classroom into Gallery: Teaching Interpretation Using Live Conceptual Artwork

By Hannah Traynham

Push the limits of conventional teaching methods with this lesson in collaborative interpretation of conceptual art. Come interact with a live installation sculpture used to expand boundaries in learning. Transform your classroom into a gallery setting, teach your students to interpret and create meaningful artwork.

9–10am

Ballroom 6B

Lecture: The Old Weird Claymerica

By Garth Johnson

The 1960s and‘70s were a time in which ceramic artists challenged orthodox ideas of beauty. Artists like Clayton Bailey and Rimas VisGirda used humor and performance to skewer traditions and

Program. This lecture is devoted to preserving the“weirdness” that is missing from 21st Century ceramics.

10-11:30 AM

K–12: Master/Mini Clay Class

By Doug Jeck

This session is modeled as a 45–minute class work assignment, from prompt start through clean

up. Participation is limited to 45 stations with materials provided. Drop–in observers are certainly welcome, but materials and time are finite. There is no late start for this. It’s a hands–on project that I’ve altered and implemented for graduate students, pre–schoolers, the homeless, the elderly, experts, and beginners, and is deceptively rudimentary. We will begin with a brief explanation of the project,“Kitchen Sink”, and some discussion about its parameters, applications, and modifications. We will end with a clean room and 45 artworks that evidence your radically varied approaches to the theme. My hope is that this class session will introduce different strategies for exploring clay and the infinite ideas and behaviors that orbit the stuff, as well as to produce an intriguing small exhibit.

11:30am–12pm

Ballroom 6A

Lecture: Boredom, Skill, and the Creative Act

By Janet DeBoos

We don’t think much about what boredom really is, other than that it should be avoided. But there are positive aspects to boredom – it can be cultivated as an antidote to a culture of“more”and “new”, and can be an essential partner to skill and deep creativity

12–1pm

Ballroom 6B

Awardees / Honorees

Honorary Member presentations to Ruth Braunstein and Don Reitz

NCECA Excellence in Teaching Award presentations to Chuck Hindes and Jack Troy

NCECA Outstanding Achievement Award presentation to Bill Strickland

NCECA Regional Award of Excellence presentation to Jean Griffith

1-2 PM

Room 612

K–12: Dangling From the Edge of Technical Knowledge into the Precipice of Creativity

By Anna Wiehe

Through qualitative research, art educator Anna Wiehe discovered that although teachers envision art class to foster creativity, emphasis on technical knowledge took so much precedence that creative development was only an afterthought. This interactive lecture will explore how we can balance programs to teach both art–making skills and foster innovative ideas.

2:30 - 3 PM

Room 612

K–12: The Relevancy of High School Ceramics: Change or Perish, We Are On the Edge

By Susan Hanley

Without fear you can integrate your ceramics program into the core curriculum and become a relevant part of the instructional plan of small learning community, multiple discipline education. Learn how to expand your lessons and become a major force. This is an exciting time for ceramics. Bring your questions.

3-4:30 PM

GO SHOPPING at the Exhibitor’s Hall, collect posters, etc. Run back to hotel and drop everything off!

5-6 PM

Ballroom 6A

Teaching Ceramics Online?!

Suzanne Shield–Polk

A watershed of trends and changes are occurring in college level instruction, often from pressure to develop innovative teaching methods. For years, I believed that it would not be possible to make the jump to electronic instruction for ceramics courses, however, I have found that hybrid online Ceramics classes are possible. This NCECA Connection will focus on the sharing of ideas for successful online ceramics instruction.

THEN…

Openings at the Seattle Design Center

Dinner at the Space Needle!

Photos from Thursday 3/29

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:58:32 -0400

Photos from Thursday 3/29:

Too tired, again, to write much, but boy, did I take a lot of notes today! Truly an outstanding and thought-provoking day at NCECA. What a gift it’s been to be able to attend. I hope to write more while I’m in line for the cup sale tomorrow. Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures.

Oh, Chris.

kmplows — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:18:45 -0400

Oh, Chris.

"If it looks too slick and too professional [for high school work], your expectations aren’t..."

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:09:57 -0400

“If it looks too slick and too professional [for high school work], your expectations aren’t high enough. You need to raise the bar.”

- Lee Burningham, Ceramics Teacher, Logan HS, UT

"Those students who have no passion for learning? It’s OUR FAULT they have no passion for..."

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:52:58 -0400

“Those students who have no passion for learning? It’s OUR FAULT they have no passion for learning. We have fallen in love with objective testing. But learning - real learning - is all tied to emotion. And that’s what art is - the purest expression of emotion. You, as art teachers, have a responsibility to drag those science and math teachers out of their classrrooms, and show them how to create real learning.”

- Erik Bates, Science Teacher, Logan High School, UT

"I have an attention span of two days maximum. I don’t think people really learn these things..."

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:30:28 -0400

“I have an attention span of two days maximum. I don’t think people really learn these things until they spend a lot of time in the studio.”

- Christa Assad

Ha.

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:29:22 -0400

Size matters. -Christa Assad

She’s a supermodel, y’know. -Jason Walker

(referencing Assad’s Carhartt modeling gig)

"Timing is the hardest thing to learn. How to fill the spaces between things…"

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:27:59 -0400

“Timing is the hardest thing to learn. How to fill the spaces between things…”

- Christa Assad

Watching Christa Assad and Jason Walker demo on the big screen!

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:34:19 -0400

Watching Christa Assad and Jason Walker demo on the big screen!

Thursday's Agenda

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:00:50 -0400

So much to do and see, and I can’t decide on a few sessions. I’m going to copy/paste from the program for today. The plan is to attend all of these sessions, and to post notes on what I’ve learned later on. I’m still a pen-and-sketchbook note taker, haven’t quite mastered the iPad for that yet. (Maybe if I ever get that ‘3’…)

By the way - if you want to ask a question or comment - there’s a ? link in the top right corner of the blog page.

Here we go!

9-9:30 AM session, I can’t decide between…

Lecture: Activism Through Ceramics

Rooms 602–604

By Roberto Lugo

The tangible value inherent in the ceramic object is a great opportunity for ceramic artists to support the community with their works. This program will discuss how artists can make community activism a part of their practice and the impact these efforts make.’

K–12: The Edges of Learning to Learn

Room 612

By Marvin Bartel

Learn multiple ways to coach engaged

learning without examples and fewer demos. Learn creativity theory, self–learning, empathic studio culture, intrinsic motivation using autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Learn methods of idea generation, experimentation, discovery learning, empathic critique, self–instruction, team learning, and coaching. Presented by the author of Ten Classroom Creativity Killers.

9:30 - 10:30 AM

Drop off cup at Cup Sale, watch Christa Assad and Jason Walker demo on the big screens. One of the features of the conference is the Demonstrating Artist room, where two artists at a time demonstrate their work on stage, with cameras projecting the images on theatre-sized screens behind them. Christa Assad is one of my favorite functional potters - I can’t wait to watch her process!

10:30 - 11:30 AM

K–12: Is Ceramics Art a Relevant Subject for Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools?

Room 612

By Magdelene Odundo

What can be done to redress and reverse the downward trend and slide to diminution in ceramic arts teaching for future generations? Can our involvement as ceramic artists and practitioners, make any impact on or shaping the future of ceramics art education in schools, ensure its existence and longevity within universities? Is ceramics relevant anymore? As artists should we be more vocal and pro–active in influencing education policy to favour main- taining a comprehensive and contemporary approach to a ceramic art curriculum in our classrooms? My talk will focus on examining how my own practice has influenced the way I work with students, discuss with K12 teachers the approaches to mentoring and establishing a role model teaching practice that can gener- ate interest especially in deprived inner city schools particularly in developing countries in Africa and elsewhere.

I’m also going to try to sneak out during this session and hear Nicholas Kripal’s artist talk next door. Kripal will be Ryan’s teacher next year!

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Lecture: Finding your Niche on the Edge of Ceramics

Rooms 602-604

By Lauren Miller

Miller will be addressing questions regarding the parameters around the definition of what a ceramic artist is, referencing contemporary ceramic artists, and visual artists using clay. As Contemporary Ceramics continues to evolve, are the roles of the maker and the author of work changing as well?

12:00 - 1:30 PM

K–12: Cross-Curricular Ceramics Instruction

By Jodi Bollinger and Erik Bates

Room 612

As educators with a broad range of scientific, artistic, and instructional backgrounds, we will discuss ways that ceramics teachers can collabo- rate with other teaching departments to create cross–curricular lessons. In addition to instructional approaches, we will also address the academic, professional, and community benefits of this multidisciplinary approach to education.

1:30 - Lunch Break?

2:30 - 3:30 PM

K–12: Students’ Perceptions of Success

Room 612

By Hillary Andrelchik and Rosary Schmidt

Have you ever wondered if you are making your students successful? This study used interviews and cued response to examine students’ perceptions about the role of ceramics class in their lives. The research supports art educators as we continue to evaluate the purpose of art education and advocate for art.

3:30 - 4:00

Lecture: Mixed Media - An Interdisciplinary Look at Ceramics

Rooms 602-604

By Jeffrey Sincich

How does mixed media play a role in ceramics? This 30–minute lecture will discuss what mixed media can offer to ceramicists, how the materiality of clay and mixed media can be harnessed to create meaning and how various university programs and artists are incorporating mixed media.

4:00 - 4:30 PM

K12: Developing Assessment Literacy in the Arts: Assessment for Learning Strategies in Practice

Room 612

By Peter Glasheen

Follow the work of a high school art department ON THE EDGE of harnessing the power of assessment for learning. Learn about the challenges of creating and using assessment well, the impact on student motivation and achievement, and how formative assessment strategies inform teachers and students about next steps in learning.

4:30 - 5:30

Living the Dream - A Skeleton Key to the Trials and Tribulations of Following Your Passion

Room 309

Mat Rude, Lorna Meaden, J.J. McCraken, Dean Adams

From graduate schools and grant writing to setting up a studio and residencies, panelists will discuss their personal journeys and strategies they employed that helped them become successful and achieve their goals.

TONIGHT… opening of the PUSH/PLAY exhibit at the Bellevue Arts Museum …

… then, to process it all and get ready for another day.

Here’s to getting our money’s worth out of conventions that keep us going!

Congratulations to Ryan Wheeler on his award of the Ernst Family...

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:31:45 -0400

Congratulations to Ryan Wheeler on his award of the Ernst Family Scholarship at the National K12 Ceramics Exhibition! He was also awarded a subscription to the magazine ‘Ceramics Art & Perception.’

The K12 team works really hard to solicit merit-based awards for students whose work is on display in the show from individuals and vendors. Mr. & Mrs. Ernst are actively involved with the show, volunteering on-site each year - they are lovely folks, and when I spoke with them last night, they were most impressed with Ryan’s scholarship application and his multiple years of participation in the K12 show.

Mr. Louis Katz - the juror of this year’s exhibit - said that he felt that if he could have put a show together of 900 of the submitted pieces, it would have been a great show - and that there just weren’t enough awards for the participants! After experiencing this exhibit for a few years know, I can honestly say that the work this year is of the highest quality I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to share the catalog, poster, and CD with the MP crew.

You can learn more about the K12 show here. Really proud that this was our fourth consecutive year of involvement at Malvern.

Eva Funderburgh

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:19:31 -0400

Eva Funderburgh:

Last night, I met up with an old friend for great sandwiches at a little hole-in-the-wall on Capitol Hill. Eva Funderburgh was a PGSA student during my first or second summer there, I can’t remember. She was a student of Jon’s, taught me something about fencing, and was already enroute at that time towards making work that was whimsical. Check out her page and her work - she’s really prolific, and has some great process videos posted.

Eva lives in Seattle now, was involved in organizing this conference, and has work in several NCECA gallery shows. She’s a gem, and one of thousands of reasons why PGSA needs to exist again…

Photos from Wednesday 3/28

kmplows — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:43:48 -0400

Photos from Wednesday 3/28:

Photos and blurbs from our jaunts on Wednesday. More to write, but exhausted - that time change does you in! Enjoy….