Couple turns art of pottery on its head

Couple turns art of pottery on its head Lancaster County natives getting noticed by collectors Marvin and Lynn Bailey are potters who believe that traditional-style pottery can sometimes be a crock.

They prefer impish ogres with devil horns and wide-eyed farmers in overalls riding gators to adorn their unique art form of face jugs and free-form sculpture.

The two Lancaster County natives are capable of making most any kind of pot at their home-fired kiln -- he specializes in jugs, vases and bowls and she "does the critters," small ceramic possums and birds. But it's the face jugs with their phantasmagoric expressions that are gathering attention from serious collectors across the Southeast.

"Marvin is an up-and-coming, self-taught potter who is attracting collectors wherever he shows his works," said Philip Wingard, a Clover collector who has specialized in Southern pottery for more than 27 years.

Peeler Pottery Event at Putnam County Museum Saturday

June 22, 2007, Greencastle, Ind. - "The Putnam County Museum invites people who have collected Peeler pottery over the years to bring in examples to share with the community," notes the Terre Haute Tribune-Star in previewing a Saturday event. A 1949 graduate of DePauw, Richard E. Peeler was a member of the University's faculty for fourteen years and the Art Center is named in his honor. Tomorrow, from 1 to 3 p.m., "collectors can bring in Peeler pots, bowls, plates, sculptures, birdhouses, and more to be photographed. The museum also will accept photographs of collections ... These photographs will be displayed as part of the 'Richard & Marj Peeler: A Retrospective' exhibit through Sept. 29."

“This might be the first step in producing a photographic collection of Peeler works,” Warren Macy, museum vice president and organizer of the event, tells the newspaper.

Art in the park

YOUNG skaters and artists turned out in force at South Molton skate park to get creative on Saturday. The "Paint da Park Graffiti Jam" gave almost 50 young people the chance to work with professional artists to transform the facility at Central Park with bright, vibrant and visually stunning artwork.Organised by Devon Youth Service, Safer North Devon, MA2K and local skate shop Beats Workin', the all-day event featured a series of spray painting workshops where youngsters could practice their skills on boards donated by timer merchant Jewsons, before transferring them to the ramps and surrounding buildings under the guidance of professionals."The primary aim of the event was to cover up the offensive and unpleasant graffiti that had developed on the park and surrounding public buildings during recent months," police architectural liaison officer John Knowles, told the Gazette."Getting young people involved with professional graffiti artists that they look up to will hopefully encourage them to have some pride in their own environment and take responsibility for it."The street art is quite startling and visually pleasing," he added."It is in quite an isolated area used by young people so hopefully they will look after and respect it.

Pottery artist Clarence Cruz puts an emphasis on regeneration

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The materials of pottery are ancient, of the earth itself, and they were the subject of an ''Emergence'' exhibit in April at the University of New Mexico. Almost as ancient are comparisons of the potter's shaping art to character building and soul craft.

Clarence Cruz, who received his Master of Fine Arts in studio arts with a minor in museum studies from UNM in May following the April MFA exhibit, is committed to all the facets of his art. His ''Emergence'' installation emphasized the materials of traditional Tewa pottery, which he believes form a bond between land and people; pottery is a partial but highly important expression of that bond.

''The medium of clay allows me to express a sense of connection to the earth,'' he said, in a personal statement accompanying the ''Emergence'' exhibit.

A nice selection of quality pottery, toys, jewelry and

COLLECTIBLES AND POTTERY: Many pieces of Roseville including Early pitchers; Jonquil; Bushberry; Bittersweet; Imperial I; Donatello; Rozane 1917; Silhouette; Dahlrose; Blackberry; Foxglove; Apple Blossom; Artwood; Florentine; Wisteria; Mostique; Futura; Carnelian I and II; Sunflower; Bleeding Heart and others; Weller including Ardsley; Velva; Woodcraft; Luxor; Klyro; Baldin; Pumila; Roma and others. Hull including Woodland; Magnolia, Little Red Riding Hood Cookie Jar; Blossom Flite; Wildflower. McCoy Arcature vase; Cookie House cookie jar and more. Also, Burley Winter; Rookwood; Fulper; Redwing; Hall Cardinal beer and pretzel set; Stangl birds; Slag glass and GWTW lamps; art glass and slag glass lamp shades; clocks; head vases; depression, stretch and carnival glass; crystal perfume bottles; vintage purses; Holly Hobby; Precious Moments; postcards;140 Charles Hubbell prints c:1949-1961 and more.

LA's Getty Museum gets new antiquities curator

The J. Paul Getty Museum, under fire by countries that contend some of its priceless ancient art collection was stolen, announced Wednesday the appointment of a new curator of antiquities.

Karol Wight, an expert in ancient Roman glass, will be in charge of a staff of eight and about 2,500 sculptures, pottery, jewelry and other ancient artworks along with tens of thousands of pottery shards and other research objects.

Most of the artwork is housed at the Getty Villa at Malibu.

Wight's appointment fills the last of several key vacancies in the museum. Earlier this year, former Art Institute of Chicago president James N. Wood took over as chief of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which operates the museum.

"Her passion for the job and long experience in the field of antiquities, combined with a deep understanding of the Getty's collection, make her the ideal choice for this important position," museum director Michael Brand said in a statement.

When potters took lessons in 'modern pottery' in Tripura

By Pinaki Das, Nandannagar Paulpara Village (Tripura), June 18: Pottery, the age-old art of making articles using clay, has been a family tradition for hundreds of families in Tripura's Nandanagar Paulpara Village. Today, it's facing extinction for lacking 'modernity'. The poor and uneducated have given up before factory manufactured items. A group of Tripura Art College alumni recently came forward for helping these potter families still carrying on the legacy in Paulpara Village. A 10-day workshop was conducted to train these potters on creating decorative items with altercations to the age-old methods. It aimed to bring prepare traditionally designed items like pots, glasses, pitchers and other domestic products as per market demand. Shiba Prashad Mara, a freelance sculptor said, 'The main aim of the workshop is not only to make the products saleable in the market but also value addition, as with the alteration and decoration of the traditional items the prices of the potteries shall increase by several folds'.The workshop was a major draw among potters who thronged the venue to get tips and learn new tricks of the trade.

Putnam County Museum asks public to share examples of pottery

The Putnam County Museum invites people who have collected Peeler pottery over the years to bring in examples to share with the community. From 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, collectors can bring in Peeler pots, bowls, plates, sculptures, birdhouses, and more to be photographed. The museum also will accept photographs of collections. Scott Cooper, a local potter who has worked with Marj Peeler in the past, will photograph pottery brought to the museum. These photographs will be displayed as part of the "Richard & Marj Peeler: A Retrospective" exhibit through Sept. 29. "This might be the first step in producing a photographic collection of Peeler works," said Warren Macy, museum vice president and organizer of the event. "Scott Cooper has been generous with his time and will also have some of his work available during the party." Macy has a large Peeler collection himself.

He's Catawba pottery's caretaker

Catawba pottery is the glue that held the tribe together during wars, smallpox epidemics and poverty, while dozens of other Carolina tribes vanished.

Well, the one person who has done more to promote Catawba pottery is the foremost expert on the subject and has the world's largest Catawba pottery collection is not a Catawba.

He's a wannabe Catawba, Thomas Blumer.

When I first started writing about the Catawbas in the early 1980s, I soon ran across his name in dozens of articles in obscure historical or art magazines.

Blumer, who at the time was a senior editor at the Library of Congress, was the first one to say that the Catawba pottery tradition has existed in an unbroken line of succession from pre-Columbian times to the present and may be the oldest continuous-use art form in the continental United States.

Art Center receives pottery donation

ZANESVILLE - The Zanesville Art Center has received a gift of Roseville Pottery, Weller and Peters and Reed pottery from a New England collector.

The center received the donation, which consists of pottery created in Zanesville between about 1902 and 1953, earlier this week. The gift consists of 620 examples of Roseville Pottery, 93 examples of S. A. Weller, and one piece of Peters and Reed.

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Pyramid Students Learn the Art of Pottery

Candle holders, plates and pottery bead necklaces are just a few of the items students from the Pyramid School of Fine Arts have learned to make in a pottery class taught by renowned potter Marty North at the Belmont Arts and Cultural Center in Pensacola. Ten students are currently enrolled in the six-week program and have been working alongside North, who is a fourth generation potter and instructor at the center. Once the current group of students completes the course, a new group of Pyramid students will have the chance to take the course in the fall as part of an ongoing educational opportunity for the students. The opportunity to receive additional arts training at the Belmont Arts and Cultural Center is a valuable way for our students to be exposed to other art forms, said Herb Woll, systems manager for Pyramid, The students take great pride in their artwork.

LIFESTYLE IN BRIEF 25/06

Hanoi's People's Committee's Chairman Nguyen Quoc Trieu has recently approved journalist Nguyen Thu Thuy's pottery road project in which the Red River bank will be adorned with colorful pieces of ceramics.

The greatest concern was removed when Hanoi's Deputy Director of Traffic and Civil Engineering Tran Danh Loi affirmed this pottery work wouldn't affect traffic safety. The project will be carried out by Hanoi Art Company and supervised by the city's Department of Culture and Information.

The city will spend an initial amount of VND200million on the first section of the pottery road starting from An Duong three-way crossroads where Thanh Nien, Nghi Tam and Yen Phu roads intersect.

Pottery works on this first section will reflect the history of Vietnamese pottery patterns and designs from the Phung Nguyen- Dong Son Culture period throughout the Ly, Tran, Le and Nguyen dynasties.

Artfest Midwest set at fairgrounds

ArtFest Midwest, "The Other Art Show," will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Artwork will include pottery, jewelry, stained glass and more. Also, a silent auction to benefit Orchard Place is planned.

Admission is free. For details, call 278-6200 or visit www.artfestmidwest.com.

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From the editor: Inviting robust conversation, but spelling out a few rules



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Art in the Woods moves to Berkley High campus

If youve been caught in road construction traffic in the 11 Mile Road and Coolidge area, youll know why the 15th annual Art in the Woods Fine Art & Craft Fair will be held in a new location this year.

Sponsored by the Huntington Woods Library and the Woods Gallery, the fair will take place on the grounds of Berkley High School from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 23, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 24.

Theres a nice courtyard area in front of the high school, and there is ample free parking, said Art in the Woods coordinator Kathy Jacobi. We are able to hold the event there, thanks to the Berkley Board of Education. They have been very accommodating.

A ceramics artist for 20 years, Alice Ham of Berkley will show a variety of contemporary, functional pottery at the fair from plates, trays and bowls to mugs and vases.

Pottery fest booms

The sixth annual Piedmont Pottery Festival drew potters and collectors from around the state Saturday. Potters sold everything from pitchers and mugs to egg separators and oil lamps, all made in their workshops. Rockingham County residents bought pieces by the boxful. Attendees traveled from as far away as Concord and Asheville to buy the hundreds of handmade pieces.

Festival organizer Mike Doughtery said he was very pleased with the success of this year's festival.

"I really think it adds value to the community. There is so much art and talent in Rockingham County," he said.

Vendor spaces were limited to about 50 spots to reduce competition during the event, but the demand for spaces was very high. The event drew 600 people its first year, but Saturday more than 2,500 were expected.

Ceramic arts celebrated at pottery festival

- The ceramic arts were celebrated on Saturday with the third annual Cumberland Valley Pottery Festival.

The festival is a combined effort of Renfrew Museum and Park and the Nicodemus Center for Ceramic Studies at Penn State Mont Alto, which brought together local potters from the Cumberland Valley Pottery Guild.

"It's the only pottery festival - clay pottery - that I'm aware of in Franklin County," said James Smith, the executive director of the Nicodemus Center for Ceramic Studies. "It's a great way to highlight and spotlight the talent in this area."

The festival included pottery demonstrations and sales, a silent auction of works donated by artists, hands-on pottery workshops led by Tom McFarland, Smith and the Mont Alto Pottery Cooperative, and music by The Home Comfort Band.