Yesterday I went to the artist talk for continuum an exhibition on at manly art gallery the work showcases teachers and students work from northern beaches TAFE. Amazing and fabulous work.
The speakers were
Sue Buckle - Early art education - ceramic artist
Sue Jorgensen - Sculptural/teaching
Malcolm Greenwood - Ceramic production
Bruce McWhinney - Facilitator/ ceramic directions/ tertiary education
Bruce was absent. But there in spirit.
It was such an interesting discussion about the direction of ceramics and education.
I was very excited to meet Malcolm Greenwood. He was nice enough to trouble shoot a problem I am having with neriage. I was unaware it is something that one of his mentors specialized in so he knows it really well. I have never come across any of his work that uses the technique so it was a nice surprise and gives me some new hope in this project I am working on.
It is so nice to meet people that are willing to help you get where you need to go.
Ceramics isn't an easy career and is still a hobby for me, however it is nice to meet people who are willing to share years of their professional experience in terms of technique and business knowledge, like trends for the industry, even though it is an area that is difficult to make a living from.
Malcolm acknowledged that it is hard to compete with china as they have taken a large chunk of commercial work. However he still believes there is work there for smaller runs that are specialized for restaurants etc... He also noted that if someone wants something done just say yes and figure it out as you go. I like the attitude but it would take a lot of guts!
The information and discussion was invaluable and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
wow, would have been terrific to speak with the best of the best in our industry. Fantastic! Oh and thanks for 'Following' my blog. :^) Good luck with your Neriage.
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