F O R M & F I R E: 6 A T B A N F F
Form and Fire: 6 at Banff is a Kickstarter Fundraising Campaign conducted in August and September, 2014. The goal was to generate funds to attend a six week artist residency at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta. The project was successful. Below are details contained on the Kickstarter Project page. The project became a "Kickstarter Staff Pick" in early October, 2014.
Project Outline: An artist in residence award at Banff Centre is an incredible honor and I am enthusiastic about working within such a diverse and creative environment. The residency at Banff is entitled B.A.I.R: Banff Artist in Residence. I will attend Banff Centre from September 15, 2014 to October 25th, 2014. Though this residency is short compared to other residencies, it promises to inform my work by interdisciplinary collaboration and inspiration from the wide array of artists present. Form & Fire: 6@Banff is a title that refers to the number of pieces that will be produced at Banff Centre. The number six also refers to the number of weeks that I will attend this residency. Because of the time frame and the complexity of my ceramic work, I have decided on this number as it is a manageable expectation for output within the six week time frame. The works produced at Banff will build upon themes explored in the works produced for my thesis exhibition that took place in April 2014. These pieces include the core ceramic piece, a wooden base, a lighting element, and a colored vitrine or Plexiglas enclosure. The goal is to complete the six ceramic pieces while the remaining components will be fabricated upon my return to the United States
About My Work: The ten thousand-plus-year history of ceramics involves practically every culture around the world. While the diverse forms and aesthetics of ceramics are based on those very cultures, the look of ceramics has also been greatly influenced by the source materials available and the technologies that continually evolved and changed them. As a studio artist, I embrace handcraft and digital methodologies as I work toward defining forms that are personally and culturally significant. I use the vessel framework to explore social narratives, informed stylistically and conceptually by contemporary architecture. My work draws heavily from ceramic art practices from the seventies and eighties where the postmodern genre began to inform mainstream ceramic art. My work seeks to provide awareness of the role each individual plays in contemporary culture and inform the viewer of the challenges of existing within that culture. For more information about my work please visit my website by clicking on the link below.
About Banff Centre: The Banff Centre is the largest arts and creativity incubator on the planet. Banff's mission is to inspire creativity. Over 8,000* artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at the Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, Banff Centre provides individuals with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. The Banff Centre adds to Canada's and the world's cultural repertoire by commissioning, supporting, and producing new creative works. Arts programs are at the core of The Banff Centre. Programming supports the commissioning and creation of new work by individual artists and arts collectives, and provides resources for collaboration and applied research. Training and professional development is offered at the post-graduate level in more than a dozen art forms including, music, theatre, dance, opera, Indigenous arts, literature, ceramics, print-making, painting, paper-making, photography, sculpture, audio engineering, digital film and video, and new media. Work is showcased in public performance, events, and exhibitions throughout the year, culminating in the annual Banff Summer Arts Festival; and is disseminated beyond Banff through Banff Centre LIVE. The Centre also partners with national and international arts institutions to bring art incubated in Banff to stages and concert halls around the world.
Project Outline: An artist in residence award at Banff Centre is an incredible honor and I am enthusiastic about working within such a diverse and creative environment. The residency at Banff is entitled B.A.I.R: Banff Artist in Residence. I will attend Banff Centre from September 15, 2014 to October 25th, 2014. Though this residency is short compared to other residencies, it promises to inform my work by interdisciplinary collaboration and inspiration from the wide array of artists present. Form & Fire: 6@Banff is a title that refers to the number of pieces that will be produced at Banff Centre. The number six also refers to the number of weeks that I will attend this residency. Because of the time frame and the complexity of my ceramic work, I have decided on this number as it is a manageable expectation for output within the six week time frame. The works produced at Banff will build upon themes explored in the works produced for my thesis exhibition that took place in April 2014. These pieces include the core ceramic piece, a wooden base, a lighting element, and a colored vitrine or Plexiglas enclosure. The goal is to complete the six ceramic pieces while the remaining components will be fabricated upon my return to the United States
About My Work: The ten thousand-plus-year history of ceramics involves practically every culture around the world. While the diverse forms and aesthetics of ceramics are based on those very cultures, the look of ceramics has also been greatly influenced by the source materials available and the technologies that continually evolved and changed them. As a studio artist, I embrace handcraft and digital methodologies as I work toward defining forms that are personally and culturally significant. I use the vessel framework to explore social narratives, informed stylistically and conceptually by contemporary architecture. My work draws heavily from ceramic art practices from the seventies and eighties where the postmodern genre began to inform mainstream ceramic art. My work seeks to provide awareness of the role each individual plays in contemporary culture and inform the viewer of the challenges of existing within that culture. For more information about my work please visit my website by clicking on the link below.
About Banff Centre: The Banff Centre is the largest arts and creativity incubator on the planet. Banff's mission is to inspire creativity. Over 8,000* artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at the Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, Banff Centre provides individuals with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. The Banff Centre adds to Canada's and the world's cultural repertoire by commissioning, supporting, and producing new creative works. Arts programs are at the core of The Banff Centre. Programming supports the commissioning and creation of new work by individual artists and arts collectives, and provides resources for collaboration and applied research. Training and professional development is offered at the post-graduate level in more than a dozen art forms including, music, theatre, dance, opera, Indigenous arts, literature, ceramics, print-making, painting, paper-making, photography, sculpture, audio engineering, digital film and video, and new media. Work is showcased in public performance, events, and exhibitions throughout the year, culminating in the annual Banff Summer Arts Festival; and is disseminated beyond Banff through Banff Centre LIVE. The Centre also partners with national and international arts institutions to bring art incubated in Banff to stages and concert halls around the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|
K I C K S T A R T E R U P D A T E S
The 1st 24: (Kickstarter Update): It has been an exciting first day. The support has been wonderful and we have raised 22% of the total goal. Thank you all for your feedback and words of encouragement. I will leave for Banff on September 11th. There is a fair amount of juggling of events and tasks that will happen in that time and I am making a mental list of items needed for the trip.
8/15/14 (Kickstarter Update - Week 1): It is incredible to receive all of the support and kind words from so many backers! Just a quick update: as of today there are 56 days to go and the campaign has reached 26% of its goal.
8/26/14 (Kickstarter Update - Week 2): Well, I have returned from New York. What a town. Google Maps decided to take me through intense construction, 42nd street, Central Park Drive, and Broadway. Thanks to the miracle of technology, I was able to see some of the highlights of the city. I stayed with a friend and graduate of Pratt, Rogier Bak in Harlem. Rogier is a very talented graphic designer. In two weeks, I am headed back to the Washington D.C. area to pick up the piece from Workhouse Art Center. Upon my return from this trip, I will begin the Art Prize set up at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The fundraising has been good, a bit slower than week one, but we are on track to make our goal. As of today the fundraising is at 59%! With the interest generated over this week and especially the weekend, I feel confident that we will reach the goal. The incentive to donate before I leave for Banff is great. When at Banff, I will be limited to the amount of fundraising that I will be able to perform. Backers, please encourage those who have not pledged to do so before September 15th.
9/2/14 (Kickstarter Update - Week 3): Things are heating up! This week, I am planning for the Banff Centre Residency, things to take, driving directions. Next week, the Art Prize set up begins on Wednesday and Thursday! If you are able to make it to Art Prize, my work will be exhibited at DeVos Place. To add to the next week's marathon of events, I am driving to Washington D.C. to pick up a piece that was in the 4th Annual Workhouse Clay National. With the start of school and preparation for school, funding has been slower than weeks past, however that does not mean that the campaign is off track, in fact, it is going quite well. As of this morning, the Kickstarter Funding Campaign for 6@Banff is 73% funded with 38 days remaining! Because the rewards for funding are for larger contributions, many of the contributions fit within the 4 reward categories. I would like to encourage those who feel that funding may be out of their grasp, to consider smaller donations. Thanks to all of the backers, and non-backers who have shared, those who intend to become backers, and those who just send encouraging words. I am very grateful!
9/9/14 (Kickstarter Update - Week 4): Yesterday, I drove back to Grand Rapids from Washington D.C. It was an incredible drive through West Virginia and Pennsylvania, hills and hollows, incredibly beautiful. I drove through a very small town (one traffic light) called Paw Paw, West Virginia! I explained to the gas station attendant that I am from a town 5 minutes from Paw Paw, Michigan. They couldn't believe it! Today, I am beginning the packing process in order to get a head start before my long journey to Banff Centre. The trip should take a little over 30 hours. I have planned to stop in Chicago on Friday (the day that I leave Grand Rapids) to meet up with Peter and Michael Jefferson at Wright Auctions. Wright is the premier 20th century modern art and design auction house in the country. It will be nice to see PJ and MJ, as well as some amazing furniture and artwork. On Saturday morning, I will begin the long drive to Banff. As of today, the Kickstarter funding campaign has reached 84% of its goal with much of the increase, since the last update, coming within a few hours during this last week. I am confident that the goal will be reached; however, it is important to keep the energy up and the momentum. Beginning next week, I will begin posting videos of what is happening at Banff Centre in order that all of the backers and non-backers alike can monitor the progress in the studio and see what Banff Centre is all about. P.S. Thank you all for helping to make this experience happen. I am incredibly grateful!
9/20/14 (Kickstarter Update 5): Greetings all, the Kickstarter campaign has successfully been funded with 20 days remaining! This is indeed exciting! Things are off to a great start here at Banff Centre. There are many resident artists attending the varied programs and it is a very strong artist community. I have been overwhelmed by the many activities and talks that seem to be happening daily. There is much to explore and learn from all of the artists present. As promised, I have competed a very short video that shows a little of what is going on here. Please view it and let me know what you think!
10/17/14 (Kickstarter Update 6):
Greetings all! Please enjoy the videos. The first is a compilation of a few clips from Banff Centre and the surrounding area. The second video was produced by the staff at the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University and was filmed prior to my leaving for Banff Centre. The residency is winding down and I am concentrating on getting some color on the pieces that have now all come out of the bisque firing (first firing). I am excited about all that is going on here. We have had a few visiting lecturers including Dan Fox and Catherine Sullivan. Today we are saying goodbye to a few of the resident artists, however a majority of us will be leaving in one week. The countdown has begun and our open studio event is on October 22nd! I am a bit wistful about departing from this majestic place and the incredible individuals that I have had the opportunity to come to know.Thank you all again for your support! The experience as resident artist at Banff Centre has been truly special and has informed my work and changed my life. Thank you. Enjoy!