Cone 2012: Texas Woodfire Gathering
February 15 – 21, 2012
The Ceramics Area of the Texas Tech School of Art proudly announces the first Texas woodfire gathering.
In the world of ceramics, wood kilns allow for a variety interesting results that traditional gas firings do not. As the name suggests, wood kilns are fueled by the continuous addition of wood into a fire chamber over the course of several days – an activity that requires a community of collaboration, cooperation and camaraderie.
At Texas Tech we are very fortunate to have the faculty and facilities in ceramics that we do. Juan Granados and Von Venhuizen, both associate professors in art, are nationally recognized ceramists and manage a dynamic program at Texas Tech. Specifically relevant to Cone 2012 we are especially fortunate to possess two wood kilns which were built by Venhuizen in 2010.
CONE 2012 will allow us the opportunity to fully use these kilns by presenting three world renowned artists who work with the unique qualities of clay and wood firing. Bede Clark and Dale Huffman are two American potters/sculptors who are known for their mastery of the “wabi-sabi” aesthetic in creating ware for wood kilns. Eva Zethraeus is a Swedish artist who uses fine French porcelain when creating her pieces. Eva finds a deep connect with her fellow wood-firers and uses the kiln as a means of shared experience in her work. All three of these artists have spent time in Asia firing wood kilns in their homes of origin, as well as here in the United States and Europe. [See more detailed artists’ biographies below.]
CONE 2012 is an opportunity to watch these artists work on their creative bodies of work and develop a deeper understanding of the artistic capabilities of wood kilns while engaging in an open dialogue with artists from throughout the region. In addition select artworks produced during this Gathering will be exhibited at West Texas A&M in Canyon, and at the School of Art Satellite Gallery at LHUCA.
CONE 2012 is a FREE conference; however we request that participants pre-register so that we can have an accurate estimate of participants. CLICK HERE to download the Registration Form.
CONE 2012 has received a special grant from the Ryla T. & John F. Lott Endowment for Excellence in the Visual Arts, administered through he School of Art, with additional support from Landmark Arts, which receives support from the Helen Jones Foundation, The CH Foundation, and Cultural Activites Fees from the Texas Tech College of Visual & Performing Arts. Special thanks to the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts for providing the Clay Studio and Firehouse Theatre for the Friday evening sessions.
CONE 2012 GUEST ARTISTS
BEDE CLARKE
Bede Clarke has been a Professor of Art at Missouri University since 1992. He received his Master of Fine Arts from The University of Iowa (1990) and a BFA from Eckerd College (1982). He has been working in ceramics for 40 years. Bede's work is found in collections in the U.S. and abroad, such as: Taipei County Yingke Ceramics Museum, Taiwan, Ichon World Ceramic Center, South Korea, Bermuda National Gallery and Martin Museum of Art, Baylor University. Bede maintains a studio in Columbia, Missouri where he produces his ceramic art work and continues to exhibit worldwide, recently at: Aspen Gallery, Kuwait City, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky, Shepparton Gallery Sydney Myer International Ceramics Award, Victoria, Australia, Baltimore County Center for Art and Visual Culture, Baltimore, Maryland.
DALE HUFFMAN
After earning his BS in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University and his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Dale Huffman spent nearly two decades as a full-time studio artist. During the past five years Dale’s work has been included in fifty exhibitions: nine regional, fifteen national, twenty-two International, and four solo. Dale has conducted workshops in Denmark, Spain and the USA. His work and writings about ceramics have been included in books and leading periodicals from England, Germany, Ireland, Australia and the United States. Dale has designed and built numerous kilns, including the wood kiln that he established almost twelve years ago near Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA.
Dale is currently a Professor of Art and Chair of the Art Department at Carlow University, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Dale and his students have traveled, worked together, and built kilns in the USA in Pennsylvania, Missouri, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC; and also in Denmark.
EVA ZETHRAEUS
Eva Zethraeus is a ceramic artist living and working in Gothenburg, Sweden since taking her MFA in ceramic art at Högskolan för Design och Konsthantverk (HDK School for Design & Crafts), Gothenburg University in 1998. Although having been born in Sweden, Eva spent her first 18 years in Birmingham, England and then in Madrid, Spain. It was during the years in Spain that she developed her interest in art and ceramics, and has also influenced her style of work. Eva has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally, doing both residencies and workshops in the USA, Japan and Mexico. Eva has work in the permanent collections of the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm and the Röhsska Museum for Craft and Design (Röhsska museet för konsthantverk och design) in Gothenburg, and has made several public commissions for institutions around Sweden.
CONE 2012 Schedule of Activities
Wednesday, February 15th:
Demonstrations begin at 8 AM in Ceramics area in the 3D Annex.
Break from 12-2 PM for lunch. Demonstrations continue at 2 PM until 5 PM.
Thursday, February 16th:
Demonstrations begin at 9 AM in Ceramics area in the 3D Annex.
Break from 12-2 for lunch. Demonstrations continue at 2 PM until 5 PM.
Friday, February 17th:
Daytime tours of local art galleries/museums.
5:00 PM – Demonstrations by artists at CLAY STUDIO at LHUCA (Louise Hopkins Center for the Arts, 511 Avenue K)
Pizza to be generously provided by DION'S PIZZA.
7:30 – 9:00 pm participating artist slide presentations in Firehouse Theatre at LHUCA.
Saturday, February 18th:
Work is glazed, wadded, and kilns are loaded.
Sunday, February 19th:
Fires are lit on wood-kilns and the 3 day firing begins.
February 20th – 23rd: Wood kilns are fired until finished.