News Archive

Newsletter April 2023

IT’S CCACA MONTH, AND THIS MEANS A LOT TO CALIFORNIA’S YOUNG CLAY ARTISTS

Where can you go to see a collection of aspiring ceramic artistsfrom across Northern California, reconnect with beloved colleagues, and watch demonstrations and lectures byestablished ceramicists?
The California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art (CCACA) has been a hub of creative clay minds for 36 years; a place where you reconnect with old friends, make new connections and get inspired by the amazing work of our younger generation. As someone who comes from outside of the“clay world”, I have always felt right at home in Davis. CCACA has been proven to attract individuals of the same tribe: creative,dedicated, immensely talented and most of all really fun!

I have been attending CCACA with my husband, ceramics instructor Ian Basset, and his college for years. I enjoy watching students from his program filled with excitement for their first conference. The collaborative experience of setting up the student exhibitions, sharing meals, and making the event possible with many hands has always been such a fulfilling experience.

Just before the COVID shutdown in 2020, I was hired at Laney College in Oakland CA as a full-time faculty in the Art Department. Just as I found myself in my dream job, the world shut down. No more conferences, no more physical connections, no more face-to-face student engagement for the foreseeable future. As the world emerged from lockdown, our sights were directed to reconnecting and resetting. We are thrilled to be attending CCACA this year with Laney College ceramic students. The Art Department at Laney College has emerged stronger and more vibrant and is ready to connect with our extended community and show the amazing work of our students. We hope to see you in Davis this April!

Submitted by
Mary Catherine Bassett, MFA

After 36 years of tradition the John Natsoulas Center for the Arts continues to host the largest sculptural ceramics conference in the world. Conceived by the need for dialogue and direct interaction between artists and students, CCACA 2023 brings the ultimate ceramic sculpture event to Davis, CA. In an intimate setting, you can interact with top artists in a way not possible at other venues. UC Davis, home to the late sculptor Robert Arneson, was instrumental in defining a new direction for ceramic art. Enjoy delightful downtown Davis and be inspired by nationally recognized ceramic art talents.
Demonstrations, lectures, shows—no other event delivers more inspired knowledge of ceramic sculpture for a better price. Meet face-to-face with distinguished ceramic sculptors you might only read about; see and hear from the artists what makes them top in their field.

Left:
Amina Malika (student)
Vessel Siblings, StonewareCone 10 Reduction, 5x5x12″, 2022

Center:
Gabriela Montufar (student)
Conversationalists, StonewareCone 04, Left: 8x8x20” Right:7x7x16”, 2023

Right:
Mary Catherine Bassett
Woodfired Cloud (Dreaming)
Woodfired ceramic, handmade glass, steel
22x16x13, 2023

Tripod
Low Fire Hand built Stoneware, Crater Glaze
22″ x 22″ x 22″, 2023

– What was your introduction to clay?

I was always interested in art and decided to take an art class in high school. Several friends were in the class so it was fun but, as teenagers we were more interested in chatting than working. The teacher gave us an assignment to hand paint all of the advertising signs for the baseball field to keep us busy. That project really taught me about the value of learning tools and materials. I continued in the class and started making handmade tile compositions. The fact that you could form clay into anything was really intriguing to me. After high school I attended Cal State Fullerton and signed up for a ceramics class to fill a General Education requirement. The class was very free and Vince Suez really worked to show us some of the beautiful surfaces and unique things that you can only achieve with clay. I was hooked. I decided to pursue an art degree and completed my BFA in ceramics.

– Can you talk about your evolution in your ceramic studio practice?

After graduating, I moved to San Francisco and spent many years working to support myself but not working in clay. I dabbled in painting but it was not the same. I worked for a “paint your own pottery shop” and gained access to kilns. When my wife and I decided to get married, she suggested that I make cups for our guests. 150 cups later, I began to understand the slow evolution that happens when working since the 150th cup was tremendously different than the first.

Grasping this concept allowed me to begin the dialogue with the work that continues to this day. I moved to Southern California and continued to build my studio practice, establishing a home studio, and for the first time having my own kiln. I got a job as the ceramic lab tech at Mt. San Antonio College and was able to work with many dynamic instructors with their own unique voices in clay. Being in that environment was really inspiring and the job did not deplete my energy so I was able to continue developing my voice. I moved back to SF and worked as the dinnerware production manager at Heath Ceramics for about 5 years. The work was taxing and consequently I made very little work while I was employed there.

I left that position to return to my studio practice and teaching and have never looked back. I’ve had a non linear career path and all of the cul de sacs have contributed to my studio practice and understanding of my journey. All of these moves and re-starts have made me evaluate my approach to clay. The pandemic gave me an incredible opportunity of having time to explore with no self prescribed obligations and I slowly moved away from functional vessels. I realized I assess my work (whether it is a vessel or non-vessel) through the lens of pottery and currently would like to transition to considering my work from the perspective of sculpture.

Now I am thinking a lot about negative space, architecture,and geometry. Being open to what happens next drives my investigation. I respond to visual input, watching, perceiving, always observing.

– Why clay and why hand-building?

I love clay because of what it does, the way it responds, and how immediately the base form can be achieved. Hand building is just one way to get the clay to stand up and I feel it has always made the most sense for achieving the non-mechanical forms that I’m interested in.

– What advice would you give to artists who are just getting started?

Stay the course. Don’t give up because of what you think you should be doing. It’s not a normal life or an easy path.

– How would you like to see the ACGA become more valuable to its members and the larger community?

I’d like to be able to make connections with other artists through workshops, studio visits, and other organized events. More communication and more community.

Submitted by Susie Rubenstein @susie_rubenstein

THE BERKELEY POTTERS GUILD:

50 YEARS OF CREATIVITY

Berkeley Potters Guild is honored to have an article written about us in Berkeley Hills Living by renowned Berkeley journalist, Lori Pottinger. As we prepare for our month long Seconds Sale and East Bay Open Studios in May, Guild members are passionately making new work to present and organizing great heaps of Seconds!

You are invited to come by to see our passionate efforts. Every Saturday and Sunday in May, 11 to 5.

ACGA Guild members:
Chanda Beck, Mari Emori, Sarah Gregory,Margaret Grisz-Dow, Gail Splaver, Itsuko Zenitani, (Kimi Masui, just retired!)

The Berkeley Potter Guild — one of the oldest continuously operating ceramics cooperatives in the United States — is a treasure trove of clay arts in West Berkeley with an ever-changing display of work backed by decades of skill.

The Guild’s 20 artists include a sculptor who is also experienced in kimono design, interior design and graphic design; a Berkeley psychotherapist whose passion for working with his hands led him to working with clay; a weaver who twines natural elements into her pottery; and a number of ceramicists who are also visual artists. Works from Guild members have over the years been on display at the Oakland Museum of California, the deYoung and Asian Art museums in San Francisco, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Smithsonian and, further afield, the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

The Guild was launched in 1971, in an abandoned window-manufacturing warehouse on Jones Street. A decade later, the founders scraped together funds to buy the building. Over the group’s long tenure, other clay and glass artists have moved into the area. In recent years, the city designated the neighborhood the West Berkeley Artisans District (www.facebook.com/WestBerkeleyArtsDistrict/).

Each artist has their own personalized studio and kiln. The Guild is open to the public every Saturday (except in January) from 11am-5pm, and more frequently during two annual open house events: a holiday show (this year Nov. 25th through Dec. 24) and a spring ‘seconds sale’ followed by East Bay Open Studios (all weekends in May). Hand-formed and thrown pieces range from practical, daily-use items —the Guild has a huge diversity of bowls, mugs, plates and cups on offer — to sculptures, vases, bird baths, jewelry, clay art hangings and additional one-of-a-kind items. Custom work is also possible.

The group’s president, Berkeley resident Pamela Zimmerman has been making clay art at the Guild for more than 40 years. “There is so much diversity here now, both in terms of who we are and in how we create,” she says.

Zimmerman emphasizes that the Guild is appreciative of the support from the community, and from the city itself, which has developed policy and planning tools to sustain the arts.

“Over the years the Guild has developed a loyal following not only in Berkeley, but in surrounding communities,” she says. “The City of Berkeley supports the Guild with guidance for our future and by creating the artisans district.”

Having such talent in our midst is both humbling and uplifting. “Handmade ceramic art brings the joy of wabi sabi, Japanese for the beauty of imperfection, and a connection to the person behind the piece,” adds longtime member Margaret Grisz-Dow.

These creative connections help make Berkeley a truly special place.

Learn more: BerkeleyPotters.com on facebook.com/BerkeleyPottersGuild

Credits:
Article written by Lori Pottinger – Originally published in Berkeley Hills Living
Photos, top to bottom
Vessel by Pamela Zimmerman, Vase by Sarah Gregory, Vases by Chandra Beck, Platter by Margaret Griz-Dow, Pedestel dish by Itsuko Zenitani, Bowls by Kiyomi Koide, On the wheel, Kiyomi Koide
Photographs by Berkeley Potters Guild and Chris Aynesworth

MEET YOUR BOARD MEMBER: EMIL YANOS

I came into ceramics almost by accident. Due to the recession in the early 90’s I was without a job and looking for an activity to fill my days. I found Ruby’s Clay Studio on one of my neighborhood walks. I signed up for a class and was hooked. I took several more classes and began to experiment, working part-time, after work and on the weekends, mostly throwing and making functional work.

I went into hand building after years of throwing because I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from my day job. With a new aesthetic and a new set of skills, my work eventually emerged into what is more intrinsically me, which is mostly rough with a few smooth edges. On my second try, I was finally juried into the ACGA Clay and Glass Festival.

Being part of ACGA raised my awareness to the possibilities of clay and glass. I joined ACGA because I wanted another venue show my art. I found that without ACGA, that venue and the opportunities that come with it wouldn’t be there, so I volunteered to help this organization provide what I was looking for. I started as the Membership Coordinator and continue that role as a board member.

I still work out of Ruby’s Clay Studio, creating textured sculpture that is mainly hand built but sometimes thrown and have fully recovered from CTS. I no longer have a day job, I have an activity to fill my days and some of my nights.

Submitted by Emil Yanos, ACGA Membership Coordinator @emilyanos

MEMBER NEWS

OFF CENTER:

AN INTERNATIONAL CERAMIC ART COMPETITION

Clockwise from top left, works by: Mary Catherine Bassett, Michele Collier, Mari Emori, Mari Emori, Jan Schachter, Vince Montague

OFF CENTER is Blue Line Arts’ annual ceramic art competition, juried each year from entries from across the nation and abroad. Ranging from functional studio pottery to mixed media installations, works in this show offer a vibrant cross section of contemporary clay in a variety of styles. Cash prize awards will be announced at the opening reception. Check out three concurrent solo exhibitions in different mediums while you are at Blue Line Arts.

Exhibition: April 8 – May 20, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 15, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Garth Johnson, Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art

“As someone who is surrounded by the greatest works in the history of studio pottery at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, I’m astounded by the energy that is driving the field today. Community studios are having a hard time meeting the demands of a public that is increasingly turning to ceramics for solace and to transform their environments. The resulting show, OFF CENTER, is truly that. It’s full of work that makes me curious and excited about what is to come.”
— Garth Johnson, Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art

Congratulations to the five ACGA members who juried into OFF CENTER!

Mary Catherine Bassett: @mcrathergather www.marycatherinebassett.com

Michele Collier: @burningclay www.burningclay.blogspot.com

Mari Emori: @emoriceramics www.berkeleypotters.com

Vince Montague: @vincemontague www.vincemontague.com

Jan Schachter: @janschachter www.janschachter.com

ONLINE SHOP

Blue Line Arts @bluelinearts www.bluelinearts.org
405 Vernon St #100, Roseville, CA 95678

(The announcement and images provided by Blue Line Arts)

Open Studio – Portola Valley

Jan Schachter will be hosting 5 artists for her open Studio on May 6-7 in her garden at 190 Golden Hills Drive, Portola Valley CA 94028 10am-5 pm
Sally Jackson @sallygjackson, Jane Petermann @clayaddictjane, Lindsay Marx @l_g_marx_art, Peggy Forman, and Nina Else @ninaelse.

We will also have a table of donated work that will be sold to benefit CERF+ @cerfplus

Posted by Jan Schachter janschachter@gmail.com www.janschachter.com

BARBARA GLYNN PRODANIUK’S SPRING OPEN STUDIO

June 2,3 &4
10 am-5 pm each day
15576 Waterloo Circle
Truckee, Ca 96161

Come enjoy a lovely day in Truckee,
browse a wide selection of functional
pottery and sculptural pieces in both an
outdoor garden setting and inside my potterystudio.
Posted by Barbara Glynn Prodaniuk
https://bgppottery.com/
@bgprodaniuk

ACGA Artist Barbara Sebastian

May 6 – 7, May 13 – 14
11am – 5pm

Reception: May 12, 5pm – 8pm

Marin Society of Artists – Open Studios

1515 Third Street, San Rafael, CA

ART & ECOLOGY ONLINE GALLERY SHOW

Art & Ecology
juried by Obi Kaufmann
with poetry by Linda Martinez Robertson

O’Hanlon Center for the Arts
https://www.ohanloncenter.org/2023/03/art-and-ecology/
Artists were invited to submit works that address the subject of Ecology including the topic of climate change and environmental resilience.

Featuring work by ACGA artists Vicki Gunter and Emil Yanos

VICKI GUNTER
Sky Blues – Canary & Elephant Series, 2014
Clay, glazes, antique bailing wire, steel plate, magnets, 24h x 31w x 5d inches
Sky Blues represents the air all life breathes, and a few of the endangered animals that live in the California skies: the CA Condor, Bay Checkerspot, Smith Blue and Monarch butterfly with bejeweled chrysalis. I was in awe of the Monarch chrysalis as a child. How does it paint that gold on there? The cautionary yellow Canary alerts us of the Elephants in the room: Loss of habitat, Roundup® = less milkweed = fewer monarchs. A Lead bullet; Condors are dying from lead poisoning due to eating abandoned game, but, celebrate a bit! As of 2019, all ammunition must be 100% lead free in California. It’s still a problem so if you are a hunter beware of your ammunition please. Smoke stack srepresent air pollution from numerous sources, causing asthma in our children, especially those of color and lower incomes.Will we choose a profit-driven-system of over-consumption or the awe of the Monarch chrysalis?

EMIL YANOS
Cling
Stoneware, glazes, engobes, 13h x 13w x 4d inches
My work is an examination of texture. Each piece plays with contrasting surfaces: rough verses smooth; matte verses shiny; large-scale verses small-scale, adding visual depth and tactile interest. Textures, drawn from the natural world—such as seed pods, barnacles, and rocky outcroppings. They are an invitation to touch. As you run your hands over, the sensation is a reminder of a place you once enjoyed.

Cling is reminiscent of the tide pools I was intrigued with growing up in Hawaii. These depressions in the rocks captured creatures, and pebbles, and shells as the waves crashed over them. We are now clinging to our land as the sea levels rise we as are caught between land to live and land to grow food.

Submitted by Emil Yanos @emilyanos

Visions in Clay Call for Entries

Entry is open now through June 26, 2023
Exhibition Juror:
Joan Takayama-Ogawa, Professor of Ceramics and Product Design, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles,California

Gallery & Online Exhibition:
August 28 – September 21, 2023
August 31, 5:00-7:00p.m.

Gallery Awards
$800 | $600 | $400
San Joaquin Potters Guild Founders Award ~ $300
Regional Artist Award $800

Entry Fees:
$30 for 3 entries / $45 up to 6 entries
For the complete Prospectus Guidelines and to enter go to:
gallery.deltacollege.edu

– Call for entries
LH Horton Jr. Gallery, San Joaquin Delta College
5151 Pacific Ave.
Stockton, CA

ACGA Clay & Glass Festival at the Palo Alto Art Center

SAVE THE DATE!

Clay & Glass Festival at the Palo Alto Art Center – July 15-16, 2023

Our annual clay and glass festival is held on the beautiful grounds of the Palo Alto Art Center on July 15-16, 2023.

LEARN MORE

HOW TO POST TO ACGA NEWS AND CALENDAR

ACGA News

Members who want to share upcoming news, events, milestones, studio equipment for sale, shows, awards, and other craft-related items with our audience of fellow artists and collectors can now fill out a few lines on our website and get posted to our online calendar of events or our news page.

Submission Process, Learn More:
https://acga.net/acga-news/new-year-new-communications-model/

ACGA GENERAL MEETING MINUTES -FEBRUARY 13, 2023

Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 5:30pm

READ MARCH MEETING MINUTES

LISTINGS

SEE EVENTS CALENDAR:
https://acga.net/events-calendar/
This space is envisioned for future listings of upcoming calendar events. Since we have only just launched the submission process in this mailing, we do not have any current events at this time. Please follow the submission process outlined herein.

Professional Kiln Repair Service
NorCal Kiln Repair- “Professional Bay Area repair service since 2006”
· evaluation & repair: ceramic & glass kilns (gas & electric)
· tutorials: operation, safety, maintenance, custom programming
· evaluation & repair: pottery wheels, pug mills, slab rollers
· ventilation repair & installation / studio safety & setup consultations
· new & used kiln recommendations / appraisals: buying & selling
· ceramics troubleshooting: clays, glaze, construction, firing, etc.
Joseph Kowalczyk (Ko-väl-chick)
kiln & ceramics specialist
510 601-5053 · NorCalKilnRepair@gmail.com
www.norcalkilnrepair.com

ACGA NETWORKING EXPLAINED
Address changes and Membership Changes – Please send all address changes to the membership chair EmilYanos,
acgamembership@gmail.com

.
ACGA’s Website – Check out our website

ACGA Main

The home page now features an ‘artist of the month.’ Populate your own page, and update often. To create and edit your profi le page, go to the For Members menu, choose Member login, and follow the instructions to find and edit your profile.
Need a website password? Email Emil Yanos at
acgamembership@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Follow and Like us on FaceBook (@ClayandGlass) and Instagram (@theACGA)
The ACGA News is sent through MailChimp. If your email bounces you or you have been unsubscribed, you can sign up again – contact Communications Lead Ren Lee at: news@acga.net.

Join the ACGA social media group www.facebook.com/groups/ACGASocialMedia

GOOGLE GROUP
Link to the Google group: the-acga@googlegroups.com

To email all members via the ACGA Google group you must be a member. Address your clay/glass-related message to: the-acga@googlegroups.com
There are two ways that you can engage in google groups without a gmail account:
1. Via email only
With a non-gmail email address you can still participate in all of the google group activities by replying to emailsand/or sending an email to the-acga@googlegroups.com to start a new thread. You do not have to create any google accounts to do this. If you’re seeing this email, then you’re in the group and can respond to emails like this one that will be sent to the entire group.

More details on how to create and respond to google group messages in the FAQ!
2. Make a google account
While it’s not necessary to have a google account to participate in the google group, you can create one with your non-gmail email address to get access to the google group site, which just aggregates the ACGA google group conversations in one place that’s easy to review and search.

Board of Directors – 2023
2023 Officers
President: Mari Emori
Vice President: TBD
Secretary: Sally Jackson
Treasurer: April Zilber
Lee Middleman, Jan Schachter, Joe Battiato, Emil Yanos, Trudy Chiddix, Cheryl Costantini,
Chris Johnson, Ren Lee, Susie Rubenstein, Iver Hennig, Sonja Hinrichson, Vicki Gunter, Barbara Prodaniuk

Committee Chairs
Communication – Ren Lee
Exhibitions – Jan Schachter
Festival Liaison – April Zilber
Festival Jury Coordinator – Chris Johnson
Historian – Cuong Ta
Int’l Ambassador – Barbara Brown
Membership Coordinator – Emil Yanos

ACGA Newsletter March 2023

WRITER VINCE MONTAGUE BECAME A POTTER AND PENNED A MOVING MEMOIR.

IT’S A REALLY GOOD READ.

Most people embark into the world of clay from a beginning class they took in high school or in a community classroom. I began my journey at the age of forty-seven after my wife, Julia Terr, died in a car accident. Julia was a studio potter and a member of the board of ACGA. Among the many things she accomplished, one of the biggest was building a studio in northern Sonoma county where I live today. Although I had no experience with clay, I entered her studio and began making pots because I couldn’t bear to see her studio die. Inside, I encountered a completely professional studio with wheels, kilns, clay, glazes, tools, and books about how to make pots. I immersed myself in the studio and began to learn how to throw pots and fire kilns. This is before YouTube or Instagram, so my knowledge felt incomplete at best. Quickly, however, I found a way to channel my grief by working with clay. I had no idea it would grow into something where I would abandon my life as a college-writing instructor and move to becoming a full time potter, but that is what happened. My book, Cracked Pot, is a memoir of that experience and how I learned to find my own voice in clay. You can order the book online or ask for it in a bookstore. The easiest is to order directly from my publisher: https://www.latahbooks.com/cracked-pot

I started by knowing nothing and through trial and error, learned what I needed to do, but at all times, I felt over my head and completely lost inside the clay studio. Failure was the constant; I had no idea other people working in clay learned the same way. I began to sell my work in the local farmer’s market, and then I found an outlet in a store in my local community that wanted my work exclusively. I knew that selling pots was an impossible task, but working in clay was the only way I wanted to live. Now, I sell my pots at the ACCI Gallery in Berkeley and at the local shop in my community. I have grown from throwing pots on the wheel to building sculptures out of solid pieces of clay. My sculptural work has been shown at Hugomento in San Francisco, The Epperson Gallery in Crockett, and The Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica. I am opening up an online store. You can see my work at this link: https://vincemontague.bigcartel.com/

Although I used to think of myself as “self-taught” I now believe there is no such thing. We learn from everyone around us, and certainly Julia was my first teacher because I was surrounded by her pots. I learned from looking and using her pots on a daily basis. But I also learned from her friends in the ceramic community who embraced me and shared their knowledge. The main thing is that when I entered the world of clay in the beginning, I followed my instincts because I had no other options. And even today, when I go to work in my studio, I follow that same impulse and follow my intuition. I have no fears inside a clay studio, only the desire to make something beautiful out of clay and hopefully share that beauty with the world.

Photos, clockwise from top left: Cracked Pot bookcover, Vince Montague, sculpture by Vince Montague, face mug by Julia Terr, chicken vessel by Julia Terr, box by Vince Montague, head forms by Vince Montague—courtesy of Vince Montague.

Praise for Cracked Pot

“Cracked Pot is a soul-baring memoir of love, creativity, loss, grief, and creativity again. Sentence by beautifully wrought, thoughtful sentence, Vince Montague narrates the premature death of his wife, Julia, and how he was able to rebuild his life by way of the clay and kilns and inspiration she left behind for him.” — Benjamen Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer’s English

“Vince Montague’s Cracked Pot is a wondrous memoir of personal reinvention and the transformative power of art….This volume, like finely wrought ceramics, is something beautiful you can hold in hand and treasure always.” — Roy Parvin, author of In the Show Forest and The Lonelist Road in America

“Cracked Pot resonates with its multiple meanings and meditates on love and death from title to the last word. This is raw life, raw materials, raw feelings, salvaged by the silken slip of clay, the discovery of thinking with your hands.” — Maw Shein Win, author of Storage Unit for the Spirit House

Vince will be reading and discussing Cracked Pot in the Bay Area at the following places:

March 23
Books, Inc. (Berkeley)
1491 Shattuck Avenue
6pm

Conversation with writer and curator Nancy Selvin
March 25th
Red Brick Ceramic Studio (San Francisco)
2111 Mission Street (3rd Floor)
5pm

Conversation with poet Maw Shein Win
April 6th
Reader’s Book (Sonoma)
130 E Napa Street
6pm

Conversation with ceramicist Kala Stein
Also Vince will be demonstrating and talking about my studio practice and how it relates to my experience with clay:
March 25th
Red Brick Studios
2111 Mission Stree (3rd Floor)
12-2pm

April 6th
Sonoma Community Center
276 E Napa Street
Sonoma, CA
1-3pm

Submitted by Vince Montague

SOCIAL MEDIA SENSATION MOONDOBANG CREATOR VISITS CALIFORNIA FOR EXTENDED WORKSHOP TOUR, AND A HOT DOG.

Instagram sensation, MoonDoBang creator Mr. Moon, Byung Sik, will make his first visit to the US with a tour of California and a stopover in Helena, Montana.

At the age of 16, Moon Byung Sik fell in love with clay. He had passion, but the skills didn’t come easily. It took him 10 times longer to finish a pot than some of his peers, but with perseverance and practice, he began to win skills competitions.

After college, at 26, Moon started a studio practice inside his father’s barn with the idea that he would make pots he likes to make and—he reasoned—people would buy them. He soon discovered that what he wanted to make was not what customers wanted to buy. Competing for buyers with other potters who had 20, 30, or 40 years of experience was challenging.

As he reflects on his path today, starting at a young age was his best decision. He made mistakes and had failures due to his lack of experience, but he says that he was able to put aside his failures more easily and continue moving forward because he had less to lose.

Seventeen years after he first sat at a pottery wheel, Moon operates a professional workshop where he produces his porcelain products and sells them from his gallery and shop in Yeoju, South Korea. He ships worldwide from his website www.moondobang.com. Follow him on Instagram @moondobang

MoonDoBang : US Tour : How it all started

In November 2022, I had a chance to take a virtual pottery class with the Korean artist, Moon Byung Sik of MoonDoBang, hosted by Kala Stein. I casually mentioned that I would like to host a workshop for him in San Francisco.

Start: November 2022

Kala Stein and Joanne Lee, host and translator for Moon for the virtual workshop, set up a meeting to explore the possibility of Moon visiting the US, more specifically San Francisco and the Bay Area. He agreed to 10 days, which grew to 14 days. Then we decided to visit his friend, Adam Field in Helena, Montana,… who mentioned that he had contacts in LA and that if we were to extend and expand the tour, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Plan : MoonDoBang US Tour: 2023

By mid December, I had commitments from 11 venues and most days were filled, with workshops scheduled from Petaluma down to San Diego, and Helena, Montana. Round-trip air from Seoul, Korea was purchased.

By the second week in January, scheduling was completed for Moon on his first visit to the US with a 24-day, 14-venue, 13-city, 2-state, west coast tour that includes demos, workshops, and an Instagram live feed.

In February, the last venue committed and a brainstorm led to the Virtual Demo with Moon and Adam Field from Helena, Montana, to be hosted by Kala Stein.

Show Time : MoonDoBang US Tour : 2023

Moon landed at SFO March 16. 10 boxes of MoonDoBang porcelain pots have arrived. 150 Posters have been printed. 100 T-shirts have been ordered. His room is made.

Most venues have sold out all the seats, some within 5 minutes of opening registration publicly—some selling out only to members. Success can be attributed to Moon’s 97K Instagram followers, help from Adam Field with his 117K followers and mailing list, and the Instagram following of the 15 participating venues. Yes, the power of social media can be measured.

If you haven’t reserved seats yet, try Laney College: https://laney.edu/art/

Additional information is on the tour page at mikisr.com: http://www.mikisr.com/moondobangtour

Registration for the Virtual Demo with Adam Field is open. Registration can be found at KalaStein.com: https://kalastein.thinkific.com/

When asked about what he would like to see and do while on his first visit to the US, he said, “eat a hot dog, see the Golden Gate Bridge, and go to a baseball game.” We have tickets to the Oakland A’s opener on March 30th, where Shohei Ohtani will be starting for the Angels. Kala is hosting a dinner and hot dogs are on the menu. And I’m sure we will cross the Golden Gate Bridge at least once.

MEMBER NEWS

MEET YOUR BOARD MEMBER SALLY JACKSON

I started working with clay seriously after moving to California eight years ago. Before that I lived in North Carolina, where we raised our sons and kept dairy goats. I’ve always had my hands in some kind of craft – carpentry, quilting, gardening, cheesemaking – but clay has taken over in recent years. I use wheel-throwing and hand-building to make sculptural and functional pieces. Whenever possible, I use clays and glaze materials that I gather locally. My work is fired in electric and wood-burning kilns.

Through clay, I’ve found strong communities in ACGA and the Palo Alto Art Center. I’ve been ACGA’s secretary since 2018, I serve on the Festival Committee as liaison with community groups, and I also help with exhibitions. Outside of ACGA, I’ve volunteered in our nearby high school’s ceramics program, and during the pandemic I organized neighbors to create clay totems that are now displayed on our street.

The pieces shown here came about as I pondered how we connect with the world outside of normal social exchanges. For me, books have always been both an escape and a way to hear other people’s thoughts and voices. Firing ceramic books becomes a metaphor for how powerful and resilient those words and voices can be. Likewise, I spend a lot of time outdoors studying the natural world, particularly birds. Influenced by my gig leading bird surveys at a local preserve, I find making birds in clay to be a kind of reassurance. I like the layers of resilience that exist in the finished work: there is the resilience of Nature itself, there is the resilience of clay when it’s been fired, and lastly, there are the seemingly ancient surfaces from the wood-firing that conjure wisdom of the deep past.

Sally Jackson, ACGA Secretary www.sallygravesjackson.com @sallygjackson

TERRA LINDA CERAMIC ARTISTS PRESENT

ARTICULATION – THE ART OF PLAYING WITH FORM

The Terra Linda Ceramic Artists present it Member’s show, ARTICULATION — the art of playing with form, which includes ACGA members Jo Clarke, Geraldine GaNun, Susan Hontalas, Nadia Tarzi-Saccardi, and Melissa Woodburn.

The exhibit is hosted by Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael from March 10th-April 21, 2023 with an opening reception/art walk on March 10th from 5-8pm. For additional information and hours at Falkirk Cultural Center, contact them at www.falkirkculturalcenter.org or terralindaceramicartists.com.

NEW SODA KILN AT STANFORD

One bright spot in February’s gray weather was the completion of a soda kiln in the courtyard of Stanford University’s Product Realization Lab (PRL). Spearheaded by Applied Physics professor and ceramic artist Hideo Mabuchi, and funded by the new cross-disciplinary initiative Making@Stanford https://making.stanford.edu, the kiln will enable more students to work with clay and more Stanford faculty to incorporate ceramics into their classes. These new opportunities will be organized around courses, workshops, and maker/artist residencies. One of the main goals is to connect ceramics, with its traditions and material culture, with contemporary engineering and materials science as well as computer science, art practice, and the performing arts.

Construction was led by kiln-builder Ted Neal, who is also a faculty member in ceramics at Ball State University in Indiana. I was among several helpers who jumped on board to help. The project involved a lot of steel L-angle, many pallets of bricks, mortar, a MIG welding rig, and a couple of serious power saws. After Ted welded a low, table-like metal frame, we stacked hard and soft bricks to create the floor, walls, chimney, and ceiling arch. Ted then reinforced the kiln with a metal frame and added a hinged door. As final steps we insulated the top of the kiln chamber and mounted a metal roof overhead. Having never built a kiln before, I gained huge appreciation for the precision, expertise, and teamwork that such a project involves. And I truly enjoyed working with Ted, Hideo, and helpers Christopher Watt and Nicholas Robles. Craig Milroy, Co-Director of the PRL, provided invaluable logistical support throughout the project.

Ceramics are popular with Stanford students, but studio space is limited. The Making@Stanford initiative will connect a wider community of makers and mentors throughout campus. Hideo, for example, co-teaches a class called Japanese Functional Objects, which combines woodworking, ceramics, readings, and lectures to introduce students to the tools and traditions associated with the Japanese tea ceremony. He looks forward to firing work in the soda kiln for this course and many others. For more photos of the construction, visit https://making.stanford.edu/pilot/kiln.

GRANT AWARDED FOR MUSICAL GLASS PROJECT

April Zilber has received a Development Grant from Arts Council Santa Cruz County. The grant will help pay for cold working equipment essential for fine-tuning the glass bell plates I design and fuse.

“The musical pitch or frequency of a bell plate is dependent on the dimensions of the bell plate. While empirical calculations are useful for predicting the size needed to create a particular frequency, I need to grind the edges on a flat lapping wheel with a series of diamond grit disks in order to reach the exact frequency. I’ve learned a lot from making and tuning square and rectangular bell plates and look forward to exploring several types of triangle.”