Monday, February 24, 2014

Process Shot


Passing it On, which features work from an incredible collection of potters trained in the Hamada-Leach tradition, is on display for another few weeks-- but we're already starting to plan how we'll hang our next show! Seeing Into It: Messages in Glass will feature work from rebel artists Paul Marioni and Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend, both of whom have been doing exciting, innovative work in the medium for several decades apiece.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Betye Saar at UCLA

Betye Saar will give a talk entitled Fade: The Art of Aging on Thursday, February 27 at 7:30 pm. The legendary Los Angeles artist is a recycler, a conjurer, and one of the great assemblagists of our time. With arrays of found objects ranging from the mystical to the ordinary, Saar has over her long career found ways into the darkest recesses and sweeping hopes of the American experience. For more information about the talk, click here; to read up on Saar before you go, visit the Craft in America Center, where we've got tons of gorgeous books about her life and work available for persual. 

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Jeff Oestreich at the Craft in America Center - Next Week!

 
Jeff Oestreich, a former apprentice of master potter Bernard Leach, will be visiting the Craft in America Center on Saturday, February 22nd at 5:00 pm to participate in a roundtable discussion entitled Keeping Pottery Traditions Alive. He will be joined by Charlie Maag, pictured above, as well as Gail Kendall and Tim Heil, all of whose work is featured in the show.

Oestreich, who was profiled in Craft in America’s 2012 documentary episode Crossroads, was trained in the austere simplicity of traditional Asian pottery while serving as an apprentice to Bernard Leach in England in the 1960s. Upon his return to the states in 1971, he began to disseminate Leach’s legacy to numerous American ceramists who have carried the messages forward. The exhibition of his work currently on display at the Center reflects the passing on of traditions, attitudes, studio and making practices, and aesthetic values. It pays homage to Oestreich’s role as an influential voice in contemporary pottery.  
 
More information is available here. If you plan on attending, please RSVP.

Friday, February 7, 2014

'Tis the season! Check out a few more views of our gratitude-themed window display:






All photos courtesy Denise Davis. To learn more, click here; if you're interested in creating some heart-and-love-themed crafts of your own, sign up for our upcoming Valentine's Day workshop!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Cupid's Crafts


Make a unique piece of art for someone you love. Bring a sweetheart-- or someone you'd like for your Valentine!

Join artist Christina Carroll for her annual Valentine Monotype Workshop where you'll explore the painterly printmaking method of monotype.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Session 1: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Session 2: 3:30pm - 5:30pm

For this romantic occasion, your printing plate will be heart-shaped and all materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring collage supplies if you like, but it is not necessary.

A $35 fee includes materials; to reserve your spot click here!

To learn more, check out our write-up in the LA Times.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

The Life You Make

Can't get enough of the Craft in America PBS series? We're always hard at work building you new episodes, but in the mean time you can see a preview of fine artist-cum-documentarian Dylan Stryznski's planned short film about craft artists who make their living selling their work at fairs and festivals all over the country. Stryznski has shot a bunch of footage; now he's looking to crowdsource funding to shoot more and edit it all into shape.

From the Kickstarter's mission statement: 

"[The Life You Make is] a story about a particular intersection of art & commerce, community and the essential American spirit...

When I graduated from art school I was lead to believe that the only way to make a living as an artist was by developing some sort of academic fallback or working an unrelated day job while struggling to maintain an artistic practice in the evening. That only 1% of my classmates would be working as artists a decade after graduation was a figure often cited by my professors. Simply put I was taught to believe that real artists didn't really make a living from their work.

In spite of or as a result of all this I was attracted to the idea of traveling and selling my work at street shows. If nothing else it sounded like a great way to spend a summer; seeing the country while paying for it all with artwork. My girlfriend and I decided that it was something that we wanted to try. Fast forward eleven years and it has become for us a way of life. Even at its worst, I cannot imagine trading for any other type of living...

The ideals of these artists often remain un-corrupted by the need to generate income. If anything it is a necessity that drives them to work harder. It infuses the best of their work with a palpable urgency. These artists prove that producing work to sell is not always selling out...

This film takes the audience in to the studios and homes of America’s working artists as well as on the road. It is a story of lives lived to the fullest that can inspire everyone to do it themselves."

For more details check out his Kickstarter here!