AAP 101st Annual Exhibition

For the first time ever, Contemporary Craft is hosting the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) Annual Exhibition. AAP is an artist-run organization with over 550 artist members living within a 150 mile radius of Pittsburgh. It is one of the most esteemed artist-member organizations in the country, having produced a major museum exhibition of members’ work every year for over 100 years. I guess this year is the tipping point, being the 101st annual. 

Ron Bayuzick, Art Rover, Chiz Exhibition Award,Mixed Media

This years exhibition was Juried by nationally known artist, designer, independent curator and educator Fo Wilson. AAP’s 101st Annual Exhibition features 45 works, selected from more than 300 submissions, that reflect the intersection of art, craft media and design, which is the intention of this year’s collaboration between AAP and SCC. The exhibition includes many media and presents a strong overview of the variety of techniques and artistic talent within AAP’s membership. 

David Montano, Monument 1 & 2

, Carnegie Purchase Award

, Mixed media 

The exhibition is on view through January 14th, so be sure to stop on in and take a look, or see the full show online. 

Jane Ogren, Mixed Media #227, Fiber

Woven Installations

Ann Coddington Rast is an Associate Professor at Eastern Illinois University. She is also an amazing fiber artist. Working with techniques of twining, basketry, and weaving, she creates gestural sculptures that echo the familiar. By grouping various pieces together, Rast constructs subtle wall installations that evoke a narrative that is felt more than it is understood.  In the installation entitled mother/memory, individual pieces are reminiscent of lovingly knit mittens, gathered sustenance and shelter – all of which come together to induce a visceral reaction, a remembrance of childhood. 

mother/memory

Blackbirds

Ann's work will be on view at our Satellite Gallery from December 17 through February 12, 2012. In conjunction with the exhibition, Ann will be teaching a class at SCC. Call or email Sherrard to register, 412-261-7003 x25

Contemporary Twining Basketry workshop

date & time: Saturday, February 11

10 a.m. – 4 p.m (one-hour lunch break)

registration deadline: February 3

In this workshop, the basketry technique of twining will be introduced. Participants will create a sculptural twined form using waxed linen and spring twine. In conjunction with this, we will engage in a discussion on conceptual aspects of contemporary fiber structures. Questions such as these will be addressed in the workshop: What types of forms can be made with twining? What are various methods of starting a twined piece? What are variations on twined stitches? How do artists investigate meaning through fibers? What types of themes are explored? What do you hope your work will communicate?

* Previous knowledge with fibers is helpful, for example knitting, or basketry experience.

tuition: $100

materials fee: $35

Sisters

Vestiges

Have you been published yet?

I assume that we're all familiar with Lark Crafts, right? The publisher of all things craft - the 500 series, the Lark Studio Series, the Masters Series, etc.


What I would like to point out is the current calls for submissions for upcoming 500 Series books, including 500 Teapots and 500 Lights. "Each book is juried by an expert, features informative introductory text, and showcases spectacular images of state-of-the-art work. The first entry in the series, 500 Teapots, was published in 2002. Since then, 35 books have followed, and new titles release each season. With an international roster of contributors that includes both established names and up-and-coming craftspeople, each volume spotlights the shared and divergent approaches taken by artists who are producing visionary work." - Lark Website


This is not an opportunity to be missed! I'm even submitting my teeny tiny warty teapots. So get off your butt and get published!

The Family Puppet Theater!

By Education Intern Samantha Braga

Jump start your creativity while celebrating your inner child. On Sunday, December 4th, Contemporary Craft is offering a workshop where you can construct your very own puppet theater with Pittsburgh’s Puppet Master Tom Sarver, the founder of the Tom Museum (now closed). The Tom Museum, in association with the Mattress Factory, was part performance piece, part installation. It broke down and displayed the processes of art making, turning the process into an art form itself. Sarver's work is fun and unaffected, drawing on the aspects of the Art Brut movement and Folk Art. 

In this day of enchantment, students will animate everyday and found objects to create miraculous puppets and miniature worlds of wonder. Tom Sarver's class will not only teach the basics of puppetry, but will bring the energy and spirit of the Tom Museum back to life. Bring a box or any other recycled container to transform into an extraordinary puppet theater. Whether it is just you, or you bring the whole family, this class will be great entertainment for all ages! 

Puppetry Archive Room at the Tom Museum

"Combining humor, social commentary and a low-tech aesthetic, Tom Sarver explores relationships between the art world and the everyday. From 1999 through 2008, Sarver was a core organizer of The Black Sheep Puppet Festival, a national festival of activist and experimental puppetry. In 2008, Tom created an installation piece at the Society for Contemporary Craft called Cooking with Sticks. He holds a B.F.A. from Tyler School of Art and an M.F.A. from Purchase College.  Sarver is currently working on a new puppetry initiative in Pittsburgh called Puppet Happening." 

Little Tricker the Squirrel Meets Big Double the Bear

based on a story by Ken Kesey

Tom Sarver Puppet Express at the American Shorts Reading Series

July 27th, 2006 at the Brewhouse

This class will bring Sarver's innovative world into your own and teach you how to look at the world as your own puppet theater!

Tom Sarver's Family Toy Puppet Theater

Sunday, December 4

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

$60 (per adult or for an adult with up to two children, additional

children $15 each)

$5 materials fee

For more information or to register

Email: thestudio@contemporarycraft.org

Phone: 412.261.7003 x25

Re-Post — Unnatural History

Check out the latest blog by American Craft Magazine. Written by Gussie Fauntleroy, this post explores the work of Geoffrey Gorman. 

Art and Education

By Sam Braga, Education Intern 

As an education intern at SCC, I’m here to familiarize students that come for tours with our exhibitions.  But often times, it is a mutual experience! To allow open ended conversations about the artworks, we use a teaching method called Visual Thinking Strategies. This means we ask the students what they see, what it makes them think and why. Last Friday was my first time giving a tour not only at SCC, but in my life, and right as the high school students filed in, butterflies filled my stomach.  Immediately my mind started running; what if they don’t like these works at all, or worse yet, what if they don’t have anything at all to say! But, due to the prepping of the rest of the education staff, I knew I was ready. And, high school students always have something to say.

My experience taught me that in these situations, it’s okay to say what you’re thinking and in fact, that’s what the Visual Thinking Strategy teaches you. As the high school students warmed up to me, their conversations about the art became richer and more fulfilling. My nerves melted and the students started to have fun. Anne Drew Potter’s piece influenced a compelling discussion that high school students were able to relate to easily. Both groups I had associated one meaning of the piece with cliques in high school and both even mentioned the movie Mean Girls. Because of its relevance, The Captains Congress provided the most interesting conversation. It also allowed some funny insights. Why were some figures fit with pot bellies and some were not? “Well, this one is pregnant. That one isn’t.” And why, perhaps, are the figures in the circle arguing? Simply, “They’re fighting over a candy bar.”  The students also came to realize on their own how all three artists in our exhibition were connected in a theme.

After the tour the high school students then participated in our Drop-in Studio, focusing around Lia Cook’s work which they also viewed upstairs. Students were able to incorporate their own black and white photographs in our workshop, which involved paper weaving. Cook’s work depicts actual black and white weavings of portraits that balances between abstract and recognizable. There’s one more chance to participate in our workshop relating to the current exhibit, taking place this Sunday (10/23). Don’t miss the exhibition closing along with our workshop featuring metalsmith Mariko Kusumoto! 

Twice in One Year?!

Handmade Arcade is BACK for the holidays!

Pittsburgh's largest indie craft fair will return to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, November 12, 2012, from 11am till 7pm.

Early Bird tickets are now available. These are great and I highly recommend them, even though the fair has free admission. Why? Because you get in at 10am, before the crowds and before your favorite, one-of-a-kind thing is snatched up! Also, you get a fancy bag full of goodies, and who doesn't like goodies? The Early Bird tickets are $15 and can be purchased on the HA website or at WildCard in Lawrenceville.

What is so great about this event?

• Free from 11am - 7pm.
• Easy to get to.
• Over 150 Vendors!!
• Hands-on activities for kids and grown-ups ( I made a giant Jackalope print for free last year!)
• They have food so you could spend the whole day there!

Wanna get more involved? HA needs volunteers to make these events successful. YOU could be one of them. Jobs include being a greeter, running the welcome table, assisting vendors, helping with hands-on activities and more. Shifts are only 2 hours. Visit their website for more info and to sign up.