What a day! On Saturday March 25th 2023 hundreds of clay enthusiasts met at Shadbolt Centre, in Burnaby, to watch presenters, see displays, meet vendors and reconnect with friends and colleagues after so long. (CCS takes place every three years and it was obviously cancelled in 2020).
It has taken me a week to think about the remarkable occasion and to sort out which of my photos might illustrate the day. It was very good to see so many young attendees who were eager to watch the invited presenters and learn tips and experiences from them. I’m afraid I chose to spend more time looking at pots and talking to friends. Clearly I must post more than one blog to record the event, so in today’s I’ll introduce the guest presenters.
In a display case in the main concourse there were pieces by the six artists who would be demonstrating and speaking, and a wee pot by the keynote speaker KC Adams. I spent a little while in each room where there were two demonstrators on stage.
Two BC potters at the wheel, Cathi Jefferson and Amelia Butcher.
Julie Moon and Martina Lantin shared the stage in big Room 103. Both made big hand-built vessels. Julie didn’t have time to show how she paints her work with underglazes. See more about them and their work on their websites:
Steven Heinemann and Sami Tsang worked side by side all day. Steve demonstrated how he uses his plaster moulds to form large boat-like works. Sami’s pieces are made with coils and pinching and humour.
http://www.stevenheinemann.com
In the early afternoon I attended the live podcast of Brendan Tang’s interview with keynote speaker KC Adams. These podcasts can be heard via ‘Kilnsitters’.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kiln-sitters/id1597992721
At four o’clock we all gathered in the James Cowan theatre for the day’s Closing Ceremony. MC Carol Mayer thanked the CCS organizers, the presenters and NorthWest Ceramics Foundation. We honoured a long list of people in our field who are no longer with us, and celebrated the two 2023 Honorees, Alan Burgess and Santo Mignosa (who died just last year).
https://www.firedup.ca/artist-profile/alan-burgess/
Carol then introduced our keynote speaker, Indigenous Winnipeg artist KC Adams. KC spoke about her multi-faceted career which has grown from her use of clay as a child and from finding clay shards beside the river in Winnipeg. She is a passionate story-teller, particularly interested in not only ‘learning the knowledge of clay’ but using it to inspire others. Teaching young people in a remote Manitoba community she found that they had an astonishing capability to ‘make’ which she deems comes from the traditional making of everything needed to live there. KC is due to graduate from curatorial studies, a further degree in her CV. Read more here:
Thank you all for a marvellous day.
There is much more to share with you, but pots in the ‘Road Show’, ‘Sur La Table’ and more will appear one day soon. Me, I have pots to make and gardening to do, now that Spring has arrived.
