Place des Arts – Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis

Tri-City Potters: Ceramics from Atmospheric Firings and more

Gillian McMillan — Wed, 06 May 2026 04:22:47 +0000

TriCity Potters’ show opened at Place des Arts in early April but you can still see the work of members until May 21st. Of course I took photos and have shown them to members in our facebook page, but for the record I’ll post them here too. I think I found all the selected work. They’re displayed in acrylic cases on plinths which will have protected them from all the PdA attendees bustling by for classes.

I was at PdA on a quiet afternoon to be interviewed by their photographer Hao Duong. His video of our conversation can be seen in this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5tg0F8yh_c&t=5s

Although I recognise many of the pieces on show I can’t be sure who made all of them. So I will omit names on captions altogether and leave you to see if you can guess who made what. You’ll see examples of various atmospheric techniques and just a few electric-fired pieces.

During the opening Kay spoke about TriCity Potters and explained the theme of our show. Eliza took the silly photo of me with my one soda-fired vase and a carved earthenware bowl.

Well done fellow TriCity Potters, and thank you to Place des Arts for hosting our local pottery group once again. Check out the show before it closes, and make a note to join us for our next monthly meeting on May 20th, at PoMoArts. Come prepared to learn more about applying images to clay.

‘Of the Earth’ Fraser Valley Potters Guild 2

Gillian McMillan — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 19:12:12 +0000

Here are some more photos of work by members of Fraser Valley Potters Guild. Their juried show opened at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts last Friday. To see more about the opening please click on the previous blog. I took too many photos for one blog!

I’m sorry I didn’t get photos of everybody’s work, and that I haven’t included titles of pieces at all. This is just intended as an incentive for you to take yourself to Place des Arts to see this group of selected ceramics before the show closes on November 3rd. You’ll find that there are examples of so many different techniques, in both functional ware and in imaginative sculptures.

Finally, if you’re in the Tri-Cities area next Wednesday, do join TriCity Potters at PoMoArts for a talk by well-known potter and teacher, Vin Arora. It should be fun! September 21st, try to be there before 7pm.

‘Of the Earth’ Fraser Valley Potter’s Guild 1

Gillian McMillan — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 03:01:05 +0000

Fraser Valley Potters’ latest show opened at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts on Friday night. The juror for this show, ECUAD ceramics professor Jen Woodin, gave the members a critique of their submissions at an August meeting and she attended the opening to present prizes and certificates to her selection of prize-winners and ‘honorable mentions’.

Visitors to the evening’s events were first welcomed by Place des Arts Executive Director Joan McCauley and then we were ushered into the Leonore Peyton Salon to be further welcomed by Indigenous MC Dennis Joseph, accompanied by Christine Mackenzie who had led the summer’s community art mural that was displayed on the walls around us, and sound artist Matt Dyck who had coordinated music and light effects for the evening.

As usual, I found myself taking lots of photos, of people and their pots and the evening’s events. There are so many ceramic artworks to show you that I need to divide this account of Friday’s happy evening into two blogs.

To begin with I’m giving you a glimpse of the ‘Sharing Culture Through the Natural World’ mural in the LP Salon. Notice the forest images in light on the floor.

Later in the evening I took the stairs up to the mezzanine floor to see the ‘Evolution of Self and Indigenous Art’ show and was happy to meet Bella Coola artist Christine Mackenzie. Her clothing, jewelry and re-purposed masks were charming.

Works by Fraser Valley Potters Guild members were displayed in protective acrylic cases on plinths, in the Arts Centre’s Atrium. They’re protected but it is difficult to take good photos.

It was a busy evening, with many pottery friends in attendance. When I could find one of them I tried to photograph each artist with her pot/s.

Here is the list of Award Winners and Honorable Mentions.

In the Open Class there were 2 Award of Merit winners: Eliza Wang and Jean Paull, who will receive $100 each and a certificate. 4 Honorable Mentions will be given certificates only: Pat Schendel, Ying-Yueh Chuang, Giles Barton-Owen and Amy Chang. In the Student Class there will be 1 Award of Merit winner: Zilin Shen, who will receive $100 and a certificate. 1 Honorable Mention with a certificate only: Susan Johnston. Congratulations all!

To see more photos of pots and people at last Friday’s opening please click on the second blog with the title ‘Of the Earth’.