Victor Greenaway.

Victor Greenaway has been living and working in Orvieto (Umbria). He's been painting and drawing as well as making porcelain in Marino Moretti’s studio at Viceno.

Victor plans to have two shows during June/July 2009.

One at Skepsi on Swanston from July 1 to July 25th and the other at Cudgegong Gallery, Gulgong, NSW from June 5th.

I will definitely be dropping into Skepsi in July.

Tom Swindell.

I had a look at Tom Swindell' YouTube site today, hoping he might have made a new "EARTHEN" clip. Found the attached clip instead. Have also added my fav. "EARTHEN" clip again. It's still great to watch, for the 100th time I think.

Shapes of the future.

Article from: The Australian

Hatched 09: National Graduate Show 
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. 
Until June 7. 
SEVERAL of the leading universities in the US recently published reports examining the role of the arts in education.

Last year Harvard and Stanford universities called for a greater presence for the arts on campus and in undergraduate and graduate programs. Earlier reports at the universities of Chicago, Princeton and Columbia appealed for similar far-reaching changes and reasserted, in the words of the Chicago report, that "art is a central activity of the life of the mind".

All these reports acknowledge the centrality of the arts in human endeavour. They also reinforce the importance of the visual and performing arts in fostering the ability of students to think imaginatively, to be creative risk-takers and, as the Stanford report adds, "to move gracefully through a world of rapid change". According to those who drafted the Harvard report, it is necessary, despite the grave economic environment, to "make the arts an integral part of the cognitive life of the university, for along with the sciences and the humanities, the arts -- as they are both experienced and practised -- are 'irreplaceable instruments of knowledge' that allow innovation and imagination to thrive on our campus, to educate and empower creative minds across all disciplines and to help shape the 21st century."

Read more here.

The Australian Ceramics Triennale 17-20 July 2009.

"The First Australian Ceramics Triennale (formerly the National Ceramics Conference) is to be held in Sydney from 17-20 July 2009.    The conference website is supplemented by a blog and we see this as a resource for all ceramicists, not just the ones attending the conference.  It is regularly updated and full of great images and exciting information about the speakers and events coming to Sydney in July.  For those able to attend the conference the blog will be an essential tool in giving extra insight into the conference program with images and links to the speakers websites, galeries and even vidoes of ceramicists in action!  For those unable to attend, the Australian Ceramics Triennale Blog  provides a dynamic and informative platform for an overview of contemporary ceramics, if you check it regularly there will be constant updates which will ramp up to 2 or three a day during the conference giving a virtual conference for you to experience.
Visit it at:
http://australianceramicstriennale.blogspot.com/ 

Register for the conference and get further information on the conference website:
http://australianceramicstriennale.com/"


I really hope to catch up with lots of you at the conference.
Warm Regards
Shannon

Shannon Garson "strange fragments"

New _slab rolled_work.

Here they are, fresh from the kiln. My much anticipated (by me) new slab rolled work.

I really enjoyed the last few weeks making these.

A steep learning curve, but surprisingly a lot of the techniques required came from throwing.

My camera is not focusing, I hope to solve this by the end of the week. So, I will follow this post up with some detailed shots, when the camera allows.

HRH The Prince's rainforests project.

A worthy cause, would be an understatement.

For more information click here.

Government’s response to 2020 Summit recommendations

• considering development of a national cultural policy

• funding a $5.2 million Artists-in-Residence program over four years to improve access to quality artistic experiences for students in primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions (already being implemented. Memoranda of Understanding are being developed between the Australia Council and the Arts and Education Agencies in each state and territory) 

• the agreement by all federal, state and territory education ministers on 17 April 2009 that arts be included in the national curriculum

• providing $6.6 million over four years to the Opportunities for Young and Emerging Artists program, which will include a significant national mentoring component (already being implemented through the Australia Council)

• provide start up assistance for emerging artists and a review of the current state of artists’ incomes

• implement the ArtStart program, which will introduce initiatives that enable artists currently on welfare greater opportunities to produce work and generate employment

• in relation to establishment of an Indigenous Knowledge Centre, initiate a comprehensive feasibility study to engage the indigenous and wider communities and existing institutions to develop options for the most effective way to strengthen and support indigenous culture

• consider a number of support mechanisms for the arts, including in relation to private sector support. The Government commented that a national endowment fund could be considered in that context

• philanthropic tax incentives which will fall within the broad scope of the Government’s Review of Australia’s Future Tax System and possibly other reviews of the not-for-profit sector

• prioritise sustainable urban design issues through the creation of the Major Cities Unit within the Infrastructure portfolio

• ratifying the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity for which a draft National Interest Analysis has been prepared. Ratification is expected in 2009

• the active promotion of Australian arts and culture internationally through the Government’s overseas network of Australian diplomatic posts and interagency arrangements.

           To read the full report click here

Article found at:

The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA)

Vorto vs. slab.

I'm back to basics today. Making some old fav. pieces to fill a back order. How varied my range has become. From this minimal style porcelain pourer, to slab rolled with texture and washed back glaze. When does one pull back a range. And when do you tell a fav. retailer you no longer make a certain style, even though it's still selling. My sanity verses paying the bills.

William Ricketts.

William Ricketts lived and worked on a 4 

acre fern and Mountain Ash covered gully in the Dandenongs from 1934 until his

 death in 1993.

He made sculptures from clay sourced f

rom Bendigo, Victoria. Fired them, then located them throughout his property

. Embedded into tree trunks and on massive rocks, as if they had always

 been there; expressing the idea that the original

 owners where still of the land taking care of it.

Method of construction:

Clay is pressed against a plaster mould to form the vessel and twig legs seperately, and assembled together later. This allows variation, as different twigs/legs can be attached. 

Similar jug by William Ricketts. Compare with photo above; note twig leg at back is different.

Following link is an ABC tv program taken in the grounds of William Rickets sanctuary.

The Collectors, Roving Eye - William Ricketts.

Following link is information on William Ricketts sanctuary, by the Victorian state government.

Parks Victoria - William Ricketts Sanctuary