|
|
Newsletter | Return to List of Newsletters |
The Elizabeth R. Raphael Founder’s Prize of $5,000 is awarded biennially to an artist for excellence in the field of contemporary crafts. Given in conjunction with a juried exhibition and a corresponding catalogue, the award is funded by the daughters of Elizabeth R. Raphael, and the exhibition is organized by the Society for Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, PA. The 1999 inaugural prize, awarded to a wood artist is chosen by a six member review committee, Albert LeCoff, Alexandra Raphael, Catherine Raphael, Margaret Raphael, Janet McCall, and Wendell Castle.
The following artists are prize finalists and part of the exhibition scheduled April through December 2000.
Derek Bencomo, HI
Michael Brody, PA
Joe Brubaker,CA
Andy Buck, OR
Christian Burchard, OR
John E. Byers, OR
Ashoke Chhabra, CA
Charles B. Cobb, CA
Jacob Cress, VA
Tom Eckert, AZ
Peter Exton, NY
Gregg Fleishman, CA
Susan Hagan, CA
Kenton Hall, IN
Terry Hritz, FL
William Hunter, CA
Andrew Ilsley, CA
Duncan Johnson, NY
Ray Jones, NC
Gabrielle Kanter, PA
Po Shun Leong, CA
Tom Loeser, WI
Philip Moulthrop, GA
Hans Nelsen, WA
W.R.Peter Pittman, GA
Richard Prisco, GA
Dean Pulver, NM
Jamie Robertson, MA
David Sengel, NC
Mark Sfirri, PA
Kathran Siegel, PA
John L. Skau, NC
Kimberly Sotelo, WI
Chris Weiland, PA
John W. Williams, WV
Lowell Zercher, AL
The Wood Turning Center recently sponsored the 1999 International Turning Exchange (ITE). Residents spent 8 weeks working and living together at the George School in Bucks County, PA. An exhibit “allTURNatives: Form & Spirit” including objects and statements produced by the ITE residents along with photographs documenting their experience is on display at the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art in Collegeville, PA thru 9/5. The residents are: Henry Gröll, France, Dina Lisa Intorella, NJ; Terry Martin, Australia; Betty Scarpino, IN; & Remi Verchot, France. For more info call The Turning Center 215.844.2188
The first meeting of the CWA occurred before there was an actual organization, when Robyn Horn invited artists and collectors to Little Rock, AR to determine whether or not such an organization was of interest to them. The answer, as we know, was a resounding yes. The weekend was held in conjunction with an exhibition at the Decorative Arts Museum and culminated in a outdoor lunch; a gathering of old friends, with the opportunity to meet others involved in the wood field. It was at this gathering that Ron and Anita Wornick offered to host the 2nd gathering in San Francisco.
The 2nd annual meeting of the CWA was a considerably different affair than the one in Little Rock. Held at a fine hotel in the heart of the city, an emphasis was made upon gathering critics and curators, as well as artists, collectors and galleries to discuss and celebrate contemporary art created in the medium of wood. The event was much larger and it was a weekend filled with lectures, presentations and gallery displays. Both veteran collectors and those new to the field went away inspired.
The 3rd annual CWA meeting holds great promise. This year wood enthusiasts will gather at SOFA Chicago, a major exposition of galleries representing artists working in contemporary craft media. It will be an opportunity to educate the entire craft community, as well as the general public about the important work being created in wood. The positive impact of the CWA is apparent by its involvement in this year’s SOFA Exposition, with a number of galleries planning to exhibit artists working in wood. The Collectors’ Choice exhibition and the various lectures which are planned will surely create further interest in the field.
CWA can expect a rise in membership following SOFA Chicago. New members will be rewarded to find themselves involved in a field as it comes into its own as an important art form, enjoying the exhibitions and books which will appear over the next few years. There is also the camaraderie shared by the collectors and the artists and, best of all, there is the joy of living with the work.
Kevin Wallace, Editor
In June 1999, I was fortunate to be one of twelve recipients of a $50,000 Fellowship Grant from the PEW Foundation in Philadelphia, PA. The other “fellows” included five composers, a choreographer and five craft artists. Approximately 300 applications were reviewed by two separate panels of judges before the finalists were selected.
PEW Fellowship Grants are awarded with the intent of helping artists pursue career objectives, unencumbered by financial concerns for a period of up to two years. The application requires submitting 20 slides of current work, a resume and a career statement; plus a proposal describing how the fellowship time would be spent and why it would be important to receive the grant at this point in my career (see below).
Part of my thrill in receiving this honor is that my work was reviewed with the same values and concerns afforded artists in all craft media, including those of music composition, performance and theater. And because the selection committees included several prominent museum curators, the award represents a validation not only of my work, but the field of woodturning as a whole.
PEW Foundation Fellowship Statement: “I consider myself primarily a ‘maker’, and that the years I have spent developing hollow forms in wood have been very much a journey in discovering the ‘self’ of self-expression. I would now like to extend that journey beyond myself. As such, I wish to use the fellowship time to explore the foundations of ideas, attitudes, methods, motivations, and spiritual connections in the art work of the Aboriginals of Australia and the Maori of New Zealand. I have visited both countries and experienced a limited, but meaningful amount of time with these people and their respective cultures and heritages. I have no idea what, or if, any direct influences might be absorbed that would impact on my current work, but I am certainly open to that possibility. What I am searching for is the connection between individuals and their respective art forms, and to discover how this experience might relate to my own connections as an artist and craftsperson within this culture. In effect, pursue this goal with the intent to observe, participate and reflect”. I intend to travel to New Zealand for two months this fall, and to Australia for two months in 2000.
Make your reservations today for the third annual CWA conference, FORUM 1999 to be held in conjunction with SOFA Chicago! SOFA (Sculpture Objects Functional Art Exposition) is held at Navy Pier. Here is all the important information.
(Close By Navy Pier - With Special Rates)
Sheraton Towers Chicago
1.800.233.4100 Special Rate for CWA
Holiday Inn, City Centre
1.323.787.6100 Special Rate for SOFA
American Airlines
Special Rate for SOFA call
1.800.433.1790 Refer to star file 91O9UT
Call SOFA at 1.800.551 SOFA (7632)
del Mano Gallery
11981 San Vicente Blvd., West Los Angeles, CA 90049
310.476.8508 or 800 DEL MANO
Sept 4 - Oct 2 “Revolution/Evolution I” - Robyn Horn, Todd Hoyer, Stoney
Lamar & Michael Peterson
Oct 1 - Oct 31 Featured Artist - Mark Sfirri
Oct 16 - Nov 13 “Revolution/Evolution II” - Ed Moulthrop, Rude Osolnik,
Melvin Lindquist, & Bob Stocksdale
Nov 1 - Nov 30 Featured Artist - Hans Weissflog
Mendelsen Gallery
4 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794
860 868 2626
Aug 7 - 28 Ron Fleming
Sep 4 - 27 Rude Osolnik
Oklahoma Forest Heritage Center
Beavers Bend State Park
580.494.6497
Sep 19 - Oct 24 “1999 Master of Wood Art”, Clay Foster, Desiree Hajny &
Chester “Skip” Armstrong
The Society of Arts and Crafts
175 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116
617.266.1810
Sep 9 - Nov 25 “Forms in Wood”
Zazen Gallery
6896 Paoli Road, Belleville, WI 53508
608.845.9722
Sep 25 - Oct 24 “Artists From The White House Collection”
The Following Galleries will be presenting work in wood at SOFA/Chicago.
Be sure to visit their booths during the CWA Forum.
President
Vice President
Co-Treasurers
Secretary
Board
Publisher
Editor